Amazon Prime Early Access Sale: How to Score the Best Prime Deals in October 2022

Amazon is having another Prime Day – tomorrow! Yes, you read that right. Less than three months after the annual Prime Day event wrapped in July, Amazon announced its first-ever Prime Early Access Sale, dubbing it a “New Holiday Shopping Event" that promises its members big savings and “exclusive early access to holiday deals."

We’ve tackled some of the headline questions you may be asking yourself right now. Starting with…

When Is the 2022 Prime Early Access Sale?

According to Amazon’s press release, the first Prime Early Access Sale is set to begin on Oct.11 at 12 a.m. PDT and run through Oct. 12. That’s 48 full hours of deals and savings opportunities. It’s also a global sale, with 15 countries set to participate, including Canada, China, France, Spain, and the U.K.

How Is This Different Than Amazon Prime Day?

Think of the two-day Prime Early Access Sale as the primer for Black Friday you didn’t know you needed (or maybe don’t need at all). Amazon called it a “chance to kick off the holiday shopping season early with hundreds of thousands of deals." In other words, expect more deals on items that are inherently giftable. To fit this idea, Amazon has promised to introduce a Top 100 list to help you with your holiday shopping. This includes curated picks from all the major shopping categories, from electronics to kitchenware to plenty of toys and games.

Do I Have to Be an Amazon Prime Member to Participate?

The simple answer is yes. Like Amazon’s traditional Prime Day sale, you must first become an Amazon Prime member to partake in the Early Access Sale. But if you’re really just interested in this one event – or you want to test the Amazon waters before fully committing – you can always sign up for a free 30-day trial. After that, you’ll be expected to pay the monthly fee of $14.99 plus taxes. The good news is you can cancel at any time.

Amazon also offers a reduced student price of just $7.49 per month for a six-month trial of its Prime service, along with other deals for those receiving government assistance. Ultimately, it’s your decision to decide whether a Prime membership makes sense for you or your family. Just remember to consider the other excellent benefits that come with it, including free and fast shipping, access to Prime Video and Amazon Music Prime, and countless other exclusive Amazon Prime perks.

What Are the Best Things to Buy During the Prime Early Access Sale?

We don’t yet have an exact list of deals for the first Prime Early Access Sale, though Amazon has been kind enough to give us some clues. Brands mentioned in the press release include everything from Peloton, New Balance, Murad, and Philips Sonicare to Hasbro, iRobot, Ashley HomeStore, KitchenAid, and Samsung. Of course, we can also expect to see some sizable discounts from Amazon’s own brands, including Fire tablets, Echo devices, and items from the AmazonBasics line.

Remember, think holiday shopping in October. Check out Amazon’s Holiday Toy List to get an idea of what toys may go on sale in the coming days. (Amazon has conveniently separated its products by age, category, and character.) You can also browse the Holiday Gift Guide while we wait for Amazon’s new Top 100 list to drop.

Tips to Finding the Best Amazon Prime Early Access Deals in October

1. Create a wish list.

This is important for a number of reasons. For one, it will give you a road map for the big sale and keep you focused on the things you really need. As a result, you’ll be able to save money while protecting yourself from any tempting impulse buys that are not on your list. If you’re already an Amazon customer and/or own Amazon Alexa devices, you can add your wish list items to your account and then enable notifications to alert you when prices go down.

2. Check price histories.

Just because an item is listed as being marked down doesn’t mean it’s actually a good deal. Why? Because MSRP prices are sometimes inflated to suggest greater discounts. Don’t panic. Instead, cross-reference your desired item on other retailer websites to compare prices. There are a number of online price trackers that really dig into the data, including CamelCamelCamel, which lets you compare the price of an Amazon product over time.

Our advice: Don’t stress too much about the price. If you find a wish list item that is in your budget, go ahead and take advantage of it.

3. Shop competitor sales.

Amazon sales are good for business, and apparently, they’re getting better. The 2022 Prime Day event was Amazon’s most successful to date, with more than 300 million items purchased, and over $1.7 billion saved by Prime members. This probably helps explain why they’re eager to offer another one less than two months before Black Friday.

Prime Day events are also good for competitors like Walmart, Target, and Best Buy, who waste no item launching their own sales during the same month – or even week. Walmart, for example, is hosting a “Rollbacks and More" sale from October 10-13, giving shoppers an extra day before and after Amazon’s Early Access Sale to cash in on deals.

You know who else benefits? You. Especially when similar items are priced lower at other retailers. Don’t be afraid to see what the other big guys are doing around the time of the Early Access Sale. You may find a better deal.

4. Go for Amazon brand products.

Expect Amazon to lower the prices on their own branded items, including up to 80% off select Fire TVs and up to 70% off on other Amazon devices like Kindle readers, Echo devices, Fire tablets, Ring security cameras, and more.

5. It’s okay to wait.

Remember, Black Friday and Cyber Week are just around the corner. That means huge tech deals on big-ticket items like flat-screen TVs, tablets, laptops, headphones, and more. At this point, there’s no real reason to believe prices won’t be similar – or even lower – when the traditional holiday sales start. That said, the Prime Early Access Sale is designed to help you get ahead of the holiday rush. If you’re the type who’d rather finish your seasonal shopping before Halloween arrives, go ahead and mark your calendar for Oct. 11. And happy saving!