Amazon Prime Day: 8 ways to prepare, according to a shopping editor

Sign up for an Amazon Prime membership

First things first: to shop the sale, you’ll need an Amazon Prime account. Memberships cost $14.99 per month, or $139 a year, but new members can sign up for a free one-month trial.

If you’re between the ages of 18 and 24, you can save 50% off your membership when you sign up for a Prime Young Adults account, which comes with a whopping six-month free trial.

As with any major sale, product drop, or ticket release, it’s always smart to make an account before the actual event so you can save your credit card information and address ahead of time. Deals sell out fast, so the quicker you can check out, the more likely you are to get your hands on that product you’ve been eyeing.

Make a Wish List

With Amazon touting “millions of deals” during Prime Day, it’s crucial to have an idea of what you’d like to shop so you don’t get overwhelmed or worse — suckered into buying something you don’t actually need.

Ahead of the sale, you’ll want to make a Wish List (alternatively, you can add products to your cart or add them to your Save for Later section). This makes it much easier to scope out the products you truly want to snag marked down on the actual day. With a few easy clicks, your product will be on its way to your doorstep.

How to set up alerts for Prime Day

Another thing you’ll want to do before Prime Day is enable deal alerts through the Amazon app. Here’s how you’ll do it:

• Open the Amazon app
• Tap on the You tab (it’s the one with an icon of a person)
• Tap the gear at the top of the page
• Tap “Notifications”
• Tap “Deals and recommendations”
• Make sure all three notification settings (“Savings”, “Recomendations” and “New Releases”) are toggled on

After that, you’re all set. Come Prime Day, Amazon will send you push notifications for deals based on your search history and recently viewed items

You can also set up alerts with help from Alexa. To set a reminder for the actual sale, say: “Alexa, remind me when Prime Day starts.”

For specific deal alerts, start by opening the Alexa app (not the Amazon app) and turning on the deals alert function. Here’s how you’ll do it:

• Tap the “More” tab (it’s the one with three lines)
• Tap “Settings”
• Tap “Notifications”
• Tap “Amazon Shopping”
• Make sure “Deals Reccomendations” is toggled on

Then, simply ask, “Alexa, what are my notifications?” Your device will then alert you anytime there is a deal on a product in your shopping cart, in your Saved for Later list or in any of your Wish Lists.

Shop early

This advice is a two-parter: when I say shop early, I mean both ahead of time and early on the actual sale days.

Ahead of the actual sale, many brands drop early Prime Day deals on top products, meaning you don’t always have to wait to score a stellar deal.

That being said, prices could be better on the actual day. However, it’s still a gamble as your product could sell out. My advice is that if you really want the product and the price feels good to you, go for it!

If you’re waiting to shop on the actual sale, then my biggest piece of advice is to log on early.

With high demand for specific products and things like limited-time Lightning Deals, products sell out quickly. Prime Day officially kicks off at 12 a.m. PT/3 a.m ET. While I don’t feel you need to log on that early, do aim to do the bulk of your shopping earlier in the day (primarily on day one) to ensure you get the products you really want.

Look out for Lightning Deals

Speaking of Lightning Deals, let’s break them down, shall we?

Most Amazon shoppers are familiar with Lightning Deals. They’re limited-time deals (usually indicated by a time ticker) that are only live for a few hours. You can browse them here as well as on the Amazon app.

This year, Amazon is also introducing “Today’s Big Deals,” something it describes as, “themed daily deal drops featuring some of the most exciting deals of the event, exclusive to Prime members.”

According to Amazon, these special offers will launch daily at midnight PT and remain available for a limited time, while supplies last. Featuring picks from top brands, some big names already confirmed to participate are Samsung, Kiehl’s, and Levi’s.

Check out Amazon’s trade-in program

If you’re looking to upgrade a piece of tech this Prime Day, you should also be aware of Amazon’s trade-in program.

With this program, you can exchange an old Amazon device (as well as other applicable electronics from other brands) for an Amazon.com Gift Card for the estimated trade-in value.

According to Amazon, some trade-ins may also be eligible to earn a limited-time instant discount or trade-in rebate towards a qualifying Amazon device purchase.

Check out competing deals, too

As Prime Day grew into a bigger event for shoppers over the past decade, other retailers wanted to get in on the action, too. Because of this, lots of retailers (such as Walmart, Target, Nordstrom, etc) run competing deals that are well worth checking out.

Much of the time, it’s likely that another retailer will be offering a matching discount on the same product, so if the deal you really wanted sold out at Amazon, you may just be able to snag it elsewhere.

What to buy on Prime Day

Now for the big question: what should you buy on Prime Day?

Prime Day is a great time to shop many different categories, but if I had to recommend two, it would be tech and personal care.

The tech deals are truly stellar on Prime Day. From TVs and smart home assistants to high-end headphones, e-readers and laptops, you can find some remarkable savings on Prime Day. One brand to keep on your radar is Apple — they rarely run sales, so a Prime Day pickup is always a good idea.

Amazon Fire TV 65″ Omni Series, 4K UHD smart TV

$670 Now $450

Save 33% off this 65-inch Fire TV when you shop this early Prime Day deal.

$450 on Amazon

As for personal care, some of the best deals I see year over year are on things like electric toothbrushes, hair tools, teeth-whitening strips, and skincare. Speaking of which, this year, many luxury beauty brands are also taking part in the sale, so keep your eyes on your favorites.

Another area you’ll want to check out is small appliances. Yes, Prime Day is well-known for deals on things like multi-cookers and air fryers, but if you’re looking to score a new espresso machine, a Vitamix or even an air purifier, now’s a great time.

Coway Airmega Purifier

$230 Now $155

Save 33% off when you shop this early Prime Day deal.

$155 on Amazon

If your bedding has seen better days, don’t sleep on the soft goods category either (sorry, I had to). From pillows and comforters to mattresses galore, revamping your sleep setup on Prime Day is never a bad idea. Oh, and be sure to look for cooling bedding deals as we enter the dog days of summer.

You’ll also want to keep back-to-school and dorm supplies in mind. From lunchboxes and backpacks to college essentials like laptops and, yes, bedding, you’ll find some great deals in these areas, too.

At the end of the day, count on NJ

The shopping team here at NJ.com has a combined decade+ of experience covering Prime Day, so we know how to spot a great deal.

We’ll be hard at work rounding up the best deals to help make what can feel like an overwhelming event a bit more fun. Be sure to check out our coverage this Prime Day as we’ll be updating you with the deals we know you’ll love, all week long.

To see more deals on Amazon, check out our Amazon shopping hub for the latest news and sales.