Amazon Prime Day: How to Make Sure You're Getting the Best Deals

If you’re an Amazon Prime member, forget Christmas. Amazon Prime Day is coming up on July 15 and July 16.

Prime day is where members can get access to exclusive deals that you can’t find anywhere else. According to a survey by marketing company Valassis, 46 percent of shoppers believe Amazon Prime Day provides greater savings than Black Friday. In other words, Amazon Prime Day has been solidified as a day of deals and summer shopping.

Part of the appeal of Amazon Prime Day is that you don’t necessarily know what’s going to be on sale, so it’s full of fun and surprises. But you don’t want to get caught up in the excitement and ruin your budget.

Here’s how to make the most out of Amazon Prime Day.

Know what you want

It can be easy to get caught up in the hype of Amazon Prime Day and overspend. But here’s the truth: it’s not a sale if you don’t need it. If you buy something you don’t need at 30 percent off, you’re really just spending 100 percent, unnecessarily.

Have a plan with a list of items you really need so you don’t fall into a spending spree and blow your budget.

Download the Amazon app

If you want to get a preview of some of the deals, do yourself a favor and download the Amazon app. It’s free and you can get ready to compare offerings.

Reminder: if the app will make it more likely to spend after Amazon Prime Day, delete it after this period.

Once in the app, look for “sneak peek” to see what deals are coming your way. Make sure you have notifications turned on in your settings.

Get $50 from Amazon

Amazon has some special ways that you can earn money and help you save on Amazon Prime Day.

Amazon is giving a $10 credit to customers when they sign into the app for the first time. On top of that, they’re giving an additional $10 once you make your first purchase.

If you reload your gift card balance to $100 or more, Amazon will give you another $10. And Whole Foods Market shoppers are in luck. If you spend $10 at Whole Foods between July 3-16, you can score $10 for Amazon Prime Day.

You can also install Amazon Assistant, which will give you desktop notifications on the deals you’re looking at. Doing so can give you $10 if you spend $50 or more.

Start looking now

You can see some of the Amazon Prime Day deals under the sneak peek part of the app as well as checking out the Amazon Prime Day Launches. You can also look at the featured launches coming up and browse items by category.

To get the most out of browsing, consider any items you need for upcoming birthdays or even Christmas. This can be a good way to get ahead on holiday shopping in one sitting, while items are on sale.

Items worth buying

Amazon Prime Day can be overwhelming which is why you need to zero-in on what you want and need so you can score the best deals.

Some of the items that are likely worth buying are household items like vacuums, electronics or home improvement items. Additionally, items like the Instant Pot have been a hit and can help you on your meal prep journey.

Sharing is caring

Amazon allows you to share your Prime benefits and create an “Amazon household” where you can have two adults, four teens and four children on the account. The people in your household can take advantage of Prime Day deals, get access to Prime shipping, streaming content and more.

Do your homework

Though Amazon Prime Day is a day of sales, you still want to make sure you’re getting the best deal.

Quickly research other options to see if the price is actually a deal. Some retailers may hike up the price before a sale, so taking a look at competitor prices before pressing the Amazon buy button can help you get the best price.

Set a budget

It’s tempting to buy things you don’t actually need. Suddenly, your shopping list gets longer and you convince yourself that all of these extra items are things you ‘need’.

Before Amazon Prime Day, look at your finances and set a budget that won’t break the bank. You don’t want to go into debt or buy things you can’t afford. Spending too much will lead to a spending hangover and maybe some credit card debt. That’s a big no-no here at The Gym!

Using all of these tips, you can get the most out of Amazon Prime Day and shop to your heart’s content, while being responsible.