Prime Day 2026: What To Know

Prime Big Deal Days is Amazon’s major fall shopping event, running Oct. 7–8, 2025, and offering exclusive discounts for Prime members. While the company’s main Prime Day event usually takes place in July, the fall sale is often nicknamed the “October Prime Days,” giving shoppers a second chance to grab big savings ahead of the holiday season.

In this primer, we’ll cover everything you need to know about Prime Big Deal Days, including how to sign up for a free Prime trial, get early access to hot products, and secure the best deals.

What Are Prime Big Deal Days?

Along with Prime Day, Black Friday, and Cyber Monday, Prime Big Deal Days are one of the best annual opportunities to score Amazon deals. The event began in 2022 as the “Prime Early Access Sale” and was renamed “Prime Big Deal Days” in 2023. Amazon created this sales event to give Prime members a second major sales event in the fall, complementing the traditional Prime Day in mid-July.

When Are Prime Big Deal Days 2025?

Prime Big Deal Days 2025 are scheduled for Tuesday, Oct. 7, starting at 12:01 a.m. PT and 3:01 a.m. ET, and will run through Wednesday, Oct. 8, ending at 11:59 p.m. PT and 2:59 a.m. ET on Thursday, Oct. 9.

Eligibility and Free Trial Tips

Only Amazon Prime members are eligible for Prime Big Deal Days savings. If you’re not already a Prime member, you can sign up during the event.

Once the trial period ends, Prime membership costs are as follows:

• Standard: $14.99 per month or $139 per year after 30-day trial
• Qualified Assistance Recipients: $6.99 per month after 30-day trial
• Students & Young Adults: $7.49 per month or $69 per year after 6-month trial

In addition to exclusive shopping events, Prime members enjoy free two-day shipping, streaming for music and video, and other promotional perks.

Learn To Spot the Best Deals

Prime Big Deal Days offers discounts across a wide range of products, but not every deal is truly a bargain. Early deals began right after Amazon’s Sept. 29 announcement, with discounts going live on Oct. 1. Amazon is rolling out new offers daily, giving Prime members an early chance to grab gifts and essentials before the Oct. 7–8 event. Check the “Early Prime Days” section on Amazon’s main page, where deals are running up to 40% off.

Here are some tips to make sure you’re getting the best value:

• Watch for the “lowest price in 30 days” tag, which often signals a deeper-than-usual discount.
• Check different colors, sizes, or models—less popular variations often come at a lower price.
• Last year’s models, especially in electronics, are frequently discounted more heavily.
• Compare prices with other major retailers, since many run competing sales during Prime Big Deal Days.
• Watch for Lightning Deals, also listed under “Today’s Deals.” These are limited-quantity offers that can sell out quickly but often provide some of the steepest discounts.

Pro Tip: Sign up for email alerts from the retailers you shop most—but be selective. As one shopping expert advises, “Just be selective, because before you know it, your inbox will be full of newsletters touting sales.” Subscribing to deal-alert sites can also help you catch competing discounts that may actually undercut Prime Day pricing on the same items.

Pro Tip: When shopping for big-ticket home items like appliances or power tools, don’t overlook your local independent hardware store during Prime Day week. Independent retailers typically have more control over discounts because chains often can’t go lower than a set corporate sale price—so a neighborhood shop may be willing to match or beat what you’re seeing online to win your business.

Pro Tip: Don’t limit your price comparisons to Amazon alone. Major home-improvement retailers like Home Depot and Sears have price-matching policies and will sometimes beat competitors’ prices by up to 10 percent. Bring up the Amazon deal on your phone at the service desk and ask if they’ll match or beat it—you may walk away with a better deal and skip the shipping wait.

Shop Our Expert-Curated Newsletters

We spent dozens of hours scouring Prime Day deals to find the best offers on early holiday gifts, kitchen essentials, and cooking supplies. Check out the This Old House Shopping newsletter for curated recommendations throughout the event. Not subscribed? Sign up today to get the top deals delivered straight to your inbox.

Our Conclusion

Amazon’s Prime Big Deal Days have quickly become a must-shop event, giving Prime members another chance at deep discounts ahead of the holidays. With daily deals, Lightning Deals, and early markdowns already live, preparation is key to finding the best value. Stay flexible, compare prices, and check back often to be ready to score big savings when Oct. 7–8 arrives.

Why You Can Trust Us

This Old House has empowered homeowners and DIYers for more than four decades with top-notch home improvement advice in the form of television programs, print media, and digital content. 

Our team focuses on creating in-depth product and service review content. To date, we’ve published over 1,600 reviews on products in the home space, from doorbell cameras and backyard fencing to pool vacuums and snow blowers.

Once we conclude our research, we craft a comprehensive, user-friendly article of recommended products and additional information to help our readers make the right purchase.

Editorial Independence: It’s worth noting that This Old House has maintained a longstanding policy of editorial independence — the brand does not endorse any product or service mentioned or advertised in its publications. That same standard applies to our digital product reviews: our recommendations are based solely on research, testing, and expert judgment, not advertiser influence.

Our editors regularly evaluate new tools, materials, and home-improvement products firsthand — a tradition rooted in the TOH Editors’ Picks program, where every month our team discovers and tests standout products across every category, from power tools and brooms to entry doors and repair tapes. That hands-on discovery process informs every deal recommendation we make during events like Prime Day.