Amazon Prime Day, July 16: What to know about 36 hours of transactions

Amazon Prime Day does not exactly qualify as a national holiday, but it comes every year. And it's widely celebrated. And there are gifts, sort of. Hmmm. This year, it will take place in less than two weeks.

If you have been living off the planet for the last three years, let 's take a look at Amazon' s "savings holidays" and what you can expect from this period. around.

What is Prime Day?

In 2015, Amazon celebrated its 20th anniversary by taking advantage of a whole day of discounts, not only on Amazon brand products, but also on tens of thousands of other items. It was moderately successful – OK, it was wildly popular – despite some snags.

In the years that followed, Amazon worked to make more products and more inventory available (so items would not sell in minutes) and simplify ways to find items on sale.

When is First Day?

July 16 . It has just been announced and, get ready for it, this year it expands to 36 hours (!) And becomes global. Australia, Singapore, the Netherlands and Luxembourg join the First Day party this year.

In past years, Prime Day fell in mid-July. Last year, for example, it was July 11 – but in 2017, it began the day before and lasted 30 hours in total. (It's a bit like how Black Friday starts today on Thanksgiving Day or even earlier.) "Prime Day Plus", someone?

Who can shop on the first day?

True to its name, Prime Day is only addressed to Amazon Prime subscribers. If you are not a paid member, you can not take advantage of the offers. Note, thought, that Prime Day is simply one of the benefits of being an Amazon Prime member .

As you may have heard, the company raised its annual prime rate to $ 119 . This is now the price for newcomers; Existing customers will start paying the highest price from June 16th. Oh, but will Prime Day bring a premium membership agreement? Read more.

What types of transactions can I expect?

There is little question that Prime Day will bring bids on many, if not most, Amazon branded products: Fire TV ($ 70 at Amazon.com) Appliances, Fire tablets, e- Kindle readers and of course, each Echo.

Beyond that, look for an assortment of Black Friday-style offers in almost every category. There will undoubtedly be some outsouts – in 2017, Amazon offered special offers on a Motorola Moto G5 Plus phone ($ 230 at Amazon.com) and a 55-inch 4K TV with built-in Fire TV , for example – but do not get carried away: most discounts are no better than what you will find in Amazon Gold Box's daily deals.

Speaking of …

How do you know if an agreement really is an agreement?

On the Internet, every day is Black Friday – and Cyber ​​Monday, and Prime Day. This means that you should approach each case with a little skepticism – or at least a little bit of research.

A good place to start: CamelCamelCamel, the site that tracks Amazon's price history. (It can also warn you when Amazon products are on sale, here's how to use it to track Amazon Echo offers.)

Before you trigger a Prime Day transaction, copy the URL, paste it in the CamelCamelCamel search box and check the results. You may discover that the price of the product has actually been lower in the past, and so may be new.

At the same time, consider using a browser plug-in such as Honey, which can inform you instantly if third-party sellers have the same product at a lower price (which does not happen often, but it's worth checking).

Finally, be sure to check the other sites. Best Buy, Walmart and other department stores can trace their own answers to Prime Day, offering leading loss prices on popular items.

How can I shop on Prime Day if I am not a Premium Subscriber?

As stated, you can not – but you might be able to play the system a bit. For starters, if you have never subscribed before, you can get a free trial of Amazon Prime a month. Register early July and you can shop Prime Day during the trial period.

Amazon Prime Free Trial

It's even better if you're a student: Amazon's partnered with Sprint to offer students a free six-month trial.

Amazon Prime Student Offer

Finally, be on the lookout for a premium membership offer within a week or two before the first day. Although it is doubtful that Amazon offers such an agreement so soon after the adoption of a rate increase, the very existence of Prime Day is to help to attract new subscribers. So, something like a $ 89 rate for new subscribers would not be unthinkable.

This coin was published on May 22. It has been updated with details, leaks and more. [19659002] CNET Deals: The best deals we found online.