How to Best Prepare for Amazon Prime Day
Amazon Prime Day starts soon and runs for two days, July 12-13. So this is the time to make sure everything is in order and you are ready to go.
The most important part is to have a Prime membership which will let you take advantage of the best deals. I have a list of some of the best deals and promotions here, but surely many more will launch soon.
Get Free or Discounted Amazon Prime
You can check your account standing and make sure you are a Prime member (affiliate link here and below). Here you can see the type of membership you have and when it is up for renewal. Amazon Prime now costs $15 per month or $139 for the year.
But even if you don’t want to pay for a membership, you can still take advantage of the best Prime Day deals. You just need to sign up for Amazon’s free 30-day trial. Even without being a paying member, you will get most of the same benefits that come with the paid membership. Just remember to cancel it before the trial ends, if you don’t plan to pay going forward. You can also save on a Prime membership if you are a student, or an EBT/Medicaid cardholder.
There’s also a bank bonus that will get you a free year of Amazon Prime, but that’s too late for this Prime Day.
Update Payment Methods
Some of the best deals sell out quickly, so you should be ready to go when you find them. Make sure that your credit cards on file are valid and choose the right card as your preferred payment method.
As far as which card you should choose, that depends on what your wallet looks like. You should at least have a 2% credit card, but you should be doing much better than that. The Amazon Prime Rewards card for example earns you 6% back during Prime Day and even more on select products sold by Amazon. If you have a PNC card, check your emails for an offer to save $75 or $100 on a purchase of $500 or more on Amazon. Amex cards have an Amex Offer for 5x points (up to 1,500 max).
You can also save 5% by using a Chase Ink Cash or Ink Plus at office supply stores to buy Amazon gift cards.
Credits and Discounts
Amazon has several offers to earn credits that you can spend on Prime Day. Plus there are several promotions for Amex, Chase, and Discover cardholders where you can save as much as 40%. You should check out these offers and see which ones you are eligible for. In some cases you need to activate them before making a purchase.
Earn credits:
- Earn $2 in Amazon Prime Day Credits
- Earn Promo Credits to Spend on Prime Day
- Prime Members, Complete 4 Activities to Receive $10 Credit
- Buy Lightyear tickets and merchandise to earn $10 credit
Discounts:
- Purchase/Reload $50 Amazon Gift Card, Get $12.50 Credit (Prime Day)
- Amazon Chase Points Promo: $15 Off $50 (expires 7/13/22)
- Amazon Discover Promo: $20 Off When You Add Card to Wallet (expires 7/13/22)
- Amazon Discover Promo: 30% Off, Up to $30 Discount (expires 7/13/22)
- Amazon Amex Points Promo: Save Up to 50% (expires 7/21/22)
- Amazon App, Save $15 on Two $25+Orders (expires 7/31/22)
Other Tips
While you should be ready to take advantage of good deals during Prime Day, that doesn’t mean that you should buy everything out there. Make sure you know what you want or need, and focus on those items. You can also set a budget for yourself, so you don’t go crazy.
For most deals, you don’t have to rush and buy right away. So you can put the items in your cart and think it over if you really want to buy them. In the meantime you can check prices at other retailers that are also running deals on the same day such as Best Buy's Black Friday in July or Target Deal Days.
