Amazon Prime Day 2026: these are the insider tricks I use every year to find the best savings

Amazon Prime Day is over for summer 2026. Previously a two-day event running in July, it doubled to a four days from 23 to 26 June, giving shoppers even more time to spend and save.

The next Amazon sale event will likely be in October if previous years are to go by, with Prime Big Deals just ahead of Black Friday sales in November.

The annual shopping events have become the biggest dates in the retail calendar, with discounts landing across tech, home, fashion, fitness, entertainment and everyday essentials.

As someone who’s covered Amazon Prime Days and Big Deal Days, Black Friday and pretty much every other online shopping event for the last four years, I’ve learned a thing or two about getting the most out of the savings on offer.

The people who get the best deals aren’t the people who spend the most; they’re the people who know how to shop the sale.

They’re the ones who are bag bargains on the items they genuinely need rather than getting swept up in shopping fever and deals that look too good to be true.

Every year, some products genuinely hit their lowest prices as well as limited-time offers that disappear in minutes and hidden discounts most shoppers completely miss.

There are also plenty of ‘deals’ that aren’t quite as impressive as they first appear.

When is the next Prime Day 2026?

The first Amazon Prime Day happened on June 23rd to June 26th. If you missed the opportunity to spend in this Prime Day, the next big event will likely be in October.

For the past few years, Amazon has run Prime Big Deal Days, around early to mid-October, similar to the summer event, however it tends to be the warm-up to Black Friday which happens in November.

That means there is more time than ever to shop ‘til you drop, but there are also more deals than ever competing for your attention.

Before you start filling your basket, here are the tricks, shortcuts and insider hacks I’ve picked up along my many years of covering Amazon shopping events to help you make the most out of Prime Day 2026.

Don’t wait for Prime Day to secure savings

One of the biggest misconceptions about Amazon Prime Day is that all the best offers arrive when the event officially launches.

They don't.

In fact, some of the smartest shoppers are already saving money because Amazon has quietly rolled out a wave of early deals ahead of the main event.

It's good to check for the early offers now rather than risk them already being gone by the time Prime Day rolls around.

Is Prime Day only for Prime members?

This sounds incredibly obvious, but make sure your Prime account is ready, you’d be amazed how many people leave it until the last minute.

Amazon Prime Day’s best offers are reserved for those with Prime memberships so make sure you’ve got one before the event starts. It costs £8.99 a month or you can pay £95 upfront for the year, saving you £1 a month. Or you could look at it as getting a month-and-a-half worth of free membership.

You can still take advantage of Prime Day even if you’ve never been a Prime member before. You can sign up for a 30-day free trial and cancel before it finishes, allowing you to take advantage of the discounts while the sale event is on.

It’s also worth checking your payment details, delivery address and other important account information beforehand so you can speedily check out when you spot something you were after on sale.

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Make a wishlist before Prime Day begins

I feel like every shop on Amazon starts the same way. You open the website or the app with a clear idea of what you need.

Twenty minutes later, you’ve somehow ended up with a pizza oven, a projector or an inflatable hot tub in your basket.

That’s exactly why I always recommend building an Amazon wishlist before the Prime Day event kicks off.

Adding products you’re actually interested in gives you a ready-made shopping list for when the discounts begin landing. It also makes it much easier to spot when an item you’ve been watching finally drops in price.

More importantly, it stops you from spending money on random purchases simply because they’re discounted.

Don’t ignore the boring purchases

The products that dominate headlines during Amazon Prime Day are usually expensive gadgets like TVs and laptops but you can get some great deals on household essentials.

Honestly, one of the best Prime Day hacks is stocking up on things you’ll definitely use over the next six months.

Think toiletries, skincare, electric toothbrush heads, batteries, laundry products, pet supplies and so much more.

This year Amazon is already offering discounts across beauty and personal care brands including Aveeno, CeraVe, Oral-B and Philips.

Sure, buying replacement toothbrush heads isn’t as exciting as buying a PlayStation but future-you will be grateful when you’re not paying full price later in the year.

The hidden discount most people forget to check

Before buying anything, check whether there’s a coupon attached to the listing.

You’ll often find a small box underneath the price offering an additional percentage discount or money-off voucher.

These coupons can often stack with existing Amazon Prime Day discounts, so you can save even more of your hard-earned dosh.

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Use price tracking tools

If you’re serious about finding the best bargains, I always recommend price tracking.

Sites like CamelCamelCamel and Keepa show you a product’s pricing history, allowing you to see whether today’s deal is actually impressive or whether the item was the same price a few weeks ago.

Don’t sleep on the entertainment deals

Prime Day isn’t just about the physical products as some of the best value offers can be found on Amazon’s digital services.

This year Prime members can get three months of Audible for free, while eligible customers can receive four months of Amazon Music Unlimited at no additional cost.

Prime Video viewers can also find discounts of up to 50 percent on selected films and TV box sets.

Prime Day can absolutely be one of the best times of year to save money, but you’ve got to be savvy.

The people who come away with the biggest deals from Prime Day are usually the ones who make a shortlist, track prices, compare retailers and wait for the products they genuinely want to go on sale.

Remember, a deal is only a deal if it’s something you actually want and need.