Here’s how to get the best bargains out of Amazon Prime Day
Tuesday July 12 will see Amazon offering a tonne of huge discounts across thousands of products, so here's how to make sure you don't miss out... planning is going to be absolutely key
IT'S time to start emptying the piggy bank and flexing the credit card, because tomorrow is Amazon Prime Day.
The event kicked off last year as a way for the online retailer to celebrate it's 20th anniversary by offering things at a huge discount.
Shoppers flocked to the site to scoop up a bargain, with a whopping 398 things sold EVERY SECOND thanks to the thousands of deals on offer.
Amazon Prime Day is basically another Black Friday, making it a great time to pick up cut-price TVs, video games and gadgets.
So what is Amazon Prime Day?
This year it falls on Tuesday July 12 and it's being billed as Amazon's biggest event ever.
Expect 100,000 deals to hit the site, available for anyone in the world to snap up as long as they are an Amazon Prime member.
It will kick off at midnight, with new deals hitting the site roughly every five minutes.
How does it work?
There will be two types of deals on offer tomorrow.
Deals of the Day could be snapped up for the full 24 hours, but there were also shorter Lightening Deals. These are only available for a fixed amount of time, so it's all about being speedy.
How do I become a Prime member?
Amazon Prime is a paid service which allows shoppers to get unlimited one-day delivery on their goods, plus gives access to films, TV shows, music and Kindle books.
You can and it's £7.99 a month, or £79 annually - but you get 30 days free to begin.
Students pay half price and get it free for the first six months.
What deals will be on?
There will be bargains in pretty much all areas, so electronics, toys, movies, health, beauty and sports.
Amazon is keeping exact deals a secret at the moment, but it has announced a few to whet your appetite.
- Amazon Fire Tablet - £34.99 (£15 off)
- Amazon Fire TV stick - £19.99 (£15 off)
- Kindle Paperwhite - £79.99 (£30 off)
There are also rumours of 25% off a Dyson vacuum, 30% off a seven-inch Android tablet and 50% off 100% Pure Argan Oil.
Are the deals really any good?
All we can go on is last year, where top deals included:
- 30% off XBox Ones
- 82% of DVD box sets
- 46% off smartwatches
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Our top tips for bagging a bargain on Amazon Prime Day
Sign up first
- Make sure you've before it all kicks off to speed up the ordering process.
- Don't worry about the price either - new members get a free 30-day trial and as long as you cancel your membership within it you won't be charged.
- .
Navigate the site
- Use the to see what's on offer - they'll be marked with a Prime Exclusive Deal badge.
- Look out for Prime Early Access Lightening Deals too.
Get App-y
- Amazon has a shopping app available for Apple and Android users and it's invaluable for Amazon Prime Day.
- You can use it to scroll through the Lightening Deal (things on sale at a discount for a limited time) and get reminders when they're available.
- You can also create shopping lists, tell the app to send you notifications of your watched items (via the settings menu) and easy as that you'll be told as soon as the deal comes up.
- You can sort by category too, so if you're after beauty bargains it's nice and easy to find them.
Stay speedy
- The whole point of Amazon Prime Day is that many of the best deals are only available for a limited time.
- That means you need to get clicking quickly if you want one - once something is added to your basket you have 15 minutes to complete the transaction.
Use wait lists
- If you want a deal but it's sold out, you might get the opportunity to join a wait list.
- You can do this on the app too and it means if people don't buy in time you could get a chance.
- Make sure you turn on notifications for Waitlisted Deals on the app so you're told as soon as one pops up.
Savvy shoppers benefit the most
- Amazon Prime Day is big news, and other retailers know it.
- Last year companies including Argos, Curry's and PC World all offered bargains on the same day, and they all already have sales happening this year.
- Other chains are following suit too - Debenhams has a Blue Cross Sale on at the moment and Game is offering Sizzling Deals.
- This means it pays to shop around because Amazon might not necessarily be cheapest.
Make a list
- This is the big one - don't be tempted by stuff you don't need.
- If you're in the market for a new TV think about the size and specs you want. It's unlikely you'll get the exact model you want in the Prime Day sale, but you might find a similar one from another company.
- It pays to be open, likewise make sure you've checked out what the going rate is for the item you're tempted by.
My View: DANIEL JONES, Consumer Editor
Treat Amazon Prime Day with some some caution - after all: Amazon is trying to get us to spend money.
The main aim is to dazzle us with seemingly amazing offers so we sign up to its £79-a-year Amazon Prime service.
The retail giant is also of course keen to get us buying goods at a relatively quiet time for shopping.
Yes, there will be some very good deals - particularly expect bargains on the firm’s own products such as the Kindle e-reader and the very good Fire TV set top box.
But don’t assume everything is the deal of the century.
Some items may well have been on sale for around the same price, or maybe a bit less, at Amazon or other stores. And you wouldn’t need to be paying the £79-a-year fee to get them.
Having said that, if you are already a member of Prime - which also offers day to day perks like free next day delivery and access to its video and music streaming service - AND there is something you genuinely need at a good price then it will work for you.
How quickly do you need it?
- The whole point of Amazon Prime is that you get your goods fast, but you don't always need that.
- If you're not in a hurry select the 'no rush delivery' option, and you'll be given £1 back.
Prime Photos
- To tie in with Amazon Prime Day, the company is offering a promotion via .
- All Prime members get unlimited photo storage and the company is trying to promote it.
- before July 12 and you'll be entered into a competition to win a £3,500 gift card to spend at Amazon.
Plan ahead
- OK so the thought of Christmas present shopping might fill you with dread, but if you have kids get making that list.
- Amazon will be offering a lot of toy deals tomorrow, making it the perfect time to get some early shopping in.