I have news to make your long week just a little bit brighter: Prime Day is right around the corner, and this year it will last two full days. I am humbled and grateful. This year’s event is the longest Prime Day sale in the company’s history, and these Amazon Prime Day hacks will help you make the most of those glorious 48 hours.
Amazon Prime Day 2019 begins Monday, July 15 at midnight PST, 3 a.m. EST (who knows, maybe you’ll be up nursing and Ama-zoning out) but if you’re not into shopping in the middle of the night, don’t fret, the Prime Day sale will run all through July 16, 2019.
Amazon actually uses Prime Day as a way to thank their Prime members; the “holiday” started in 2015 to mark Amazon’s 20th anniversary, according to BlackFriday.com (nothing makes me feel as weird as realizing that Amazon has been in existence for two-thirds of my life) and it's been highly anticipated each year since. Prime Day deals are available exclusively to Prime members, but if you’re not a member, we have a workaround for you later on. While this sale offers boundless opportunities to snag a deal, it's a flash sale, and once an item sells out, it won’t be replenished at the same steal of a price. This basically means that Prime Day is the digital equivalent of walking into Walmart on Black Friday; you need to be prepared with knowledge and strategy to assure you don’t miss out on what's most important to you. These hacks will help.
Check Other Websites
Unsurprisingly, Prime Day is a huge shopping day, and other companies want to take advantage of all the people online with their credit cards ready to flex. If something sells out on Amazon, or just to compare pricing, make sure you have tabs for Target, Walmart, Best Buy, and any other competitive store open. You just might find a better deal somewhere else.
Join the Waitlist For Lightning Deals
Lightning Deals strike suddenly and sell out quickly (sometimes within just a few minutes.) If you miss a sale, you can click “Join Waitlist” which means you’ll be given access to the sale price if someone removes the item from their cart.
Ask Alexa
Alexa may know something you don’t (terrifying, sorry) but she’s not just going to give away her secrets. As relayed recently by Hello Giggles, Alexa may answer in poems or riddles when asked about Prime Day Deals and CNet is speculating that some of the deals Alexa is privy to may only be available for voice purchase.
Take Advantage Of Bonus Deals
As if you needed an incentive to shop on Prime Day, Amazon is rolling out bonus deals. You’ll get $10 in Amazon credit for using the app or Assistant for the first time, and you’ll also get a $10 credit when reloading $100 or more to your Amazon gift card for the first time. Also, if you spend $10 at Whole Foods either in-store or on Prime Now between July 3 and 16, you’ll get $10 to spend on Prime Day.
Guys, it’s free money. Kind of.
Make A Shopping List
Do not wake up on July 15 without a plan and expect things to go smoothly. Make a list of things you want to get before you start shopping. It's easy to get caught up in the excitement and make impulse buys, but with some sort of strategy, you hopefully won't find yourself regretting 90 percent of the purchases you made. No matter how streamlined a retailer's return procedure is, returning anything anywhere is annoying.
Load Your Credit Card & Shipping Info In Advance
2... 7... 3... You do not want to waste time inputting your credit card information, shipping address, and billing address multiple times over the 48 hours of the sale — yes, you will likely make multiple visits to amazon.com while the sale is live. Make sure it's all there, ready to go so you can be in and out as quickly as possible.
Godspeed.