Amazon Prime Day 2021 — date and deals to expect

Amazon Prime Day deals will begin on June 21. The retailer is promising over two million deals across every category over the span of 48 hours. Amazon has confirmed that Prime Day deals will start on June 21 at 3 a.m. ET. 

In the past, Amazon Prime Day has typically occurred in July. However, last year the pandemic caused Amazon to push its sales event to October. That makes this the second consecutive year that Amazon has changed its Prime Day date away from July. Either way, we’re just a few weeks out from that first batch of Prime Day deals. 

So we’re taking a look at some of last year’s best Prime Day deals to get an idea of what we can expect from Prime Day 2021. (Not a Prime member? You can sign up for a free 30-day Prime member trial).  

Deals you can shop ahead of Prime Day

• Adidas: up to 55% off polo shirts, sneakers, jerseys, more 
• Alex device sale: Echo devices from $19
• Apple Watch Series 6 (GPS/40mm): was $399 now $329
• Bedding & bath: deals on comforters, shower curtains, more
• Clothing: up to 50% off Anne Klein, Bulova, Izod, 
• Fitness: deals from $10
• Groceries: up to 35% off Quaker, Starbucks, Lay’s, and more
• HDTVs: smart TVs from $99
• Headphones: deals from $10
• Laptops: save on MacBooks, Chromebooks, and Windows machines
• Nike: up to $50 off sneakers & shorts
• Office chairs: deals from $39
• PS5 games: deals from $10
• Smart TV sales: deals from $149

What is Amazon Prime Day 2021 

Prime Day is a 48-hour retail holiday designed for Prime members. Amazon Prime Day originally started in July of 2015 as a way to celebrate Amazon’s 20th anniversary. For 24 hours, Amazon slashed the price of hundreds of items on its site. The event was a hit and since then Amazon Prime Day has grown into a massive retail holiday. 

Today, Prime Day deals include discounts on everything from the Echo Dot to Nike sneakers. It’s become a massive juggernaut for Amazon and we predict it’ll be just as strong in 2021 as it has been in previous years.  

When is Prime Day 2021

Prime Day is typically celebrated in July, but Amazon has confirmed Prime Day 2021 will occur on June 21 and 22. For shoppers, it means Prime Day deals are just a few weeks out. Last year, Prime Day occurred on October 13. The pandemic and an unprecedented surge in deliveries caused Amazon to delay Prime Day by a few months. 

Where is Prime Day celebrated

The first Amazon Prime Day was celebrated in 9 countries including the U.S., UK, Spain, Japan, Italy, Germany, France, Canada, and Austria. Amazon Prime Day has since expanded in popularity. Last year, Prime deals were held in 18 countries including the United States, United Kingdom, United Arab Emirates, Spain, Singapore, Netherlands, Mexico, Luxembourg, Japan, Italy, India, Germany, Austria, France, China, Canada, Belgium, and Australia. 

However, Amazon recently announced that it will pause Prime Day in Canada and India, reports CNBC. Both countries are undergoing significant COVID-19 spread, which is the reason Amazon is postponing its retail holiday. 

How long do Prime day deals last?

Prime Day 2021 will last 48 hours as it did last year. However, Prime Day deals haven’t always lasted a full two days. The first Prime Day celebration lasted 24 hours. In 2017, Amazon expanded Prime Day’s duration from a 24-hour event to one that lasted for 30 hours. In 2018, Amazon expanded the holiday to 36 hours and in 2019 it lasted a full 48 hours.  

Amazon Prime Day Whole Foods deals

Amazon-owned organic grocer Whole Foods plays a huge role on Prime Day. In fact, one of our favorite Amazon Prime Day deals comes from Whole Foods. For the past three years, Amazon has given Prime members who shop at Whole Foods a $10 Amazon credit that can be used on Amazon Prime Day. 

Other Prime Day deals with Whole Foods include discounts on seafood, meat, organic produce, and more. Even if you’re not a fan of Whole Foods, it’s worth shopping there in the lead up to Prime Day (and during Prime Day) for the savings. 

This year, however, it’s unclear what role Whole Foods will play on Amazon Prime Day. Social distancing guidelines will likely still be in effect, which means in-store shopping will not be encouraged. We predict Prime Day deals will focus on online Whole Foods deals instead of in-store discounts. 

How to prepare for Amazon Prime Day 2021

• If you you’re not a Prime member, you can’t participate in Prime Day. However, what you can do is sign up for a free Prime membership. The free trial lasts 30 days, which is more than enough time to take advantage of Amazon’s sales. That said, you’ll want to plan your free trial so it falls during Prime Day 2021. 
• Prime Day 2021 is bound to be a record-breaking day(s) for Amazon. That means some shipments may fall through the cracks. Here’s what to do in case you wind up with an Amazon Prime late delivery.
• Plan on cancelling your Prime membership? Check out our guide on how to cancel Amazon Prime.
• Don’t buy any Amazon devices just yet. Prime Day deals tend to focus on Amazon gear (e.g. Echo Dot, Kindle Paperwhite). Wait till Prime Day when these devices see their lowest price of the year. 

