Amazon Prime Day 2023: Summer’s Deals Bonanza Explained

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Summer is finally here and that means Amazon Prime Day 2023 is fast approaching. Amazon is still being coy on the dates, but if past form is anything to go by, we’re pretty confident it will be happening around the week starting July 10. We’ll be highlighting some of the very best deals right here, so feel free to bookmark us and come back on the day.

Many of the Prime Day deals are typically amongst the best you’ll find in the summer season. Our experienced team of deal hunters will be working throughout the 48-hour event to sniff out the very best bargains and let you know which ones are genuinely worthy of your attention. Inflation being the swine that it is though, means that there will likely be plenty of deals that aren’t quite the lowest-ever price that they might have been late last year for example. But if it’s still a great deal, then we’ll share it with you. Whereas those cheeky deals that have regularly been cheaper in recent weeks can go sit in the naughty corner.

Prime Day really is a site-wide sale, so if you’ve been meaning to pick up anything lately, it might be worth holding out to see if it’s cheaper in the sale. Expect Prime Day deals to really shine in popular categories like tech, home, garden, pets, gaming, mobile, fashion, and more. We’ll certainly be keeping an eye out for items we’ve previously highlighted in our buying guides to ensure you’re not only saving money but saving it on the best products out there. 

We have a dedicated ‘What is Prime Day?’  guide if you’d like to see a deeper dive into the event, along with a bunch of shopping tips to get you ready and make sure you get the best out of the sale. The short version is that it’s a sale with exclusive discounts for Amazon Prime members. It’s often up there with Black Friday as far as the discounts go, and it’s the best time, bar none, to get the lowest prices on Amazon’s own devices like Echos, Kindles, and Fire Sticks (see examples further down the page).  If you’re not a Prime member though, we wouldn’t worry, as you’ll be free to sign up for a free 30-day free trial if you haven’t used the service before. 

When is Prime Day 2023

Don’t expect an announcement until we get much closer to the event, but tradition indicates it will be in early July. Most likely a 48-hour window sometime between July 10-13. On the day itself, expect deals to kick off at 3 a.m. ET/midnight PT. 

How to prepare for the Prime Day sale

Sign up for Prime: As a reminder, only Prime members can participate in Prime Early Access Sale. That said, you can sign up, take advantage of the free 30-day trial, and cancel it after the event. If you plan to cancel your Amazon Prime account after Prime Day, be sure to set a reminder. 

Consider maximizing your rewards: The Amazon Prime Rewards Visa Signature credit card could be a good option if you’re in the market for a new credit card, especially if you do a lot of shopping on Amazon. In addition to a $150 Amazon gift card, you’ll get a range of other bonuses as listed below. Keep an eye on this card closer to the event, as the gift card bonus was upped to $200 for Prime Day last year. For a more comprehensive roundup of options, be sure to take a look at our best credit card guide.

Start planning now: With big sales events like Prime Day, it’s easy to fill your cart with things you don’t need. That’s why we recommend setting a budget and a shortlist of specific items you want to buy in advance. Take the time to outline what things you want to buy, research them in advance, and then save them to your Amazon Wish List so you’re ready to go if those items go on sale. 

Check out Amazon’s gift guides: For gifting inspiration, Amazon has released various lists of the most giftable items:

Tips for finding the best deals during the Prime Day 

Check the price history: We always make a note of comparing historical prices with Prime Day’s prices. To understand if we’re actually getting a good deal, we often use the free tool CamelCamelCamel. It is the most trusted Amazon price tracker available, and you can get notifications for price decreases for any product listed on Amazon.

Monitor lightning deals: Lightning Deals — flash sales that only last a few hours — are a big part of Prime Day, and you’ll need to be ready to buy right away due to limited quantities. However, if the item you want does sell out, you can join the waitlist. If someone doesn’t complete the purchase within 15 minutes, the deal is made available to the next person on the waitlist. 

Set up deal notifications: This is where creating a plan for specific items you want to buy pays off. If you download the Amazon mobile app, you can set up deal alerts for the things you care about. First, you’ll want to add the items to your Amazon Wish List. Then, all you have to do is open the Amazon app and navigate to your Settings. From the drop-down menu, click Notifications. From there, turn on Your Watched & Waitlisted Deals. 

Double-check the specs: If you’re hunting for gadgets and tech devices specifically, look closely at the specs, especially if you’re looking at refurbished older models. If you wouldn’t buy the product at full price, you may want to rethink your purchase. The general rule of thumb: It’s a good idea to buy tech with specs with the future in mind, not just right now.

Follow Insider Reviews: We’ve been covering Prime Day since its inception, and if you don’t have time to prep, we’ve got you covered. We’ll be surfacing the best deals across the entire sale with real-time coverage. 

What deals can we expect from the Prime Day sale?

