October Prime Day 2024: Everything you need to know

3 weeks ago 7

Amazon's popular Prime Day sale returns tomorrow -- but with a fall twist. Prime Big Deal Days is the sister sale to the retail giant's July Prime Day event. The 48-hour Prime-exclusive event will kick off at 12:01 a.m. PDT on Oct. 8 (that's just one day away), and Prime members can access early holiday savings on top brands, seasonal products, home essentials, popular toys, and more.

Also: Best October Prime Day deals you can shop

Amazon is also promising deals on everyday essentials, making it an ideal time to stock up on items like batteries, home storage, pet care, and Amazon Basics products. Prime members can expect new deals to drop as often as every five minutes during select periods during the two-day event, so customers can always shop new savings.

Also: Get Prime Day deals, even if you don't pay for Prime. Here's how

I've covered the busiest sale events live, including July Prime Day, Black Friday, Cyber Monday, and more, so I know how to spot a good deal on coveted tech products. Plus, we've compiled the answers to the most popular questions about October Prime Day, so you can enjoy one-stop-shopping below on everything you need to know about the incoming sale event.

What is Amazon's October Prime Day?

Per Amazon, Prime Big Deal Days (more commonly referred to as "October Prime Day") is a "holiday kickoff event" designed to offer Prime members exclusive access to early holiday deals across popular categories and top brands. Amazon's Prime Day sales occur twice yearly, once in July and once in October, with several smaller sale events, like Amazon's Big Spring Sale, popping up on the calendar throughout the year.

When is October Prime Day 2024?

Amazon announced on September 17 that the 2024 dates for October Prime Day are October 8-9 (that's just one day away). Last year, the October Prime Big Deal Days sale occurred on October 10-11.

When will October Prime Day deals end?

October's Prime Big Deal Days is a two-day sale event that mimics the format of July Prime Day. Customers should expect deals to expire as early as 11:59 p.m. PDT on the second day of the sale, though it's normal for some deals to hang around for hours or often days after. Though there's no way of knowing which discounts will stay or go when the clock hits midnight, we'll continually update ZDNET.com with the best deals that are still live even after the sale ends, so be sure to check back.

Where will Prime Big Deal Days take place?

Prime Big Deal Days will occur in 19 countries: Australia, Austria, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Singapore, Spain, Sweden, the United Kingdom, Turkey, and the United States. This is a few countries less than the total number included in July Prime Day, which was 24 countries.

What will be on sale during Amazon's Prime Big Deal Days 2024?

During this year's July Prime Day event, we saw discounts on Amazon-owned products like Echo devices, Fire TVs and tablets, and more. We also saw some seriously good Apple deals, like the lowest-ever prices on the MacBook Air M2, MacBook Air M3, and the Watch Series 9. We also saw some lame deals, like on the Kindle lineup, which was offered at less than 20% off the regular price.

We're expecting similar deals on flagship Amazon products to make a return, as well as more discounts on tech like previous models of tablets, smartwatches, phones, laptops, and TVs, especially as this is one of the first significant sale events before the holiday season after a long summer of new releases on multiple products, from the latest iPhone 16, Google Pixel 9, and Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 6, and more. You can also expect plenty of deals across other categories, like home and apparel.

Amazon announced that customers can expect early holiday deals on top brands and everyday essentials, too.

Do I need to be an Amazon Prime member to shop October Prime Day?

As the name implies, only Prime members in participating countries can shop the October Prime Big Deal Days event. If you don't have a membership, you'll need to enroll prior to the shopping event's kickoff to access exclusive deals and offers.

How much is an Amazon Prime membership?

Amazon Prime costs $14.99 per month, or you can purchase an annual membership for $139, saving you a few dollars.

Also: These 5 new Amazon features make finding the products you need even easier

All college students and those aged 18-24 are eligible for a discount and can pay $7.49 per month or $69 per year. In addition, those with qualified government assistance (which may include select seniors) can receive a Prime membership for just $6.99 after their free trial.

How do I join Amazon Prime?

Join Amazon Prime or start your free trial here: https://www.amazon.com/amazonprime

Can I sign up for Amazon Prime, shop, and then cancel?

Yes -- there are loopholes to enjoying the Amazon sale if you aren't already a Prime member or don't want to become one permanently. A popular tactic is to sign up for a free 30-day trial, shop your favorite steals, and cancel before the 30 days are up to avoid getting charged.

