Amazon Prime Day 2019: What to know today

It’s Black Friday in July!

Amazon Prime Day is here and this year it will be the longest one yet. (By 2025 it will probably be a whole week!) There’s a lot to sort through, we get it. So we’re here to help.

How should you prepare?

Prime Day began today at 3 a.m. ET and will last for 48 hours. (Last year, it was 36 hours long.)

  • Prime Day is for Prime Members. If you’re not one, you can sign up.
  • If you’re not sure about signing up for the full year, try the 30-day free trial. Or you can sign up for the month-to-month subscription (and cancel it after Prime Day).
  • This is for the impulse buyers: Start your Prime Day shopping with a list of what you need or want. Don’t get sucked into all the shiny items with little numbers attached!
  • Amazon is all about the “Lightning Deals”. Every hour, big discounts will hit the homepage but there’s limited stock of those and they’re only on sale for a limited time.

What products will be discounted?

There will be more than 1 million deals on Amazon around the world. You can expect discounts on electronics from Fire TV sticks and tablets, Kindle e-readers, Echo Devices to Alexa-enabled devices.

Expect deals on Amazon services and memberships like entertainment (Kindle Unlimited, Amazon Music Unlimited, Prime Video, Audible, etc.) and grocery shopping (Amazon Fresh, Amazon Pantry, Whole Foods, etc.).

There are already deals happening right now, too. (These are the prices as of right now, they may change.)

  • Spend $10 at Whole Foods, get a $10 Amazon credit good for use during Prime Day.
  • Instant Pot Duo 6-quart 7-in-1 pressure cooker: $60 (save $40).
  • Fire TV Recast: $129.99 (save $100)
  • Blink XT2 Security Camera: $100
  • Ring Video Doorbell with a free Echo Dot: $169 (save $130)
  • Discounted magazine subscriptions (Up to 85% off)
  • Apple AirPods with Wireless Charging Case: $180 (save $20)
  • Echo smart speaker: $70 (save $30)
  • Apple iPad 128GB: $329 (save $100)

Here are a few deals Amazon says are coming on Monday:

  • Fire TV Stick 4K for $24.99 ($25 discount)
  • Echo for $49.99 ($50 discount)
  • All New Fire 7 Tablet for $24.99 ($20 discount)
  • 35% off grocery back-to-school brands Gatorade, KIND, etc.
  • Up to $40 off Oculus Go (An all-in-one VR)
  • Prime Video will have up to 50% off movie rentals
  • Prime Audible will offer first 3 months for $5/month (you’ll save $10/month)

Still need help? Amazon has its own Prime Day Guide as well.

Or are you not crazy about shopping Amazon? There are plenty of other places that will be competing for Amazon shoppers.

  • Target: The retailer’s website says “Deal Days” will be on July 15th and 16th, online only. While there are no specifics deals being advertised, Target says deals will be on top national and exclusive brands from home and clothing to kitchen appliances and more. There’s no membership required but REDcard holders will get an additional 5% off their purchase.
  • Walmart: Summer Savings event will kick off on Sunday, July 14th running through July 17th. No membership is needed to claim these deals. Orders over $35 will receive free two-day or next-day shipping. Deals will include new Xbox One, PS4, and Nintendo Switch games; retro arcade machines; gaming accessories; and more.
  • Best Buy: Expect big deals on major appliances. Best Buy’s Smart Home section features the new Amazon Echo Show 5, Ring’s Door View Cam, and Arlo security cameras. So far there’s no announcement about what’s sure to be on deep discount, but Google Home products will be the centerpiece for any sale they do have. Expect the same at Walmart. The website is already touting big deals on Samsung phones.
  • Ebay: Ebay is taking digs at Amazon saying Prime Day is all about selling things nobody really wants. The site claims its sales will be on things people “actually want”. It will call its sale “Crash Sale” poking fun at the time Amazon’s website briefly crashed on Prime Day last year. For the sale, eBay is promising savings of over 50% off for products from top brands like Apple, Samsung, and LG.

About the Author: