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When Is Amazon Prime Day 2022: What Every Shopper Needs to Know

The question on everyone's lips is, "When is Amazon Prime Day?" and rightfully so: Amazon Prime Day deals are quite literally some of the best sales.

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Back on track for summer savings

If you’ve been waiting with bated breath for this year’s Prime Day, buckle up! The most exciting online shopping ride of the year is almost here. This year’s 2021 Amazon Prime sale is slated for June 21 and 22, offering Prime members two full days to shop their hearts out for must-haves in just about every category the site has to offer. Over two million sales will include best-sellers for the home, electronics, pets, vacuums, Amazon music, beauty, sporting equipment essentials like leggings, and even deals that beat the best July 4 sales.

“Amazon Prime Days started back in July of 2015 as a way to commemorate Amazon’s 20th anniversary. It was initially one day but grew to a two-day event that occurred every year in early summer until the pandemic threw things off course,” Trae Bodge, a smart shopping expert, explains. “In 2020, Prime Day was a two-day event in October but is thankfully back on track for this June. What’s also notable is that many other retailers, including Walmart and Target, offer competitive sales events that overlap with Prime Day.”

The deals won’t be limited to just Amazon-label products. Almost everything the site offers will be offered at promotional pricing over the two-day bargain bonanza. Amazon is also offering incentives to shop small businesses and Black-owned and women-owned merchants. But! You need to be an Amazon Prime member to cash in on the deals. Here’s where to get a free 30-day trial and below is everything you need to know about Amazon Prime Day 2021.

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When is Amazon Prime Day?

Amazon’s biggest sale event of the year, Prime Day, will begin at midnight PDT on June 21 and run through 11:59 p.m. PDT on June 22. The 48-hour event will feature more than two million amazing Amazon Prime sale offerings, rivaling Black Friday as the biggest global shopping event of the year. Many of the deals are timed and will sell out fast so you have to be on your shopping game to catch the best discounts. Don’t have a Prime membership yet? You may reconsider after seeing these epic Amazon Prime benefits you probably did not know about.

Sign up for a free 30-day Amazon Prime trial.

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What is Amazon Prime Day?

Think of it as Amazon’s annual retail celebration. Prime Day is literally 48 hours of deals, steals, and lowered prices for those who are Amazon Prime members. “Amazon’s Prime Day is known for deep discounts on Amazon’s own brands and devices because they have more wiggle room in their margins,” explains Bodge. “They can afford to take a hit on Kindles because once you own a Kindle, you are a captive audience and will continue to buy Kindle books from Amazon. The same with a Ring doorbell, which comes with a free plan, but there’s also a low-cost monthly plan with more features, as well as Echo devices.”

The red-hot Amazon Prime sales are only open to Prime members, though. Membership is definitely worth it for these incredible free things on Amazon for Prime members.

Shop early access Prime Day deals.

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When did Amazon Prime Day begin?

It was introduced in 2015 as a one-day sale that rivaled even Black Friday in terms of deals. It was also a celebration of the company’s 20th anniversary but has now become a treasured Internet shopping tradition that shoppers around the world look forward to for rock-bottom prices on Amazon products you’ll use every day like Keurig coffee machines, cheap shampoo, and loungewear sets.

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What do I need to do to shop Amazon Prime Day?

You need to be an Amazon Prime member in order to shop the deals. It costs $12.99 per month or $119 annually to become an Amazon Prime subscriber, or you could hop on the Prime Day train without paying a cent, by signing up for its free 30-day trial anytime before Prime Day. College students can also sign up for a six-month free trial of a student Prime membership before the big day. Smartphone users of all ages and types can take advantage of a wallet-friendly 40 percent off all phone protection cases and equipment sold on the Amazon totallee store with code LVQ6Q52Y at checkout during the Amazon Prime savings event.

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Are there any other incentives to shop Amazon Prime Day?

You betcha. Prime members get a $10 credit to spend on Amazon Prime Days when they spend $10 on items sold by select small businesses in Amazon’s store from June 7 to June 20. Prime members can support small businesses this Prime Day, with more than a million deals from small and medium-sized businesses. Members can shop across local Black-owned, woman-owned, military family-owned, and many other small businesses across dozens of genres. Better yet, customers can find in-store deals by visiting Amazon’s physical retail locations, including Whole Foods Market, Amazon 4-star, Amazon Books, Amazon Pop Up, Amazon Go, and Amazon Fresh.

Amazon Music will also offer extra goodies as part of the Amazon Prime sale. Prime members who haven’t yet tried Amazon Music Unlimited can get the best deal ever—four months free with unlimited access to more than 70 million songs ad-free and millions of podcast episodes. In addition, with the purchase of select Amazon Echo devices, Prime members new to Amazon Music Unlimited can get six months free. Wowza.

The gaming category will see a handful of freebies. Save over 50 percent on the first four months of Audible membership; podcast lovers will get four months free of Wondery+; and even Amazon’s styling service will offer slashed prices just to try it out. You can save up all that promo cash for simple fashion upgrades that make you look expensive.

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What are some of the biggest Amazon Prime Day deals?

Amazon devices including the Echo devices, Fire tablets, and Kindle e-readers are practically guaranteed to go on sale: For example, the Echo Dot’s price is already down to two for $29.99 for Prime members. Think about how many great book club reads you’ll be able to plow through! Other items expected to have good deals are smart home accessories, phones, computers, cameras, TVs, fitness accessories, kitchen appliances, and beauty tools. Find favorite dog treats like “I and love and you” Nice Jerky at 30 percent off, HEX Performance laundry detergents and cleaners up to 30 percent off with an additional three Amazon Prime Days extending till June 25. Get 20 percent off Clean & Pure lip balms that almost never get marked down.

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Does Walmart have a competing Prime Day Sale?

Walmart isn’t sitting this mega sale week out! They’re offering their own massive collection of deals to compete with the dizzying assortment of Amazon Prime sales Internet shoppers go wild for. The mega retailer’s Walmart Deals for Days landing page is already live and will be open to everyone from regular shoppers to Walmart+ members who credit the service with faster shipping than Amazon Prime.

Every category Walmart has will see hundreds of markdowns and deals at up to 70 percent off regular retail prices, which Walmart already boasts as cheaper than just about everywhere else. In-house brands like Mainstays, Better Homes & Gardens, Pioneer Woman, and Equate will see the biggest markdowns, while national name brand best sellers and hidden gems will also see noteworthy rollbacks during the slightly longer sales event that runs from June 20 through 23. You’ll be able to score this Hisense 40-inch Class FHD Roku Smart LED TV for $178 instead of its usual $228. The same deals will also be available at all in-store retail locations.

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Do other retailers have a competing Prime Day Sale?

Big retailers around the country are jumping in to compete with Amazon’s own Prime Day deals. Aside from Walmart Deals for Days, Target is also offering a digital Deal Days whirlwind featuring 36 hours of steep price cuts and markdowns across its website. Target is expected to slash prices on home décor, clothing, electronics, toys, and pantry essentials as well as something the company is calling, “pamper yourself magic.” In past years, Best Buy has also offered some of their best prices on top-selling appliances during the same days and hours as the Prime sale. Wayfair has added hundreds of markdowns to their Daily Sales section. And even The Home Depot rolls out thousands of digital sales to compete with Prime Day (and yes, the prices are typically better than Amazon’s on home improvement items). Shoppers are encouraged to keep checking the Home Depot Special Savings Center in the days leading up to Prime Day because the sales offerings often debut early.

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Bryce Gruber
Bryce Gruber is an expert in gift ideas, shopping, and e-commerce. You've likely seen her work across a variety of women's lifestyle and parenting outlets and on TV shows. She lives and works in New York's Hudson Valley with her five small children.