Also: Get access to Prime Day deals even if you aren't a member

How do I cancel my Prime membership?

If you signed up for a Prime membership to take advantage of the exclusive October Prime Day sale but don't want to keep it, make sure to cancel. ZDNET has created a how-to guide to make the process easy.

Also: How to cancel your Prime membership

Is October Prime Day a scam?

Here's a secret. The only way to ensure you don't end up feeling "scammed" after a sale event is to research the product you are purchasing and price check across retailers to ensure you are getting a deal and not an inflated discount rate. Thankfully, ZDNET does the heavy lifting to make the shopping process easier. On the whole, we concluded that July Prime Day 2024 was not a scam event, and was packed with plenty of legitimate discounts, including over 50% off several Echo devices, Ring doorbells, and more, and 15-20% off Apple devices, which doesn't happen often. However, we saw weaker deals than during other times of the year on select products, such as on the Kindle lineup. We expect October Prime Day to feature many similar (if not the same) offers, particularly on flagship Amazon products.

The key to successfully shopping a large sale event is to utilize resources like Google Shopping, price-tracking tools, and outlets like ZDNET, which dedicates a team of experts to selecting the best deals on products that are tested and reviewed every day.

Also: Google expands its shopping tools. Here's how to use them

When is the best time of the year to save the most?

Generally, some of the best deals of the year fall during the holiday shopping period, before the December and January holidays. Most notoriously, Black Friday, Cyber Monday, and the rest of Cyber Week are great times to grab savings on top tech, especially last year's (or prior) device models. This is because tons of new tech is released from the spring into late summer, making the fall and winter ideal times to slash prices. However, the holiday season isn't the only time to save. Thanks to the growth of online shopping, retailers can leverage savings whenever they want, and many turn to members-only discount events like Prime Day to do so.

Prime Day, Prime Big Deal Days, and other exclusive events like those from Walmart event can be great opportunities to score exclusive products or offers, and for Amazon, that often includes on flagship tech products like Echo devices, Fire tablets, and more -- many of which aren't sold at other major retailers. So while the holiday season likely remains your best chance at scoring savings on the most amount of products, keep in mind that you can genuinely save whenever, as long as you know how to keep a watchful eye on products, compare prices, use helpful shopping tools and trust brands that do the grunt work for you (that's us).

How does Prime Big Deal Days compare to July Prime Day?

I cover commerce and shopping events for a living, and have spent nearly every major sale weekend working to bring you the best ZDNET-vetted deals. That includes July Prime Day. Here's the truth about July and October Prime Day.

They're a lot of the same. In my experience, I've seen many of the same deals offered during both, especially on flagship Amazon devices like Fire TVs, Fire tablets, Echo devices, and more. Sometimes, you'll see better offers depending on the product. For example, the discounts offered during last year's October Prime Big Deal Days on Kindles beat out those offered this past July Prime Day. But many of the deals remain largely the same.

The major difference is the timing of the sales. July Prime Day is in the heat of the summer and is a great time to grab top tech and home products for vacation, back-to-school, and more. October Prime Day, though? It's the first major sale ahead of the holiday shopping season, and in my opinon as an editor, is the true kickoff event of the holiday shopping rush. This makes it a more opportune time for members to grab deals on products they're actually looking to buy, either for a gift, or for themselves.

How do I pick the best deals during October Prime Day 2024?

Throughout the October sale, we'll be extensively updating ZDNET.com live with all the best deals on products we've tested and would recommend. We'll also curate, share, and update hand-picked lists of top deals in several product categories, including laptops, security cameras, tablets, Amazon devices, and more.

Amazon also offers Lightning Deals during its sale events, which are time- and inventory-sensitive. Look for the "Lightning Deals" tag on any products you want to purchase. If you see it, you may want to check it out -- and fast.

Will there be similar sales at other retailers?

Yes, as we've seen in the past, other major retailers will undoubtedly offer competing sales, deals, and discounts. Walmart, Target, Best Buy, Costco, and other retailers will try to compete with Amazon's October Prime Day offerings, often price-cutting the same items during the same periods or extending their own sales. In fact, Walmart's Holiday Deals event is already confirmed to coincide with Amazon's Prime Big Deal Days, which start on Oct. 8 and runs for 48 hours, and Target's Circle Week. But don't worry, we'll cover all the best deals on top tech during Amazon October Prime Day, including deals surfacing elsewhere.

