Prime Day is also the best opportunity of the year before Black Friday and Cyber Monday to score deep discounts on expensive tech, so if you don’t feel like waiting until November for those holiday sales to roll in, then now’s the time to start preparing your shopping list. If it’s all a bit overwhelming, though, then we’re here to help. Read on to see everything you need to know about Prime Day 2022, so you can get ready to shop and save big.
What is Prime Day?
If you’re familiar with Prime Day then you probably know it as Amazon’s big summer blowout sale, and while that is indeed what Prime Day is, the retailer didn’t just choose a random month to run it. Prime Day is actually a celebration (of sorts) of Amazon’s birthday: The company was officially founded on July 5, 1994. The first Prime Day celebration didn’t happen until 2015, however, in celebration of Amazon’s 20th birthday.
Since then, the online retailer has run a Prime Day sale each year — usually in July, with a couple of exceptions — and each one seems to keep outdoing the last. Prime Day is a huge blowout sale in the same vein as Black Friday, offering what are likely to be the lowest prices you’ll see all year (or at least until the end-of-year holiday sales) on pretty much every type of product that Amazon sells. Prime Day is an especially good time to score huge savings on name-brand tech, as well as on stuff that either doesn’t go on sale a lot or doesn’t get marked down that heavily when it does.
When is Prime Day 2022?
Amazon has recently confirmed that Prime Day 2022 is happening in July, so it’s back to its usual scheduling after a couple back-to-back years of changes. Last year, Prime Day took place on June 21 and June 22 instead of its normal July time slot. In 2020, the scheduling was thrown off even more due to the COVID-19 pandemic, with Amazon postponing its summer sale until October. That year was a weird one for a lot of us, and having Prime Day land in the month before Black Friday was hardly the only disruption.
Unfortunately, we don’t have specific dates yet for Prime Day 2022. Amazon plays its cards close to its chest in revealing the official Prime Day dates, which is par for the course. Worry not, though, because we’ll keep you updated with everything you need to know right here as soon as new information is announced. We’ll also be bringing you all the best 2022 Prime Day deals the minute the event goes live, as well as the best early Prime Day deals that pop up before the sale. So bookmark this page and stay tuned!
Do other retailers participate in Prime Day?
Yes and no. Officially, “Prime Day” itself is exclusive to Amazon, but many other retailers also run their own concurrent sales to steal some of Amazon’s thunder. Last year, Walmart ran a huge “Days of Deals” sale alongside Prime Day, to name just one example, and other tech-focused online retailers such as Best Buy and Newegg aren’t shy about getting in on the action, either. Target is another one worth mentioning, and it’s a good place to check out during Prime Day if you want to save on items like clothes and home essentials, although it sells plenty of electronics, too.
Really, though, if you’re only going to shop one site during Prime Day, then you can’t beat Amazon. The other retailers run sales pretty regularly year-round, including during Black Friday and Cyber Monday as well as holidays like Labor Day and July 4 — but Prime Day only comes once a year, and it only happens officially on Amazon. That, in our experience, is where you’ll always find the best Prime Day deals.
What Prime Day deals can you expect in 2022?
In a word: Everything. Nothing is really off the table during Prime Day, with Amazon and other retailers slashing prices on everything from clothing and furniture to home appliances and office essentials. Naturally, the biggest stars of the show (and the ones we’re most interested in) are the discounts on expensive electronics, which make up the bulk of the best Prime Day deals and are the ones for which you want to keep your eyes peeled.
And when we say “everything is on sale during Prime Day,” that applies to tech as well. If it runs on electricity, then it’s likely to feature among the Prime Day deals. This isn’t to say every single product from every single brand will be on sale, but as far as product categories go, you can expect to see worthy Prime Day deals on whatever you’re looking for. That includes laptops, video games, game consoles, smart TVs, kitchen appliances, streaming devices, headphones, speakers, mobile devices — you name it.
