Amazon Prime Day hacks: how to get the best deals

At 8pm tonight, Amazon Prime Day will officially begin, offering the site’s Prime customers some of the most lucrative deals in online shopping.

Billed as Amazon’s “Black Friday” or “Christmas in July”, Prime Day comes around once a year, so be sure to make the most of it with these Prime Day hacks for the best deals.

Get a free trial

The deals available on Prime Day are only for Prime customers, a membership for which currently costs around £7.99 per month.

However, if you’re not a Prime member, the site offers a trial membership that will give you full benefits for 30 days. Be sure to unsubscribe once you’ve had your fill of Prime Day deals, unless you want to become a full-time member.

Get the app

If you download the Amazon app on your smartphone, Amazon will give you a sneak preview at some specific items that are going to be discounted during Prime Day.

If one of the preview items interests you, sign up to get a notification when it goes on sale, YourBestDigs suggests, adding: “Keep in mind that Amazon has sometimes offered promotions for using Alexa to shop on Prime Day, so consider turning on Alexa Shopping (through an Amazon device, your PC or a smartphone) for the event.”

Visit the Prime Day homepage to find countdown deals

The Prime Day homepage will feature a number of early deals on apparel, electronics and Amazon devices.

They’re only available for a limited time, so you will need to keep an eye on it.

Install Amazon Assistant on your computer

Business Insider recommends downloading Amazon Assistant, a browser extension that gives you order updates, product comparisons, shortcuts to frequently visited Amazon pages, and desktop notifications on deals you’re watching.

“You can also quickly save products to any of your Amazon Registries or Lists,” the site adds.

Put items in your shopping cart ahead of time

If you know there’s something that you’ll definitely buy if it goes on sale, add it to your cart so you have it at the ready and don’t need to search for it when its price drops.

HelloGiggles says Amazon products, such as Fire tablets, Kindle e-readers and Echoes, will likely “all go on sale for Prime Day”.

Share your Prime benefits with the whole family

Business Insider adds that there’s “no need for every member of the family to pay for their own Prime memberships when you can simply link your accounts together”.

If you’re generous enough to extend your Prime membership to your loved ones, “you’ll share benefits including shipping, Prime Now, Prime Video, and Audible”, the site says.

Expect a random selection

“Amazon Prime Day isn’t the most organised sale,” Society 19 says. “Lightning deals are typically all over the place, with a handbag next to grill brushes and the latest drone.” 

As a result, it can be hard to pinpoint exactly where the best deals are - or where the next set might come from - so be sure to be vigilant and explore all corners of the site.