surprise! Even though we just celebrated Amazon Prime Day in July, the big box retailer has announced its second big savings event, the Prime Early Access Sale, on Tuesday, October 2nd. 11th and Wednesday 1st October. 12.
Of course, it’s never too early to start writing down your wish list for a big sale. Below, we’ll break down everything you need to know before the event begins.
The Amazon Prime Early Access Sale is the first of its kind for Prime members in the fall ahead of holiday shopping. It offers two days of special deals on thousands of items across all product categories.
Amazon has announced that the Prime Early Access Sale will take place this October. 11 and 12.
For the past few years, Amazon Prime Day has also lasted for two days. Before 2020, Prime Day had always been held in July, but due to the pandemic, sales were delayed in 2020 and held in October instead. In 2021, the event returns to summer with a June date, while earlier this year, Prime Day took place in July.
Now, Amazon appears to be paying homage to Prime Day ahead of the 2020 holiday season with an announcement of a Prime Early Access sale.
First things first: make sure you actually have an Amazon Prime membership. You can sign up for a 30-day free trial here, after which your membership will be $14.99 per month or $139 per year. In addition to fast, free two-day shipping, you get access to Prime Video ad-free music streaming, unlimited photo storage, and unlimited reading. The best deals on many of Prime Early Access deals, including Lightning Deals (which we’ll get to in a moment), are only available to Prime members.
Once your membership is all cancelled, you should also take some time to make sure your payment methods (including one-click setup and default delivery) are up to date so you can get the deals you want in a timely manner.
Additionally, between now and the event, Prime members can set up deal alert notifications related to their most recent Amazon searches and recently viewed items on the Prime Early Access Sale event page in the Amazon app. Once the Prime Early Access Sale begins, members will receive push notifications for any available deals.
When you create a wish list, add an item to your cart, or save it for later, Alexa also provides transaction notifications to everyone 24 hours before the deal goes live. These items can also be purchased through Alexa.
While some early deals are already available, you’ll need to bookmark the Amazon deals page where all items included should appear. Be sure to check early and often on the big day; Prime Early Access Sale deals can sell out quickly, and new deals may be added throughout the sale.
You’ll also find Amazon’s famous Lightning Deals on the aforementioned page (you can filter the view so that you only see Lightning Deals using the panel on the left side of the page).
Finally, be sure to follow CNN Underscored on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram, and check our website often. On Amazon Prime Day (and every other day of the year), we’ll be highlighting the best deals you don’t want to miss 24/7.
Amazon hasn’t officially announced any specific deals, but on Prime Day, we’ve seen deals on everything from electronics and major appliances to small household items. Here are some of the deals we expect to happen this year, based on what we saw last summer:
• Beats Fit Pro: Last year’s Prime Day, the Beats Fit Pro was $159.95 (down from $199.95).
• Apple Watch Series 7: We’re seeing Apple Watch Series 7 discounted for over $100 during Prime Day.
• Samsung 55-inch Bezel Series Smart TV: During Prime Day in July, The Frame is down to its lowest price ever.
• 2021 Apple TV 4K: Our picks for the best streaming device upgrades are $70 off the last Prime Day, an all-time low.
• iRobot Roomba i7+ Robot Vacuum: Several models of the smart vacuum are discounted, but this high-tech product is down to the lowest price we’ve ever seen.
• Sony WH-1000XM4: Our picks for the best overall headphones are down to new low prices today, and they come in blue and black colorways.
Amazon’s Prime Early Access Sale isn’t the only big sale to watch, as many other major retailers may also offer discounts.
While we recommend Amazon as our top pick for many of the items listed above, both Walmart and Target are likely to drop prices close to (or better than) Amazon’s prices on many electronics, household items. In July, both companies are offering big discounts on a slew of products to coincide with Prime Day.
Electronics giant Best Buy may also be competing with the Prime Early Access Sale; this June, the retailer is offering up to $300 off select laptops, $200 on select MacBooks, and up to $350 on select gaming desktops offers up to 50% off select small kitchen appliances.
For those looking for deep discounts on furniture and home appliances, Wayfair may be the place to find the best deals. We expect the retailer to offer discounts of up to 60% on the same dates as the Prime Early Access sale — the same deals it offered in July.
CNN Underscored’s editors will be comparing retailers’ prices (and announcing deals) during the Prime Early Access Sale, so keep in mind that when you see us covering deals, this will be your best bet.