The flip side of that coin is that the sheer tsunami of deals can get overwhelming quickly, so have an idea of what you want in mind beforehand. That way you won’t be as liable to rush in blind and get struck with choice paralysis, only to miss the window to scoop up that banger Prime Day deal you had on your radar. It can’t hurt to do some research ahead of the sale and make a list of particular makes and models of whatever items you want (especially if you’re after a popular product like a laptop or smart TV, for example). Also note that Amazon’s own products, such as its Echo speakers, Fire TV products, and Kindle e-readers, generally see their biggest discounts of the year during Prime Day — but these are also usually limited to Prime members only.
Prime Day FAQ
How often is Prime Day?
If you’re like most people, then you probably only have one birthday a year. Companies are usually no different; Prime Day, being a celebration of Amazon’s birthday, is naturally a once-a-year occurrence. Although, unlike birthdays, Amazon’s big annual sale is a two-day affair. That means you get a whole 48 hours to shop and save, even if most of the individual Prime Day deals themselves don’t last for the full duration of the event.
How long does Prime Day last?
When it began, Prime Day was true to its name as a one-day (that’s 24 hours on the dot) event. Over the years, Amazon has extended that to 48 hours, and the retailer seems to be sticking with that as its Prime Day modus operandi. We don’t expect any more extensions in the future, though; it looks like it’s going to be a two-day affair for the foreseeable future. On the other hand, if past years are anything to go by, we expect that a few retailers like Walmart may run their sales for longer in a bid to steal even more of Amazon’s customer share. Keep an eye out for that. Your opportunities to save likely won’t be limited only to Amazon’s own Prime Day deals.
Does Prime Day start at midnight ET?
Amazon’s headquarters are in the state of Washington, which is in the U.S. Pacific time zone. Because of that, since 2019, Prime Day has started at midnight PT. We expect that’ll be the case this year as well. That means shoppers in the U.S. Eastern time zone can expect the 2022 Prime Day deals to go live at 3 a.m. ET. The sale should then run for 48 hours, ending at 11:59 p.m. PT at the end of the second day of the event.
However, as we’ve mentioned, Amazon isn’t the only one running sales and offering deals during this time. Keep tabs on other online stores like Walmart and Best Buy, as these retailers might kick off their competing sales before the start of the official Prime Day sale on Amazon. Amazon also likes to throw out some early Prime Day deals to entice customers and build excitement in the days leading up to the event. Finally, note that Amazon is running Prime Day sales not just in the U.S., but in 20 countries, so make sure you know ahead of time when the sale starts in your location so you don’t risk missing out.
Is Prime Day only for Prime Members?
It’s a little complicated, because many third-party sellers also hawk their wares on Amazon. The “official” Prime Day deals — that is, the bargains offered and sold by Amazon — are indeed for Prime members only. These typically pop up in the form of Lightning Deals, which are limited-time offers that only last for a short while (typically a day or less, although they can sometimes go for longer) or until stock runs out. You’ll see these clearly indicated with a timer and progress bar, so they’re hard to miss. Note, however, that these Lightning Deals very often sell out well before that timer depletes. This is especially common with popular brand-name items.
Another thing to bear in mind is that many deals offered by third-party marketplace sellers can be a little dodgy. Some sellers use sales like Prime Day to offload old inventory that they want to get rid of, so that deal you think looks enticing might be deceptively priced or feature a discount that’s not really congruent with the item’s current “street price.” Do some research beforehand so you know what you should actually be paying and what constitutes a good deal. Your safest bet is to stick with Amazon’s official Prime Day deals, and know that we’ll also bring you the best picks from the sale to keep you sailing in safe waters.
Although other retailers run their own sales to compete with Prime Day, and many third-party sellers offer discounts on Amazon that are available to all, it’s a good idea to have a Prime membership if you want to score the best Prime Day deals. If you have the opportunity to take advantage of a free Prime trial, then Prime Day is the perfect time to do it. But even if you end up paying for a Prime membership, that in itself is not a bad deal considering that it gives you access not only to Prime Day deals but also to a huge catalog of music, shows, movies, e-books, free games each month, free two-day shipping, and more. Since you can cancel at any time, you can always just pay for one month of Prime in July and then end your membership after Prime Day if you end up deciding that you’re not getting enough value out of it.
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