Target Circle Week

Target Circle Week will run from Oct. 6-12 and offers Target Circle members deals and deep discounts upwards of 40% on home, tech, grocery, and more. Target Circle is free to join and unlocks access to exclusive Target Circle offers.

Best Buy 48-hour Flash Sale

Best Buy also has its own sale events, and will be hosting a 48-hour Flash Sale during the same two days as October Prime Day, Oct. 8-9. Best Buy is best known for it's "flash sale" events throughout the year. Flash sales typically last one full day or less (such as a 4-hour, 8-hour or 24-hour sale), although some may run multiple days. According to Best Buy, products are available during the time period of the sale or until they're sold out.

Walmart Deals

Walmart hosted a competing sale during July Prime Day, and it's back this fall with another. The Walmart Holiday Deals event will kick off online on Oct. 8 at noon for Walmart Plus members and on Oct. 9 at midnight for everyone else (in-store deals start at 6 a.m.). The event runs until Oct. 13, in-store and online.

Costco Member Savings Days

Costco is a membership-exclusive retailer to begin with, but they also offer membership-exclusive savings periods throughout the year. This year, members can enjoy in-warehouse and online savings from Sept. 25 to Oct. 20, which also will overlap with October Prime Day, Target Circle Week, and Walmart's Holiday Deals event.

Will any brands offer price matching on Prime Day deals?

Yes and no. Many major retailers, like Best Buy, do not offer price matching during member-exclusive events, like Prime Day, or price matching at all (like at Costco and Walmart). The good news is that at most places, you won't need to worry about matching Amazon's Prime Day price -- the retailers are already doing that for you. Exclusive sale periods are great opportunities for other major retailers to offer the very same deals to a larger audience. However, some retailers, like Lowe's, will offer price matches, but your best bet is to read each retailer's policy before making a decision to rely on price matching elsewhere.

Will there be any Prime Day deals on flagship Apple devices?

Prime Day is intended to be the first major sale to kick off the early holiday shopping season, so it is likely we'll see Apple products at a price cut. Keep in mind that most Apple products don't see major discounts throughout the year, and 15-20% is typically the most savings you'll see -- especially on newer products. Apple released the new iPhone 16 lineup, Apple Watch 10, iOS 18 features, and more in September, so it is possible some of those products may see promotional offers or discounts.

Last year, the Apple Watch SE (2nd Gen) saw its first price cut during Amazon's October Prime Day, and more Apple products saw drops closer to Black Friday.

When will Black Friday and Cyber Monday deals be live?

This year, Black Friday will be on November 29, 2024. That means Cyber Monday will fall on December 2, 2024, and the days in between Thanksgiving and Cyber Monday are dubbed "Cyber Week." That's when you can expect to see some major holiday sales and discounts, and as always, ZDNET will deliver extensive coverage of the top deals across the shopping extravaganza at multiple retailers.

Why should you trust ZDNET?

As a member of the ZDNET staff, I only write about deals myself or a team member would want to buy -- devices and products we desire, need, or would recommend. I look for deals that are at least 20% off (or are hardly ever on sale), using established price comparison tools and trackers to determine whether the deal is actually on sale and how frequently it drops.

I also looked over customer reviews to find out what matters to real people who already own and use the deals I recommend. These recommendations may also be based on my own testing (or testing by another ZDNET expert) -- in addition to extensive research and comparison shopping. The goal is to deliver the most accurate advice to help you shop smarter. ZDNET offers 33 years of experience, 30 hands-on product reviewers, and 10,000 square feet of lab space to ensure we're brining the best of tech to you.

ZDNET's full October Prime Day coverage

ZDNET is covering October's Prime Big Deal Days sale from start to finish, including pre-coverage of early deals, everything you need to know to shop savvy, and the best deals across our core, expert-tested categories, from smart home tech to laptops, to tablets, and beyond. We'll be extensively covering the key tech categories you want to shop, from Apple products, Amazon devices, and more.

ZDNET's experts are searching through Prime Day sales to find the best discounts by category. These are the best deals so far: