This is how to get the best deals and bargains on Amazon Prime Day

(Photo: Shutterstock)(Photo: Shutterstock)
(Photo: Shutterstock)
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Since 2015, each year on a Tuesday in early July, Amazon has offered its Prime subscribers a day of heavy discounts and deals.

Last year, the event was so popular it crashed Amazon’s servers for a short period, and estimated profits for the retailer were over $4 billion.

What is Amazon Prime Day?

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Amazon’s Prime Day is an exclusive online shopping event for Prime members. Last year, the day ran to 36 hours and members were able to access big discounts on a range of products.

More than 100 million items were sold, and the worldwide best-sellers were the Fire TV Stick with Alexa Voice Remote, and the Echo Dot. In the UK, the most popular purchase was a Bosch cordless drill.

When is Amazon Prime Day 2019?

This year, Amazon Prime Day will run for 48 hours, kicking off at midnight on Monday 15 July and running until 11:59pm on Tuesday 16 July. Expect to see thousands of deals, with extra large discounts on Amazon Alexa-enabled devices.

There will also be Lightning Deals, where you can bag a bargain on certain products for a limited time only.

How to get the best deals on Amazon Prime Day 2019

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First off, to make the most of Amazon Prime Day 2019, you'll need to be an Amazon Prime member.

Don't worry if you're not already - Amazon offers the premium service with a free trial period. That period last 30 days for regular customers, and a tidy six months for students.

You will need to submit your card details to sign up for the trial, but so long as you remember to cancel your subscription before the date of your first billing, you will still be able to take advantage of Prime Day's deals.

Make sure you're fully prepared for a day of snooping out bargains. Mark the dates and times (Monday 15 July to Tuesday 16 July, remember) on a calendar. Set a reminder on your phone. Take the day off work. Do what you have to do.

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Go in to Prime Day with at least a vague idea of what you want to buy. It's tempting to just sit back and let the deals come to you, but the variety on offer will be nothing short of overwhelming - you'll either end up spending nothing at all, or spending much more than you planned.

(Photo: Sean Gallup/Getty Images)

Making sure you have the Amazon app downloaded to your smartphone is also a top tip.

The app allows you to see upcoming deals before they go live, which you can then 'watch' to receive a notification when they become available.

The app also organises all the deals you're interested in and notifies you accordingly, and even sends its own periodic tips and tricks for how to make the most of Prime Day.

How do Lightning Deals work?

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Lightning Deals are a big feature of Amazon's sales. They're usually available to all, but for the duration of Prime Day, will only be open to Amazon Prime members.

While most deals stick around all day, some products are only discounted for a limited amount of time. These can be huge savings on in demand products, with limited stock available (hence the name, 'Lightning' Deal).

The best way to keep track of the day's Lightning Deals is through the app, and you'll want to watch the deals you want.

Don't fret if you miss out on that killer bargain though, it's still possible to get a deal that has been 100 per cent claimed - add yourself to the deal's waitlist and if another shopper drops out of their purchase, you'll be able to swoop in.

What deals can I expect as part of Amazon Prime Day 2019?

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Before the big day itself, it's hard to say just which products will be available at a reduced cost as part of Amazon Prime Day 2019.

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We can make an educated guess, however, by taking a look at the trends of previous years' sales.

Amazon's own products are often heavily discounted, and last year’s most popular products were the company's Echo Dot smart-speaker and Fire TV Stick.

Then there are the Kindles, Fire Tablets and other devices that Amazon themselves produce - all are often discounted heavily on Prime Day.

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Last year, the Echo Show dropped from £199.99 to £99.99, and the main Echo from £89.99 to £59.99.

Tech is the area which often sees the biggest price cuts as part of Prime Day.

This article originally appeared on our sister site, inews