With Amazon’s October Prime Day sale right around the corner, we’ve already started to see a lot of great deals. That’s especially the case with Amazon devices, such as Echo speakers, Fire TVs and Kindle readers. Even so, if you’re looking for something different, there are deals on many products from other companies on items like laptops, TVs and fitness gear. There’s a lot to go through, from tech to home goods, so we’ve collected some of the best deals across the board, to help you save as much as possible.
This story is part of Amazon Prime DayCNET’s guide to everything you need to know and how to find the best deals.
Best early October Prime Day deals
Though the sale isn’t officially underway just yet, the deals have already started to ramp up. A bunch of our favorites are below.
And if you’re looking to save even more, the Prime Visa credit card offers new cardholders an Amazon gift card instantly upon approval, along with a great cash-back rate for all things Amazon.
Best early October Prime Day deals on Amazon devices
Kickstart your smart home with Amazon’s adorable Echo Pop smart speaker and a compatible smart plug for just $19, a saving of 69% versus regular prices.
Details
Save over 50% on Amazon’s 4K-capable Fire TV Stick. You can hook one up to your TV for only $23 and enjoy easy access to Netflix, Prime Video and more.
Details
Take a third off the already affordable Fire 7 tablet and score one for just $40. It’s a great portable tablet for media streaming and browsing, while being cheap enough to let kids use without worrying too much.
Details
Amazon’s diminutive smart display is over half off at $40, but you can get one with a fancy color-changing smart bulb for just $2 extra. That’s a savings of over $100, all told.
Details
Amazon’s Eero mesh routers are among the best in the business, and now the retailer is getting ready for its Prime Big Deal Days sale with a number of discounts.
Details
If you want to upgrade your home’s security, this bundle includes a Ring Video Doorbell Pro 2 and a Ring Floodlight Cam, which nets you some excellent coverage around your house — and a $130 discount.
Details
Echo devices:
Fire TV devices:
Fire tablets:
Kindle devices:
Security and smart home devices:
Best early October Prime Day deals on tech
Apple’s last-gen smartwatch is seeing some of its best savings to date following the Series 9 release. It’s still a great device in 2023, though, so grab one while supplies last.
Details
Not an Amazon deal, but this StackSocial offer discounts a lifetime license for Microsoft Office 2021 on PC or Mac to just $33 — saving you almost $200 compared to the Microsoft price.
Details
This portable Bluetooth speaker is waterproof, offers decent sound for its size and is $40 less than its list price.
Details
Best early October Prime Day deals on home
For a limited time only, Amazon is offering this coffee maker in your choice of six different colors for just $60. It’s ideal for those with limited counter space.
Details
Free your home from dust and dirt with our favorite cordless stick vacuum. It works for carpets and hard floors and includes extra attachments for various nooks and crannies.
Details
Best early October Prime Day deals on health and fitness
Add an exercise bike to your home gym setup with $100 off the Schwinn IC3. It features infinitely variable resistance and pedals that allow for using standard toe cages or SPD clips.
Details
What is Amazon’s Prime Big Deal Days sale?
It’s reasonable to be confused about what exactly Prime Big Deal Days is. It’s a two-day Amazon sale taking place in October that offers exclusive savings to Prime subscribers with limited-time offers, flash deals and rock-bottom prices. If that sounds a lot like Prime Day, it’s because the sale is essentially a second Prime Day event for 2023 in all but name, just like the Prime Early Access Sale that took place in October last year.
When is the Prime Big Deal Days sale?
Amazon’s Prime Big Deal Days event will take place on Oct. 10 and 11. Running for a full 48 hours, the sale will offer a huge number of limited-time deals during those two days. Amazon already has some promotions preceding the official start time. We’ll keep track of those right here.
Unlike Prime Day proper, which (save for a few exceptions) takes place in July, the Prime Big Deal Days sale occurs in the fall and is an opportunity for organized holiday shoppers to get started early. It’s also a chance for Amazon to hoover up eager bargain-hunters’ dollars before Black Friday sales begin in earnest.
As you can see from the history of Prime Day dates below, Amazon has held its Prime Day sales each July, with just a couple of deviations from that regular schedule. Notably, in 2020, Amazon pushed its Prime Day sale to October due to the COVID-19 pandemic, before returning the sale to the summer in 2021 in a slightly earlier June spot. Prime Day returned to its July spot for 2022, though Amazon did use that October slot once again for an additional Prime Early Access Sale event that acted as a kickoff to the holiday shopping season. This year, that slot is being used for Prime Big Deal Days.
As a reference, here are the Prime Day dates from previous years:
- Prime Day 2015: July 15.
- Prime Day 2016: July 12.
- Prime Day 2017: July 11 to 12 (first to last longer than one day).
- Prime Day 2018: July 16 to 17.
- Prime Day 2019: July 15 to 16.
