How to Prepare for Amazon Prime Day 2

Dvanp002

Although the official name of Amazon's second major sales event of 2022 is the "Prime Early Access Sale," Prime Day 2, the 48-hour event starting on October 11th at midnight PT (Pacific Time), promises a host of pre-Black Friday savings. A little strategy and some smart tactics are essential to get the most out of your gift budget this holiday season and avoid worrying about having to get gifts at the last minute. Learn more about how best to prepare for Amazon Prime Day 2 and take advantage of the best Prime Day deals. 

To Get Prime Day 2 Deals, You Need Access to an Amazon Prime Account 

While this might be fairly apparent to some people, you will need an Amazon Prime account to access Prime Day deals, whether as a free 30-day trial or an annual subscription. To get access to the 30-day trial, you will have to supply your credit card information which will be used to convert to a paid membership unless you cancel within three business days of the trial period. 

Check Out Deals on Other Websites Since Online Competition Will Be Fierce 

It may seem like odd advice to suggest checking out other online retailers during Prime Day 2, but if you are truly looking for the best Prime Day deals, they might not be found on Amazon itself. Given Amazon's sheer impact as an e-commerce giant across the online shopping, shipping, and fulfillment markets, it is only natural that their competitors would also offer complimentary sales events simultaneously to draw customers. Although it can be tempting to get all your holiday shopping done in one fell swoop, you should take the time to review other shopping websites to see which one is offering the best deal for the money, especially if your desired item is out of stock on Amazon.  

Lightning Deals Give Great Savings, Add Them Beforehand To Not Miss Out 

For those unfamiliar with the term, Lightning Deals offer some of the best Prime Day deals to savvy Amazon Prime users, but to get the most out of them, you need to make some preparations. With a new Lightning Deal being launched approximately every five minutes during Prime Day events, keeping track of your desired products can be difficult, especially with limited stock and customer limits on purchasing multiples of the same item.  

To prevent Lightning Deals from slipping between your fingers, you should note that lightning deals are browsable up to 24 hours before going on sale. By reviewing upcoming Lightning Deals and adding them to your cart beforehand, you can sign up for emails and text messages that will alert you when the product goes on sale. Once you receive the alert (or if you add an item while browsing live Lightning Deals), you will have fifteen minutes to check out before losing the chance to purchase the item or items. Depending on when the item goes on sale and how late you are willing to stay up for a great deal, Lightning deals are a great way to save money on Prime Day 2. Once the stock of a given item has sold out, it is highly unlikely that a similar deal will be available for the remainder of the event. If you are sure you want a particular item on Lightning Sale, make sure not to hesitate. 

Make Use of Amazon's Prime Early Access Hub and Alexa-Exclusive Deals 

In addition to being a requirement to gain access to Prime Day deals in the first place, signing up for a free 30-day trial also grants you access to the Amazon Prime Early Access Hub so you can start your Prime Day 2 shopping right away. Once you sign up or if you are already a member of Amazon Prime, just enter https://www.amazon.com/earlyaccess and sign in to your account and gain early access to deals. These include a free GrubHub + account, four free months of access to Amazon Music, a link to Amazon Prime's Coupon page for instant savings at checkout, up to 50% off on Prime Video, up to 70% off on Amazon devices, and much more. 

If you voice shop regularly, Amazon Alexa smart device owners can also ask Alexa directly to access exclusive deals and sales. For prior Prime Days, Black Fridays and other events, owners of Alexa devices have been able to place orders up to seven hours in advance of the items going on sale. While you should ideally have the available four-digit security PIN in place to prevent unwanted purchases on your Alexa device, you can search for deals by saying, "Alexa, what are your deals?" and "Alexa, add [item name] to my cart" to buy said item. 

With a small amount of planning and preparation, you can set yourself up to get the best possible deals on the upcoming Prime Day 2 and save a lot of money on your annual holiday shopping. Be sure to check the Amazon Prime Day Early Access hub regularly to avoid missing out on your desired items. 

*The opinions reflected in this article are the sole opinions of the author and do not reflect any official positions or claims by Acer Inc.

About Dan VanPatten: Dan is a full-time technology writer with interests in gaming, gadgetry, and all things PC tech related. He writes about a variety of topics including technology news, product reviews, and software. His experience stems from years of experience writing & producing content for technology newsletters & publications.