Let’s hope your wallets have recovered from Amazon’s last Prime Day back in July, because the retailer is back with another savings event. Dubbed the Prime Early Access Sale, Amazon is hoping to help shoppers get ready for Christmas (yes, we know it’s only just into October) with some early discounts on the latest goodies.
While we still think Prime Day 2: The Return of Bezos would be a better, if oddly cinematic, name for the event, we’re excited for the season of savings to kick off. Black Friday and Cyber Monday are still to come, so it’ll be interesting to see how big Amazon decides to go with this event.
There’ll be no shortage of gadgets and gear for you to spend your hard-earned cash on, but the problem is the same as ever – cutting the wheat from the chaff to get to the deals that really matter. We’re doing the work for you – you’ll be able to check back with us throughout Prime Day 2 to find top-handpicked tech deals on this very page.
When is Amazon’s Prime Early Access Sale?
The 2-day event starts on 11 October at 00:01, and runs through to 23.59 on 12 October, offering products at up to 50% off. The Prime Early Access Sale will obviously take place at slightly different times in the US and UK due to time differences. Shoppers in Canada, China, and across Europe can also participate.
This is the first time Amazon is hosting the Prime Early Access sale, which is essentially a second Prime Day. If these October dates seem familiar, it’s because 2020’s Prime Day took place in October due to the pandemic. This all-new event is set to offer extra savings in the run-up to the holiday season. And we reckon there are a few extra Alexas kicking around from July’s event.
Only Prime members will be able to access the sale, so if you’re not already signed up, now is the time to do so. Luckily, Amazon offers a 30-day free trial, which you can still use to access Prime Day 2. On 11 October, go to Amazon to view all available savings.
How to get the best Prime Day savings
Bargains can be tempting, but if you have a shopping list of products you want to get during Prime Day, doing a bit of research ahead of time will ensure the bargain you get really is saving you cash.
The saving stated might also be based on RRP rather than what it sells for on the site normally. It’s a bit of a sneaky trick, but one of the oldest in the book. If you’ve got your eye on something, it could be worth finding out its price now. Then, you’ll know just how much of a deal it really is.
Those that are genuine deals – plenty of them, too – are likely to be snapped up quickly, so be ready to start clicking as soon as they’re live. We’ll be keeping you in the loop with start times, so you can be prepared.
Oh, and one more thing… It’s not just Amazon that you should take a look at. Other retailers are quick to jump on the Prime Day hubbub, trying to crash the party with their own deals! Top examples last year included Dell, so we’ll keep an eye out on anti-Prime Day deals for you!
Top deals ahead of the Prime Early Access Sale
Amazon Music Unlimited – get four months free in the US or in the UK
With over 90 million tracks and high-quality lossless tracks included at no extra cost, Amazon Music Unlimited is a much better streaming service than you might think. Want to try it out for yourself? The usual one-month free trial has been extended to four months currently. Non-Prime members can still bag three months for free.
Amazon Echo Dot – down from £50 to £20 in the UK
Amazon’s fourth generation smart speaker is a whopping 60%/£30 off ahead of the Prime Early Access Sale. It’s the brand’s most popular smart device, packing in Alexa for help and smart home control. You can also use it to play music, podcasts, and the radio. With a smaller size, the Echo Dot fits into any room to smarten it up.