The official Amazon Prime Day date is June 21 and 22, according to a press release from Amazon today. That means you've got the green light to go on a buying spree this month.
June 21 is when we'll see most deals start to roll in, and it'll be another 48-hour marathon of discounts on almost everything that Amazon sells: electronics, home goods, and of course Amazon-created products like Echo, Kindle and Fire TV. However, a few discounts are starting today (more on that below).
Prime Day has become a mini Black Friday and Cyber Monday, all rolled into one and exclusively contained on Amazon's website. Of course, it only lasts 48 hours and it's only open to Amazon Prime members.
Here's how to take advantage of the forthcoming Prime Day deals and what to expect.
Amazon Prime Day date and time
The Amazon Prime Day date is happening earlier in the year than it ever has before, but the time and length haven't changed: Prime Day deals will go live at midnight on June 21 (that's 3am EDT / midnight PDT in the US, midnight BST in the UK, and midnight AEST in Australia).
As mentioned, the breadth of deals will last for 48 hours in most countries, but as we've all learned: some items may sell out well before that time. Often the best deals go within a few minutes, especially when popular Amazon Lightning deals go live.
The June 21 start time is a switch for everyone. Amazon Prime Day is routinely in July, although last year's date was delayed to October 2020 due to the pandemic and it really kicked off the retail industry's Black Friday and Cyber Monday season.
With Amazon Prime Day 2021 shifting the date to the end of June, we now have a proper mid-year buying event before doing it all over again at the end of November.
What will be on sale for Amazon Prime Day?
Amazon Prime Day 2021 will consist of more than two million deals worldwide and will occur in 20 countries, including the US, UK, Australia and even China.
That's a lot of deals across the globe, and Amazon, like proper hype man, is already offering discounts in the lead up to Prime Day 2021. In the US, for example, it's discounting JBL headphones starting today and slashing prices across Fire TV sets, now priced from $99.99 (HD 24-inch) to $219.99 (4K, 43-inch). Free for Prime members for a limited time is the game Battlefield 4, and new Audible Premium Plus memberships are going for 50% off.
Of course, most of the blockbuster deals won't be revealed until Amazon Prime Day starts on June 21. But we do know that the company likes to put its own tech on sale during the deals marathon.
Specifically, you can expect either new sales (and continued discounts) on the Fire Stick 4K, Echo Dot, and the Echo Show (all of these are already at a small discount). There's likely more to come: Kindle e-readers and Amazon Fire tablets are always on sale for their cheapest prices, too. In other words, there are two times we highly recommend buying Amazon devices: during Prime Day and during Black Friday.
Apple is routinely another big winner every Amazon Prime Day; iPads and AirPods deals are often down to their cheapest prices – until Black Friday. When it comes down to it, you shouldn't put off buying tech unless you want to wait for another five months to get the best price. With that said, Amazon Prime Day ends at 11:59pm PDT (11:59 BST in the UK, but 5pm AEST on June 23 in Australia).
Other big players Amazon has name-dropped in its official Prime Day press release include iRobot (maker of the popular Roomba vacuums), Samsung, Lego and Mattel.
How to get a jump start on Amazon Prime Day
The best way to shop for Amazon Prime Day discounts is to have that Amazon Prime membership at the ready. In fact, it's required to get deep discounts.
This is Amazon's clever method to drive new Prime Day memberships. But here's a clever way to get around that: you can sign up for a 30-day free trial right now and take part in the sales event without getting charged if you cancel at the end. Without this membership, you won't be able to get all of the deals.
Here's another tip: Amazon likes to incorporate Alexa, its smart home speaker AI, into the deals marathons. Look for exclusive offers if you talk to your Amazon Echo.
TechRadar will continue to update you on the Prime Day deals that become available before and during Amazon Prime Day, and we'll list when and where to find everything in stock for the cheapest prices.
As most of the world exits lockdown, retailers and manufacturers are gearing up for a buying season, and they're eager for you to be in the mood to make long-put-off purchases again. Attaching deals to everything isn't a bad incentive.
