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Amazon Prime Day is almost upon us, with the promise of huge discounts on all kinds of products. This year’s Amazon Prime Day will take place on July 11 and 12. If you want to score some extra savings, take these steps before then.
How to get Amazon Prime Day credits
In addition to bonus games and discounts on Prime Video and other subscriptions, Amazon is offering an instant $200 gift card to Prime customers who sign up for its Prime Visa card between June 29 and July 26. It also has the following specific credits for Prime Day spending.
Get $5 credit when you buy a $50 eGift card
If you buy an eGift card on Amazon between July 3 and July 10, you can get a $5 credit to be used during Prime Day. To qualify, you’ll need to be a Prime member and click the button in the offer terms and conditions section.
Get $15 credit when you use the Amazon Photos app
Eligible customers can get a $15 credit to spend during the Prime Day event if they download the Amazon photos app and upload a photo before 11:59 p.m. on July 7. The offer isn’t available to people with a trial Amazon Prime membership.
Amazon says it will send an email within four days confirming that the credit has been applied to your account. The app gives you unlimited photo storage and 5GB of video storage. If you need more space, you’ll need to pay a monthly fee.
Amazon’s big sale is much more than a day
Prime Day is somewhat of a misnomer. Not only is the sale itself actually two days long, there are several offers that run before and after the main event. For example, from June 21 to July 10, Prime members can get 20% off when they spend $50 or more at Amazon Fresh. Prime members can also access early deals with big brands starting June 21.
It’s also worth knowing that Amazon isn’t the only show in town, sales wise. Other big stores such as Target and Walmart will have sales at similar times to Amazon, so it’s worth shopping around for the best deals. Target’s Circle Week sale runs from July 9 to 15 and Walmart Plus Week runs from July 10 to 13.
Avoid buyer’s remorse
I am a sucker for a good sale and I’ve been watching out for Amazon Prime Day for months. There are several items I’ve been holding off on buying in case I can get Prime Day discounts. But sales can also be dangerous spending wise, especially when you can see the timer ticking down or the percentage of the items that have been claimed ticking up.
Make a list of the things you need and set a budget for how much you can spend. One trick to stop yourself from overspending during sales is to be ruthless about needs and wants. You probably don’t need that Hawaiian shaved ice machine or rotary cheese grater. You might, however, need back-to-school supplies or replacement headphones that you’ll use for work.
That isn’t to say you can’t splurge a bit if you’ve got the cash. But if you don’t have enough money in your checking account, don’t let these discounts send you into the red. It can be tempting to put sale items on your credit card, even when you know you won’t be able to pay off the balance at the end of the month. Try to resist taking on debt for a special offer — if you can’t pay it off quickly, you may wind up paying more in interest than you save.
Consider whether Prime membership is worth it
Think about whether you’ll save enough to warrant paying the $14.99 monthly Amazon Prime fee. It’s true that if you can qualify for the $20 in credits above, it will cover one month’s subscription. Plus, if you haven’t used Prime in the past year, you may be able to get a free trial (though that could stop you qualifying for the credits).
You might also be able to get a discount on your Prime membership. If you receive government assistance such as SNAP benefits or Medicaid, the price may come down to $6.99 a month. The discounted rate for students is $7.49 per month.
Amazon Prime membership can offer some decent perks. If you’re going to use the free shipping, music, movie and TV streaming, or Whole Foods discounts, it may pay for itself. But if not, consider only signing up for a month’s worth of membership around Prime Day or not at all.
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We’re firm believers in the Golden Rule, which is why editorial opinions are ours alone and have not been previously reviewed, approved, or endorsed by included advertisers.
The Ascent does not cover all offers on the market. Editorial content from The Ascent is separate from The Motley Fool editorial content and is created by a different analyst team.John Mackey, former CEO of Whole Foods Market, an Amazon subsidiary, is a member of The Motley Fool’s board of directors. Emma Newbery has positions in Amazon.com. The Motley Fool has positions in and recommends Amazon.com, Target, Visa, and Walmart. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.
