Amazon Prime Day It’s arguably one of the most confusing shopping holidays out there: It’s not even a “day,” as the event lasts 48 hours; it includes some great deals (Amazon promises “millions of deals”), but the discounts shown are often misleading; and although it’s advertised as a members-only event, some deals are available to people who don’t subscribe to Prime. Add in the limited-time Lightning Deals frenzy, and you’ve got a recipe for spending way too much money.
Fear not! We’re here to help. The Gear team at is familiar with the most common shopping mistakes, and I’ve been a deals writer for nearly a decade. What time do sales start and end? How do you know if a deal is a good one? in fact A deal? We’ve pooled our collective knowledge to get you ready for Amazon Prime Day.
When is Amazon Prime Day?
Amazon’s second Prime Day sale, officially called Prime Big Deal Days, will take place on October 8-9, 2024This pre-holiday event is an offshoot of the more well-known Prime Day sale that takes place in July each year.
When do Prime Day deals start?
The event officially starts at 3 a.m. Eastern Time on October 8 and runs for 48 hours. will be covering the best Prime Day deals from both Amazon and retailers running competitive promotions. Some deals and promotions will begin before the official start time (we’ll cover those, too).
Are Prime Day deals only for Prime members?
Officially, yes. You must be an Amazon Prime member to shop Amazon Prime Day deals. There is a 30-day free trial available for new accounts. (Prime membership comes with many benefits, and we’ve rounded them all up here.) The trial will allow you to take advantage of the offer; just remember to cancel your membership to avoid subsequent renewal charges.
There are some discounts available if you’re not a subscriber (those deals may not be as good). But other major retailers like Best Buy and Target often run simultaneous sales during Prime-only sale events. Their prices are often similar to what Amazon offers for the same products, and sometimes they match the price. This is a good way to get in on the sales if you don’t want to shop on Amazon.
Is Prime Day worth it?
It depends. For some items, prices during Prime-exclusive events are often among the lowest we see all year. This is especially true for Amazon devices, such as Kindles, Fire Tablets, Fire TV Sticks, and Echo devices. However, for many items, prices fluctuate throughout the year, and some products are discounted fairly frequently. Even if the price is good, a deal on a product that’s on sale all the time diminishes the overall quality of that deal.
The sheer number of deals Amazon pushes during sales like Prime Day is both a blessing and a curse. It can be hard to pinpoint the really good discounts—there are so many things on sale that the overall selection can be overwhelming. But chances are good that the item you want is on sale. We’ve seen some fantastic Prime-exclusive discounts in the past, ranging from dirt-cheap Kindles to elusive Nintendo Switch price drops. The tricky part is finding the diamonds in the rough.
There’s one other important thing to keep in mind regarding Prime Big Deal Days (or Prime Day 2). It falls right before Black Friday, meaning that if you wait a little longer, you’ll likely be able to score the same or even better deals at the end of November. If you’re planning on buying something like an Amazon device, the prices likely won’t be that different, but for big-ticket items, it may be smarter to wait and see what the prices are like on Black Friday and Cyber Monday.