How to Score the Best Deals During Amazon’s Prime Day
If you’re a fan of Amazon deals, you’ve probably got Prime Day marked on your calendar. The big event is happening next week, and it won’t be hard to find some great discounts on popular items. But there are always bigger deals to be had if you know where to look.
So whether you’re a pro at shopping at Amazon savings events and tracking down great deals, or you’re new to FirstThese tips will help you stay up to date on all the discounts you can get at Amazon.
For more tips on shopping on Amazon, read all about returning products to Amazon or check out some of the lesser-known Prime benefits that come with a subscription.
You won’t be able to take advantage of all of these March deals without a Prime subscription, but you don’t have to be a paying subscriber to take advantage of the sale. One of the best things about Prime Day events is that even those with a free Prime trial are eligible for Prime discounts and other perks. That means you can sign up for Amazon’s 30-day free trial and participate without paying anything — as long as you remember to cancel before your trial ends and your paid subscription kicks in.
If you shop at Amazon regularly, this is a no-brainer. The Prime Visa gives Prime members 5% cash back on purchases made at Amazon’s website, Amazon Fresh, and Whole Foods. You’ll also get 5% cash back on travel booked through Chase, and 2% cash back on restaurants, gas stations, and local public transportation (like rideshares). There’s no annual fee, but you do need a Prime membership. The card can earn you money with little effort if you shop at these places often. And if you sign up now, you’ll receive an Amazon gift card upon approval.
CNET also has a look at the Prime Visa.
Set up deal notifications in the app
Because Amazon knows your recent searches and the types of purchases you make on them, it’s also well-positioned to offer deal notifications for things you’re interested in. Prime members can sign up to receive deal notifications related to their recent searches and viewed items in the Amazon app.
Let Alexa keep you informed
As you might imagine, Amazon’s smart digital assistant comes in very handy around events like Prime Day. You can have your Alexa devices notify you about deals on products in their wishlist, cart or save for later — and even place an order on their behalf, so they can shop hands-free.
Keep an eye on other retailers
Amazon isn’t alone in offering deals during the spring shopping season. Other major retailers like Best Buy, Walmart and Target have offered their own competing anti-Prime Day deals in the past, with some deals starting earlier than Amazon’s or lasting longer.
Is that Big Spring Sale “deal” really a deal? Instead of looking up prices on Amazon’s retail competitors, do it directly with a price comparison extension for your web browser. There are several on the market, including CNET’s own in-house extension, CNET Shopping (formerly known as PriceBlink). It works with a ton of retailers and can show you the best current deal, price history for select items, retailer coupons to help you boost your savings, and more. The best part? Our extension is completely free. Try it right now on Google Chrome.
You probably forget to check CNET Deals every day because sometimes life gets weird and you have other things to do. Instead of letting you miss out on a good deal, we created a daily text message service to send a special text message every day with something you might like — usually something under $50 that’s worth knowing about. During big shopping events like Black Friday and Prime Day, you can sign up for a higher volume of deals text messages about every retailer that’s offering something unique or interesting. We’ll send a message leading up to these events, so you’re always in control of how many texts you get from us.
The CNET Deals team will be covering the event from the moment it starts until the last minute the deals end. You can read all the key CNET account on X (formerly Twitter) for the best deals, along with the CNET Deals Account for a wider flow of deals.
Don’t miss our other shopping tips, like how to prevent porch pirates from stealing your Amazon deals and all about the shopping perks returning to Target Circle.