What is the Amazon Prime Day Show

The Amazon Prime Day Show is a three-part musical event to celebrate this year’s Prime Day. Headlining the show are Billie Eilish, H.E.R., and Kid Cudi. The Prime Day Show will be available to stream on Prime Video beginning June 17. It’ll be available for Prime and non-members for 30 days. 

Each celebrity will star in their own Prime Day Show, which will last from 25 to 27 minutes. These aren’t outright concerts, but instead Amazon describes them as “unique experiences that fuse performance and storytelling.” 

This isn’t the first Prime Day Show we’ve seen from Amazon. In 2018, Amazon chose Ariana Grande, Alessia Cara, Kelsea Ballerina, and Julia Michaels to headline their show. The following year the Amazon Prime Day concert featured Taylor Swift, Dua Lipa, Becky G, and SZA. (There was no concert in 2020). 

Best Prime Day deals to expect in 2021

Predicting Prime Day deals isn’t as hard as you think. Amazon tends to offer similar sales every year. For instance, every Prime Day brings about huge price cuts on all of Amazon’s smart devices. This includes the Echo Dot, Fire TV Stick, and Fire Tablets. You can also expect to see big price drops on Amazon’s Fire TV Edition TVs. Outside of Prime Day, the only time you’ll find cheaper prices on Amazon devices is during the Black Friday season. Below are some of the best Prime Day deals from the year before that will likely reappear during Prime Day 2021 — albeit with lower prices and on newer generation devices. Additionally, Amazon is kicking off the spring season with price drops on a variety of Echo devices.

Tips for finding the best Prime Day deals

Price check everything: Our number one rule when shopping on Prime Day is to price check what you’re about to buy. Price checking on Prime Day is quite easy. We’re big fans of CamelCamelCamel, a website that price checks millions of items sold on Amazon. The website tracks price lows, so if the item you’re looking at was cheaper in March, you’ll be able to see the price difference. There’s even a Chrome extension called Camelizer, which you can install and click on anytime you want to look at the price history of a product. 

Keep in mind that there might be some items CamelCamelCamel doesn’t track. In those instances, we use Shopbrain or Shopsavvy. They won’t tell you the price history of an item, but they’ll tell you if a competing retailer offers a better price. 

Don’t limit yourself to Amazon: That leads us to our second point: Prime Day is a faux retail holiday designed to promote Amazon devices and services. However, just like you wouldn’t buy your entire wardrobe from one designer, you shouldn’t do all of your Prime Day shopping at Amazon. Walmart, Target, and Best Buy are just a handful of competitors planning “Prime Day” sales of their own. 

And based on what we saw from these retailers last year, we expect them to once again offer very competitive sales throughout the duration of Prime Day. Bottom line: Amazon doesn’t always offer the best prices. 

Take advantage of free credits: Amazon really wants you to spend money on Prime Day. However, if there aren’t any items you want to buy or if you’re just really trying to stick to your budget, there are some pretty amazing Prime Day deals you can get right now. We like these deals because after spending $10, you’ll get a $10 Amazon credit in exchange. 

Don’t buy new gadgets…yet: Amazon released a multitude of new gadgets a few days ago, including a new Amazon Echo and new Echo Dot. However, not all of them will be released in time for Prime Day. So be wary when you see deals on Amazon’s new devices. Plus, with Black Friday right around the corner, there’s a very high probability they’ll be cheaper in just a few weeks time. In fact, Black Friday prices — especially on Amazon devices — are typically $20 to $100 cheaper than Prime Day prices. 

The same holds true for Apple’s new devices. While the Apple Watch SE and iPad 2020 are already on sale, chances are high they’ll be cheaper on Black Friday and Cyber Monday. 

Avoid buying junk: The pandemic completely changed how we shop. Clorox Wipes, for instance, were more popular than swimsuits last summer. Meanwhile, Lysol Spray is still high in demand and sells out fast. That means Amazon and a lot of its 3rd party sellers are sitting on a stockpile of unsold items. As a result, this Prime Day you can expect to see a fire sale on a range of off-season items and apparel. Sure, prices will be low, but if you survived the past few months without it, chances are you don’t really need it. 

Watch out for shady reviews: In addition to fake deals, shoppers should always keep an eye out for fake reviews. Although Amazon has removed many bogus reviews from its website, there are so many that it’s become near-impossible for Amazon to keep up. That’s why we’re fans of Fakespot. The site’s engine can analyze the quality of reviews on any Amazon page and churn out a letter grade indicating whether the product has mostly fake or real reviews. ReviewMeta is a similar site that looks for suspicious terminology or repeated phrases in reviews before offering a failing or passing grade. 

Where to find alternative Prime Day deals

Over the past years, retailers like Walmart, Best Buy, and Target have held anti Prime Day deals of their own. Best Buy has been especially aggressive with its alternative Prime Day deals — oftentimes undercutting Amazon in certain categories like 4K TVs and smart home devices. Meanwhile, retailers like Walmart are also known for undercutting Amazon with their anti Prime Day deals. We’ll bring you the best alternative Prime Day deals during Amazon Prime Day and post Prime Day.