Amazon Prime Day’s Best Deals: These Sales Are Live Now

Amazon Prime Day is here!

This two-day deal extravaganza — July 12-13 this year — kicked off at 3 a.m. EDT (midnight PDT) on Tuesday and runs for 48 hours straight, through the end of the day Wednesday. After two years during which Amazon moved Prime Day as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, this members-only summertime Black Friday is back to its typical spot on the calendar.

As always, Amazon teased Prime Day 2022 with early sales in the days leading up to the big event itself. Starting on June 21, early Prime Day deals included discounts of up to 55% off Amazon devices, including up to 50% off Fire TVs as well as deals on Echo smart speakers and Kindle e-readers.

Now that sales are officially live, discounts on electronics like smart TVs and noise-canceling headphones make it clear that Prime Day is once again a chance for deal-seekers to scoop up electronics at seriously marked-down prices. And this year, Amazon promises more deals from its expansive network of third-party sellers, as well as featured deals on eco-friendly goods and products from small businesses.

Read on for everything you need to know about Amazon Prime membership — including how to get a free two-week Prime trial and enjoy the fast, free shipping Amazon made an e-commerce industry standard — and, of course, all the details about this year’s bonanza of Prime Day deals.

Best Prime Day deals

Amazon plans to roll out new deals over the course of Prime Day, but here are some of the hottest products and deepest discounts we’ve spotted so far.

• : $34.99 (list price $84.99)

• : $284.99 (list price $519.99)

• : $2,196.99 (list price $3,499.99)

• : $134.99 (list price $189.99)

• : $44.99 (list price $99.99)

• : $188 (list price $329.99)

• : $599.99 (list price $799.99)

• : $179 (list price $279)

•: $68 (list price $149.99)

•: $399.95 (list price $629.95)

•: $259.99 (list price $379.99)

•: $99.99 (list price $189.99)

•: $129.99 (list price $229.99)

•, Alexa-Compatible: $499.99 (list price $999.99)

•: $95 (list price $199.99)

How much is Amazon Prime?

Historically, Amazon has used Prime Day to promote its own devices, such as its Alexa-enabled Echo speakers, Fire TV sticks and Kindle e-readers. It also uses the event to promote Prime membership: As usual, Prime Day deals are available only to Prime subscribers.

For most subscribers, $14.99 per month, or $139 annually. ( costs $7.49 per month or $69 for a year, and Amazon also offers discounted Prime membership to people who receive certain forms of government assistance.)

While lots of people have done the math and found Amazon Prime to be worth the price of membership, Amazon offers a free, no-strings-attached trial if you’re still on the fence.

Amazon hopes that by offering a , you’ll get used to the fast, free shipping (usually two days or less), streaming content and other perks of membership. Even if you used to be an Amazon Prime member in the past, you’re eligible for a free trial if your membership lapsed more than 12 months ago.

How do I get the best Prime Day deals?

Don’t lose your head simply because an item is advertised with a sale price. You still want to make sure you’re getting the best possible deal. Smart shoppers know the tips and tricks to ferreting out good values, whether the occasion is Prime Day, Black Friday or Cyber Monday.

We recommend adopting the following approach:

• Don’t look at list prices. Amazon’s list prices are notoriously unreliable. The same holds true for what are often promoted as “original” or “regular” prices. Using inflated prices as a point of comparison is an old retail sleight-of-hand to trick you into thinking you’re getting a deeper discount than you really are.
• Use price-tracking tools. Prices on Amazon change constantly. Sites and browser extensions like CamelCamelCamel and Keepa offer historical price-tracking data so you can see if an item you’re watching has been cheaper at other points over the past year. An item that was cheaper last Black Friday than Prime Day, for instance, might be worth waiting until November for — but an all-time-low price is a good signal to click the “buy” button now.
• Check out old deals. Peruse deal roundups from previous Prime Days, Black Fridays, and Cyber Mondays to refresh your memory and get a feel for how this year’s deals compare with prior big sale events. Looking at former sales is also a good way to get a feel for which name brands are likely to be featured and what types of products (TVs, air fryers, etc.) are hot. Be aware, however, that due to widespread inflation the deals you see this year may have higher prices than special sales events in the past.
• Shop around. Prime-like deals aren’t limited to Amazon. Target, for instance, is promoting “Target Deal Days” from July 11 to July 13, and you can expect other big retailers like Walmart, Best Buy and Lowe’s to offer deep discounts on a wide array of merchandise to compete with Amazon Prime Day. Check out their respective Black Friday in July sales and do some comparison-shopping.

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