Amazon Prime Day 2024: July sale dates announced

Amazon has announced another Prime Day sale for July 2024. If you're hunting for a bargain laptop, air fryer or TV, the sale could be perfect timing.

Based on what we saw last year on Amazon Prime Day, we expect the retailer to offer discounts across most of its departments, including Electronics, Kitchen appliances, Home & garden, Baby products and Health & personal care.

But not every 'deal' will be worth snapping up. Previously, we've seen discounted products that are flawed Which? Don't Buys not worth your money. We've also seen products we know are offered more cheaply at other times of the year. That's why, for this Amazon Prime deals round-up, our experts will only be selecting deals on products we know performed well in our test lab - and are also a good deal in the sale.

Here's what to expect from Amazon Prime Day in 2024.

Looking for great deals at other retailers? See our monthly round up of the best deals, collated by our product experts.

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What is Amazon Prime Day?

Amazon Prime Day is an exclusive sale event that's only open to Amazon Prime members.

When is Amazon Prime Day 2024?

This year's Amazon Prime day takes place on Tuesday 16 and Wednesday 17 July, a little later than we've seen in previous years.

In the past, the sale happened once a year, but since 2022, there are now two sale drops: one in July and another in October.

Here's when Amazon launched its previous Prime Day sales:

• 2023: 11-12 July, 10-11 October (the October sale was also known as Amazon Big Deal Days)
• 2022: 12-13 July, 11-12 October
• 2021: 21-22 June

Starting from midnight on the first day, new deals drop regularly throughout the 48-hour sale.

In 2023, Amazon seemed to prioritise its second Prime Day event over publishing Black Friday deals at the beginning of November.

Visit our Black Friday 2024 page to find out more about last year's sale.

Is Prime Day only for Amazon Prime members?

Yes, only Amazon Prime members get access to the Amazon Prime Day discounts. This includes Amazon Prime monthly and annual members, free trial members, and Amazon Student and Amazon Household members.

How much is Amazon Prime?

Amazon Prime membership is charged at £8.99 per month, or £95 per year. If you pay annually, you save just over £12 per year. 

Students can get an Amazon Prime membership for 50% less – paying £4.49 per month. If students pay annually, it costs £47.49 per year, saving just over £6.

With a subscription, you get access to Prime Video, plus unlimited premium delivery, among other things.

Get a free trial for Amazon Prime day

If you time it well, you can sign up 30 days of Amazon Prime for free once the Prime Day sales begin, and then cancel for free before you get charged. If you don't cancel within the 30 days, you'll automatically be switched onto a regular Amazon Prime membership and charged £8.99 a month. The trial gets you access to Prime Video, Amazon Music, Amazon Photos and more.

If you're an UK undergraduate or postgraduate student, you can get six months of Amazon Prime Student for free. You'll need to prove your course enrollment by providing Amazon with your university email address. After the six months are up, you'll only have to pay half price for a Prime subscription at £4.49 per month, or £47.79 annually. To get this deal, you must be a new member. After your three years at uni, you'll be switched to a regular Prime subscription at £8.99 per month.

To cancel your membership before the trial expires, you'll need to visit the Amazon Prime membership page, choose Manage membership and select End membership.

For more advice on managing memberships, see our guide: 11 tips to save on the cost of your subscriptions.

What will go on sale this Prime Day?

Back in October 2023, our experts spotted tempting discounts on home products and electronics, including the following:

• Amazon Fire TV Cube, 3rd gen - essentially an Echo smart speaker and Fire TV Stick in one. Connecting it using wi-fi or an ethernet port to access popular streaming apps including Netflix and Amazon Prime Video.
• Ring Stick Up Battery Cam - we prefer this Ring security camera as an indoor device, but it’s designed to be used both inside and outside. SQUIRREL_TEXT_50013059
• Instant Pot Vortex 4-in-1 air fryer – This is primarily an air fryer, but it also has settings for roast, bake and reheat so you can cook an array of recipes in different ways with just the press of a button. SQUIRREL_TEXT_12864632
• Shark IZ300UKT cordless vacuum – A Shark vacuum that comes with a variety of attachments for pet hair. Like other cordless vacuums, it has a handheld mode for more portability in smaller spaces, like the car. SQUIRREL_TEXT_12877777

Amazon Prime Day early access deals

Although Amazon usually saves the majority of its deals for Prime Day, we expect to see early deals appear on the website and mobile app a couple of days before the true sale kicks off.

Last year, the retailer's 'early deals' covered a selection of own-brand products including Echo Dot speakers, Ring video doorbells and Kindle ebook readers.

If you're looking for deals from retailers other than Amazon, check our popular sales pages which feature deals hand-picked by Which? experts.

• Best laptop deals
• Best TV deals
• Best mattress deals
• Best broadband deals
• Best mobile phone and SIM-only deals
• Best iPhone deals
• Best fridge freezer deals
• Best washing machine deals
• Best vacuum cleaner deals
• Best iPad and tablet deals
• Sofa sales

Be wary of Amazon's customer reviews 

You'll find customer reviews on Amazon's product page, and it's a good place to look for answers to any specific queries you have about a product.

However, multiple Which? investigations have revealed the widespread presence of fake reviews on online marketplaces, including Amazon.

Hannah Walsh, Which? senior researcher says:

"A 2023 investigation by Which?* showed that one in ten Amazon customers could have been offered an incentive in exchange for a five-star review of an Amazon product. We found that some brands or sellers on Amazon offer rewards or incentives to buyers in an attempt to manipulate reviews and star ratings. When shopping for products on Amazon, it's best to read independent reviews from a variety of sources before you part with your cash".

*Our nationally representative survey of 1,556 people ran in August 2023.

There are a few things you can do to spot fake reviews:

• Look at the reviewer’s profile: some sites let you see all the reviews a particular shopper has left. Take a look at a reviewer’s purchase history to see if it makes sense. Are they buying things they actually seem to want or need? Or might they have another incentive to post these reviews?
• Check the review dates: look at when the reviews were posted. If several positive reviews appeared on the same day, it could be part of a coordinated campaign.
• Read the reviews: it might sound obvious, but it can be tempting to just look at the average star rating instead of seeing what individual reviews say. Fake reviews might be poorly written, or include little detail about the actual product.

Read our full guide on how to spot a fake review for more.

How to return Amazon items

If you buy a product on Amazon Prime Day and it arrives on your doorstep damaged, the retailer is fully responsible.

Under the Consumer Rights Acts, your purchase needs to be of satisfactory quality (not faulty or damaged), fit for purpose and as described. If your Prime Day product doesn't meet one of these requirements, the retailer (not the manufacturer) is in breach of the Consumer Rights Act. An additional Amazon guarantee protects your purchase when buying from an Amazon marketplace - called the Amazon A-Z guarantee, it now extends to damage caused by unsafe products, too.

Amazon will refund the cost of sending an item back if it was sold or dispatched by Amazon. If the item you purchased isn't eligible for a free return, and you’re using a pre-paid return label, Amazon will deduct the cost of the return from your refund.

For expert advice on returning goods you've bought online, see our in-depth guide to returns and refunds.

How to recycle your old tech

If you're looking to replace some older technology by shopping the Prime Day sale, make sure you dispose of your old items in a responsible way.

You have a few options if you want to offload your unwanted electronics. Kerbside collection is suitable for small electrical items – in many cases, your local council will collect smaller items such as toasters and kettles. Alternatively, you can drop items at a local recycling centre.

For more details on how to get rid of your unused gadgets, check our advice on how to recycle electrical items.