7 mistakes everyone makes with Amazon Prime Day
Don't fall into these common traps during Amazon's annual mega-sale
I've covered so many Amazon Prime Day sales as part of my job that it's become like an annual sporting event. It's such familiar territory that typical 'Prime pitfalls' continue to rear their heads.
Check out the best Prime Day deals here
In addition to the mistakes not to make this Prime Day, below I'll also highlight some hidden benefits – including some less often checked tips to enhance the best deals.
Waiting too long
Amazon Prime Day 2026 runs from 00:01 Tuesday 23 July through until 23:59 on Friday 26 July.
It's important to keep that in mind, as some deals – marked with red "Prime Day Deal" banners – will expire and pricing revert to previous levels.
"Lightning Deals", meanwhile, are marked as so – and will have countdown timers or product claim limits that expire.
In short: don't wait too long. That said: don't rush! Because there are many other factors to consider...
Splitting The Cost
If you are buying a bigger item and don't want to pay the lump sum out of your bank account, nor park it on a credit card, then look out for Amazon's Monthly Payments option.
Now this isn't available on everything, sadly, but on a product page if you see "Or £XYZ / month" then click into it – and you'll be able to select Amazon's interest-free plan of equal payments over a series of months.
I've done this many times, on items such as trainers, electric toothbrushes, even Garmin cycling computers. There's no additional fee to pay, so that £500 purchase could become £100 per month instead – making it more manageable.
Don't overstretch yourself, of course, as this isn't free money, it's just a good way of budgeting your monthly spend. And it often goes unseen, as it's quite hidden on the page where it is available.
Researching Price History
Not all deals are made equal. Indeed, some are upsold as being "cheapest" – despite being lower-priced in the not-too-distant past. That's usually based on whether you're looking over the past 30 days rather than 3 months or a year.
Amazon now offers its own Price History tool, which is worth a look – it loads Rufus AI in the sidebar and presents a graph. As above, toggle between the days/months/years to get a good projection of how pricing has changed.
If you see a pricing pattern – raised and lowered over set periods – then this is intentional to upsell the "deal" when, in fact, you may find the price drops outside of Prime Day if it's previously been lower.
Double-checking the shipping date
Here's one that can often catch people out. Some products only have long-distance shipping available – which can take weeks.
If you see what you want to buy listed multiple times, it'll often be the seller that differs, which is where shipping time periods can differ.
So always double-check the due arrival date. There have been a number of times where I've ordered DIY tools, for example, only to see the would-be arrival date is several days or weeks away – but cancelling the order for free is possible.
Checking for shipping discounts
If you don't urgently need something then Amazon occasionally offers shipping discounts if you're willing to wait. Skip the today/tomorrow delivery and look out for 1% discount for delivery later in the week – you just need to select the No-Rush option at the checkout stage.
In addition, some frequent-purchase product types offer subscriptions with 5% or 10% or even greater discounts. It's worth exploring this – as you can cancel the subscription at any time and benefit from the lower purchase price. This is a great little hack for lower pricing – whether during Prime Day or not.
Not shopping around
Prime Day may well be an Amazon event, but other retailers want to get in on the action too. After all, sales equate to money and eventual profit, so Argos, Currys, and plenty more will compete.
Leaving Amazon and browsing elsewhere is a savvy decision, as you might find a better offer. Brands also want to upsell their products, so you may see direct discounts on Sonos or Bose or elsewhere.
However, shipping is often an extra hidden cost – something Amazon Prime members typically avoid, given the monthly or annual membership fee – so do keep that in mind.
Discount Expectations
Now, I've seen some pretty great deals during Prime Day – well, "Prime week", really, isn't it? – but do keep your expectations in check.
This isn't like the Black Friday of old where stores would put out super-limited £1 items that would set shoppers into riot mode.
Discounts may ultimately be marginal. Some products areas, such as TVs, typically present bigger discounts. But do consider: 'Do I need to buy this now?'. There's no need to panic buy when waiting for future discounts could be a greater benefit.
Note that you can also return Amazon products for a refund, typically within 30 days, so if you do change your mind then you're covered.
