Amazon Prime Day Is Coming — Here’s Everything You Need To Know

One of the most highly anticipated sales events in the calendar, Amazon Prime Day is right around the corner. Taking place on 11th and 12th July, we're sure to see everything from fashion and beauty to tech and home appliances entered into the virtual bargain bucket.

Offering a chance to grab essential (well, not always) items for less this summer, we're keeping a close eye on the Amazon Prime Day discounts as they land. Keep reading for everything you need to know to shop the two-day sale like a total pro.

What started as a one-day sale in 2015 to mark Amazon’s 20th anniversary is now in its ninth year and spans a full 48-hour period of daily and hourly deals on a massive selection of the site's bestselling stock. While you might think it's getting long in the tooth after all this time, the lustre of Prime Day hasn’t worn off one bit. In fact, the hype seems to grow with each passing year, with more and more discounts offered and rival retailers feeling the pressure to get in on the action.

Amazon Prime Day is set to take place on 11th and 12th July. The sale period officially starts at midnight GMT so plan accordingly.

As with previous Prime Days, products across beauty, fashion, home, tech and more will be on sale during the two-day event. Early deals have already begun to trickle in, including these bits below.

There’s no way around it: You have to be an Amazon Prime member to take advantage of Prime Day. If you're on the fence, you can always sign up for a 30-day free trial to test the waters. However, it's worth adding that memberships have pretty solid year-round perks: free lightning-fast shipping, access to Prime Wardrobe and Personal Shopper, hours of entertainment, music and more. Another tip for shopping the sale like a pro: Set deal alerts based on your shopping and search history for personalised recommendations of the best Prime Day deals just for you (Alexa can also help you in this department, FYI).

As mentioned above, if you’re unsure about joining Amazon Prime but don’t want to miss out on Prime Day deals, you can sign up for a 30-day free trial, no questions asked (this is kind of the perfect time to work the system, if you know what we mean). In addition to the marquee benefits of free shipping, there are lesser known conveniences like two-day delivery and discounts from Amazon Pharmacy, early access to blink-and-you’ll-miss-them Lightning Deals, beloved original TV shows like The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel and over two million songs ad-free with Amazon Music.

Amazon has done such a thorough job of creating a frenzy around Prime Day that almost every other big-box retailer under the sun is likely to run some sort of alternative sale around the Prime Day period. All's fair in love and online shopping, right?

If you decide you like the Prime lifestyle and want to keep your access to everything that Amazon has to offer, there is a way to get an ongoing discount on your Prime membership. Uni students are eligible for a six-month free trial followed by a £4.49 monthly fee for Prime, which is a 50% discount on the regular monthly price.