For a taste of what sort of discounts to expect, here’s a selection of the best deals from last summer’s Prime Day event and the Prime Early Access sale from October, which was unofficially dubbed Prime Day 2 as it had similar deals in a 48-hour window. Generally, though, we think the Summer Prime Day deals are better than the October event. 

Last year’s best Prime Day Amazon device deals 

• Echo Dot (3rd Gen) with Amazon Music Unlimited: $9.98 (Save 80%)
• Echo Buds (2nd Gen) with wired charging case: $69.99 (Save 42%)
• Kindle Paperwhite Essentials Bundle: $117.97 (Save 38%)
• Fire TV Stick 4K Max: $34.99 (Save 36%)
• Fire TV Cube: $59.99 (Save 50%)
• Fire HD 8 (2020): $44.99 (Save 50%)
• Fire HD 8 Kids Edition Tablet: $69.99 (Save 50%)
• Ring Video Doorbell Wired: $39.99 (Save 38%)
• Amazon Halo Band: $39.99 (Save 60%) 

Best Prime Day tech deals 

• Apple Watch Series 8 (GPS, 41mm): $349 (Save 13%)
• Tile Mate (2022): $33.59 (Save 30%)
• Theragun Prime: $187 (Save 37%)
• Bose 700 Noise Cancelling Headphones: $269 (Save 29%)
• Samsung 65-inch QLED The Frame Series TV: $1,597.99 (Save 27%)
• Jabra Elite Active 4: $75.99 (Save 37%)
• Amazon eero Pro 6 Mesh Wi-Fi 6 System: $389 (Save 35%)
• 13-inch Apple MacBook Air (2020): $799 (Save 20%)
• JBL Go 3 Bluetooth Speaker: $29.95 (Save 40%)

Best Prime Day home & kitchen deals 

• Casper Sleep Essential Pillow: $42 (Save 30%)
• Vitamix Professional Series 750 Blender: $399.95 (Save 37%)
• Anker Eufy BoostIQ RobotVac 30: $139.99 (Save 44%)
• Bella Rotating Belgian Waffle Maker: $23.26 (Save 42%)
• Black & Decker handheld cordless vacuum: $24.99 (Save 32%)
• Ms. Meyer’s Clean Day’s Multi-Surface Cleaner Concentrate: $11.19 (Save 49%)
• OXO 8-Cup Coffee Maker: $142.99 (Save 28%)
• Kasa Smart Plug Ultra Mini: $12.99 (Save 24%)
• Kasa Smart Light Bulbs: $29.99 (Save 25%)
• TokeShimi Wall Mirror: $103.19 (Save 20%)

Other notable deals

• Audible Premium Plus: Prime members could get their first four months of Audible Premium Plus for only $6 a month, a 60% discount. Audible Premium Plus typically includes a free 30-day trial and then costs $15 a month. 
• Amazon Music Unlimited and Echo Dot bundle: Prime members could get a third-gen Echo Dot for $0.99 with a one-month subscription to Amazon Music Unlimited. Or Prime members who haven’t yet tried Amazon Music Limited can get their first four months free. 
• Get 20% off Grubub on October 11 and 12: Prime members in the US were able to activate a one-year Grubhub+ membership, which includes unlimited free delivery fees on orders over $12, along with other exclusive offers. You could also get 20% off a Grubhub order during the event.
• Up to 50% off on new and popular titles on Prime Video: Prime members had access to a selection of new and popular titles to rent or buy at up to 50% off.

How long do deals last?

While the Prime Day sale lasts 48 hours, it’s important to understand that many deals sell out quickly. For example, Lightning Deals are limited-time, limited-inventory discounts. They are Amazon’s version of a flash sale — complete with a countdown clock — and last for just a few hours or until the item sells out. We’ve seen Nintendo Switch bundles sell out in seconds in the past.

Are Prime Day deals the same on both days?

Over the 48-hour event, Amazon releases thousands of deals. Some deals span both days, but some will sell out quickly. If you shop on the first day of Prime Day, you can expect a new set of fresh deals on day two. As someone that’s covered every single Prime Day event though, I can safely say I’ve generally found the deals launched on the first day are the best ones, so be sure not to casually drop in halfway through day two, or you might be disappointed. The cheapest Amazon devices can often sell out by that point too. 

What about the Amazon Prime Early Access Sale? 

Amazon’s Prime Early Access Sale is a separate event that ran on October 11-12 last year. The aim was to give Prime members exclusive “early” access to holiday deals, hence the name. While technically not another Prime Day, there were lots of similarities. Just like the annual Prime Day shopping event in the summer, you had to be a Prime subscriber to get access to all the deals during the two-day event. 

There were some fantastic deals, especially on Amazon devices, but it didn’t feel as strong as the summer event, and its closeness to the Black Friday season made many deals something of a hard sell when potentially bigger discounts were just around the corner. And in many cases, that turned out to be true.