By Nathan Burrow and Kaitlin Mahar
Amazon Prime Day 2023 will launch on Tuesday, July 11, less than a year since the last Amazon-specific deals event. And that can be a good thing for shoppers who face inflation-induced price hikes.
Finding real and meaningful discounts on quality, expert-vetted items is even more important amid the marketing hyperbole surrounding sales events like Prime Day. In fact, some discounts this July simply won’t be worth the spend. Wirecutter’s deep research, price tracking, and deals expertise will help you separate the real deals from the duds, whether you’re shopping early Prime Day deals from Amazon or at a competing sale from Target, Best Buy, and others.
When is Amazon Prime Day?
Amazon Prime Day 2023 will launch on Tuesday, July 11, and will continue through Wednesday, July 12. Select Prime Day deals—usually discounts on Amazon’s own items—have historically started about 48 to 72 hours prior to the official start date. We’d anticipate seeing more than the smattering of the early deals Amazon is currently promoting pop up as early as July 8 and 9 this year. Prime Day itself will launch very early in the morning on July 11 and offer waves of deals, some with limited inventory, throughout the day, in addition to all-day discounts.
Will there be a second Amazon Prime Day this year?
Amazon’s summer Prime Day sale hasn’t even begun, but speculation of a similar sale is already underway. The retailer first introduced the concept of a major sale on October 13 and 14, 2020, after its summer Prime Day sale was delayed by the COVID-19 pandemic. But after returning to business as usual with the launch of Prime Day 2021 in June—the earliest kick-off to date—Amazon followed up its July 2022 Prime Day sale with its inaugural Prime Early Access Sale, on October 11 and 12, 2022. It remains to be seen whether Amazon plans to follow suit this fall with a 2023 Prime Early Access Sale, but it’s very possible that the retailer could seize the opportunity to get ahead of its competitors before Black Friday 2023 sales begin in November.
What to expect on Prime Day 2023
Amazon promises Prime-exclusive deals on Wirecutter-recommended brands like Sony, Bose, and Theragun. The company is also introducing an invite-only deals program for products it has deemed likely to sell out—Prime members can sign up for access in advance of the event.
Early Prime Day deals
Some early Prime Day price drops are already on the table, with Amazon offering discounts on its own products, including Wirecutter-recommended devices like the Kindle Paperwhite Kids ebook reader and the Echo Dot Kids (5th Gen) Alexa smart speaker. From now through midnight Pacific Time on July 7, 2023, Prime members can also receive a $15 Amazon credit if they download the Amazon Photos app and upload their first photo.
What is Amazon Prime Day?
Originating in 2015 as a celebration of Amazon’s 20th birthday, Prime Day is an Amazon Prime–exclusive sales event. Prime members get access to some of the better prices available on a variety of stuff, from Amazon’s own selection of smart speakers to housewares, baby gear, laptops, and clothing.
How to prepare for Prime Day 2023
There are several ways savvy shoppers can prepare for Prime Day. As in years past, Prime members can once again set up deals alerts based on previous Amazon searches and recently viewed items. Visit the Prime Day event page on the Amazon app between now and Prime Day to create a deals alert, and you’ll receive push notifications when deals become available.
Amazon has also rolled out a new, invite-only deals program this year, through which Prime members can request an invitation to score some (so-called) exclusive deals on items that are expected to sell out. We’re waiting to see what these deals entail, but we anticipate seeing discounts on everything from robot vacuums and smart TVs to exercise equipment and small appliances. Selected members will be notified during Prime Day with instructions on how to purchase an item at its discounted price.
Finally, be sure to check back in often with the Wirecutter Deals page, since our team of expert deals hunters will be working around the clock to share the best deals they find on Wirecutter’s expert-approved picks during Amazon Prime Day (and every other day of the year).
Other ways to save during Amazon Prime Day
Do you have to be a Prime member to get Prime Day deals?
Officially, yes. But you can get Prime Day deals without shelling out roughly $140 for a yearly membership (a monthly membership goes for about $15). If you haven’t done so before, you can start a free 30-day trial prior to Prime Day to get Prime Day pricing without joining permanently. To avoid being charged, however, you need to cancel before the subscription auto-renews.
Another way to get Prime Day pricing without paying for Prime is via Amazon’s competitors. In recent years, Best Buy, Walmart, and Target have all launched sales events to compete with Prime Day. Many of the discounts match Amazon’s Prime-exclusive pricing, allowing non-Prime members to shop the sale of their choice.
This article was edited by Annemarie Conte.
Meet your guides
Nathan Burrow is the senior deals editor at Wirecutter. He is an avid reader and a parent to a poorly behaved beagle mix. He resides in Kansas City (the Missouri one). He is a longtime content contributor for Wirecutter, and his work has also been featured in The New York Times.
Kaitlin Mahar is a staff writer for Wirecutter’s Deals team. Her byline has appeared in Delish, Esquire, and Town & Country. When she’s not hunting for deals and fiercely defending the Oxford comma, she’s a proud cat parent, an avid yogi, and a co-producer and co-host of the podcast Crime Culture. Please tell your pets and grandparents she says hi.