Amazon’s Prime Day launches at 3 am: 5 issues it’s essential to know

Amazon will launch its latest members-only Prime Day sale on Tuesday, Oct. 10, at 3 a.m. EST for sales through Wednesday, Oct. 11, starting with early access for Prime members.

Compared to the more traditional Prime Day sale in July, this round of deals comes less than three months before Black Friday, when end-of-year holiday sales kick off in earnest. Considering the supply chain issues and delayed shipping timelines in recent years, this is an opportunity to get an early jump on your holiday shopping.

Whether your loved ones’ gift lists are set or you plan on creating a list between now and when this October sale ends, here are some things you should know about Amazon’s second shopping “holiday” of the year.

Amazon will run its second Prime Day sale of the year from Oct. 10 to 11. It begins at 3 a.m. EST on Oct. 10.

Like the original summer Prime Day sale, this fall version of Amazon’s Prime Day discounts will only be available to those with a Prime membership, which costs $139 annually.

New users can get a free Prime trial for 30 days if they haven’t been a Prime customer in the last 12 months.

Or, you can try Prime for three months at a discounted rate of $7.49 per month instead of the normal price of $14.99 per month. Students can try Prime for free for six months, and those on certain types of government assistance can redeem a monthly membership for $6.99.

This specific October Prime Day sale will be available for shoppers in 19 countries: Australia, Austria, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, China, France, Germany, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Singapore, Spain, Sweden, the U.S. and the United Kingdom.

Prime members in Japan can shop the Prime Big Deal Days event later in the month.

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Like we’ve seen with past Prime Day events, we expect both Amazon and non-Amazon products to be on sale. There will be many deals for travelers, including sales on headphones, luggage, tablets, watches, packing cubes and everyone’s favorite Apple AirPods.

• Check to see if you are eligible for any deals that give you a percentage discount on your Amazon order if you use as little as 1 credit card point from programs such as American Express Membership Rewards and Chase Ultimate Rewards.
• Pay with a credit card that provides the best return on Amazon purchases.
• If you’re planning in advance, purchase Amazon gift cards at retailers where you earn bonus points on purchases via some of your rewards credit cards (such as at office supply stores or grocery stores).
• To be sure you’re getting a true deal, check the pricing history of that item on Amazon via a third-party site. For example, here’s the pricing history for a four-pack of AirTags, where you can see that the July Prime Day deals really were below the usual price.
• Amazon’s invite-only deals program is back for products that typically sell out. Prime members can apply to receive a unique link to shop for these products, but there is no guarantee you’ll be able to add these to your cart. Even so, it should lessen the burden of having to be glued to your computer during the sale. Sign up for invite-only deals here.

What to know about the Grubhub+ promo

Like last year, Amazon is teaming up with Grubhub to offer an exclusive promotion: Grubhub+ members get 25% off eight delivery orders (up to $15 off each order) on Oct. 10 and 11.

Use the promo code GRUBPRIME to activate this deal.

Prime members can get a complimentary Grubhub+ membership for one year to enjoy $0 delivery, 5% back on pickup orders and special member promos like the above.