- Prime Day 2020: Oct. 13 to 14 (delayed by COVID-19 pandemic).
- Prime Day 2021: June 21 to 22 (the earliest to date).
- Prime Day 2022: July 12 to 13.
- Prime Early Access Sale 2022: Oct. 11 to 12.
- Prime Day 2023: July 11 to 12.
How long will the Prime Big Deal Days sale last?
Like Prime Day, Prime Big Deal Days will run for 48 hours. The sale will kick off at midnight PT (3 a.m. ET) on Oct. 10.
Amazon’s Prime Day and Prime Day-like events haven’t been single-day affairs since 2016, spanning two days for the first time in 2017 and continuing to be 48-hour bonanzas since then. Many of the deals launching at the sale’s opening time will be available throughout the event, supplies permitting, with other, more limited-time Lightning deals launching and expiring within the two-day span.
Will there be a second Amazon Prime Day event this year?
Yes, Amazon’s Prime Big Deal Days sale is the second Prime Day-like sale of 2023. It replaces the Prime Early Access Sale that took place in October 2022 and is like Prime Day in essentially every way.
Which countries get Prime Big Deal Days?
Prime Day is an international affair and the same applies to the Prime Big Deal Days sale with 19 countries participating. The full list is as follows:
- Australia
- Austria
- Belgium
- Brazil
- Canada
- China
- France
- Germany
- Italy
- Luxembourg
- Netherlands
- Poland
- Portugal
- Singapore
- Spain
- Sweden
- Turkey
- UK
- US
Japan will also have its own Prime Big Deal Days sale later in the month.
How does Amazon’s Prime Big Deal Days sale work?
The idea behind Prime Day — and, by extension, Prime Big Deal Days — is a simple one: Subscribers to Amazon’s Prime service can get exclusive discounts on thousands of products and services across the site during a limited period of time. The products, while still available to non-Prime members, will have extra savings for members, dropping many of their prices down to new all-time lows.
When you’re logged in to your Prime account and looking at a product landing page, you’ll see the discounted price if it’s on sale. You don’t need any special coupon codes, nor is there a need to use a specific payment method in order to get the discounts. If you spend your money wisely each year, you can easily make back your Prime membership cost in savings during the event.
Do you need to be a Prime member to shop the sale?
Yes, Amazon’s Prime Big Deal Days sale requires a Prime subscription if you want to nab any of the Prime-exclusive deals. You don’t have to be a paying subscriber, though, as long as the event falls within your Prime trial period. That means you can start your month-long trial now and get in on the savings for free. For more info on that, check out our guide to shopping Prime Day sales without paying for Prime.
Amazon last year raised prices on Prime membership. It’s now $15 a month (or $139 a year).
Like Prime Day, Amazon’s Prime Big Deal Days sale requires an Amazon Prime membership, though you don’t have to be a paying member to get in on the savings. Start your 30-day Prime free trial now and you’ll be able to shop the best deals without paying for a subscription — just remember to cancel before it renews.
Details
Will other retailers participate?
Each Prime Day, we see other retailers announcing sales that directly compete with Amazon’s event, and we expect its fall event to be no different. Best Buy has already confirmed it intends to host a 48-hour flash sale on the very same dates and Walmart will overlap Prime Big Deal Days with its own Holiday Kickoff sale running Oct. 9 through 12. Home Depot is also running a Decor Days sale from Oct. 5 through 9 with savings on all things home decor in time for the holidays.
Why did Prime Day start?
Amazon has been hosting its annual Prime Day sale since 2015. Originally, it was a 24-hour sales event to celebrate Amazon’s 20th birthday. The “Prime” in the name refers to Amazon’s subscription service, which offers free delivery on many products in as little as one to two days, and which has now expanded to encompass the Netflix-style Prime Video service and various other Amazon-related perks.
Prime Day soon became a version of “Black Friday in July” for Amazon, allowing the retailer to have a branded 48-hour shopping extravaganza in an otherwise sleepy retail season. Unlike Black Friday, however, the Prime Day branding lets Amazon differentiate its summer sale from competitors while selling Prime memberships and Amazon-branded hardware such as Echo speakers and Fire tablets, which encourage customers to stay within the Amazon ecosystem. The fact that the sale also allows Amazon and its partners to clear out inventory and warehouse space ahead of the holiday shopping season doesn’t hurt, either.
Where can you find deals right now?
The CNET Deals team covers all of the best price drops, discounts and deals daily from all the top retailers. Whether it’s a one-day promo at Woot, a weekend sale at Best Buy or a coupon code for a product at Amazon, if it’s a great deal, we’ll be covering it.
Be sure to check out all of the great deals each day at CNET.com/deals and sign up for our CNET Deals newsletter for a daily digest of deals delivered to your inbox. You can also sign up for CNET Deals text alerts for curated deals during the event, and install our CNET Shopping browser extension to help ensure that purchases you make all year round will be at the lowest price available.
