Amazon Prime Day Is In 2 Weeks — Here’s How to Prepare

We’re just two weeks away from Amazon’s biggest sale of the year: Prime Day. For those not familiar, the event is essentially Black Friday for those with an Amazon Prime membership, with deep discounts on thousands of products — especially its own devices like the Amazon Kindle and Amazon Echo. The sale will officially run from Monday, July 15 at 3:00am ET, through July 16, with new deals starting as often as every five minutes.

As we did last year, we here at TPG will be scouring Amazon all day to find some of the best deals so you don’t have to. However, there are still several steps you need to take if you want to get the most value from your Prime Day shopping.

Firstly, you’ll want to make sure you have your Prime membership set up as the discounts will be available exclusively to Amazon Prime members. If you’re not currently an Amazon Prime member, you can sign up today for a free trial to take advantage of the sale. In addition, Prime Student allows college students to receive a free six-month trial membership. Just keep in mind your credit card will be billed at the end of either trial period. You can also add friends and family members living in the same household to your Prime account, or be added to one, for free.

Next, you’ll want to make sure you pick up a credit card that’ll get you the most bang for your buck when the sale hits. If you’re solely after lowering the already-slashed prices with straight cash back then the Amazon Prime Rewards Visa Signature Card is hard to beat, offering 5% back across the website.

The no annual fee Bank of America Cash Rewards credit card offers 3%* to 5.25% back on online shopping, depending on your status in Bank of America’s Preferred Rewards program.

However, if you’d rather get your purchases covered by various protections, such as extended warranty protection, price protection or return protection (and still get a decent return on your spending), you’ll be better off using cards like the American Express® Gold Card or Chase Freedom Unlimited. Check out this post for a deeper dive into the best cards for Amazon purchases — not only on Prime Day, but every day of the year.

Additionally you can purchase Amazon gift cards from an office supply store and earn 5x Ultimate Rewards points with the Chase Ink Business Cash℠ Credit Card on up to $25,000 a year. The American Express® Gold Card offers 4x Membership Rewards at US Supermarkets, up to $25,000 a year, and some supermarkets (like Whole Foods) sell Amazon gift cards.

Make sure to see if you qualify for promotions like free Amazon credit when signing in to the Amazon app or for reloading your Amazon gift card balance. You can visit Amazon’s Prime Day guide for more information. Additionally, check to see if you’re targeted for 20% off at Amazon by using just one Amex Membership Reward point, and save that discount for when Prime Day comes.

Stay tuned to TPG for more tips on maximizing your Prime Day purchases. And then check back on July 15 for our roundups of the best deals available.

Featured image by Leon Neal/Getty Images.

*3% back on your choice of one of five other popular categories, 2% at grocery stores and wholesale clubs on the first $2,500 in combined choice category/grocery store/wholesale club purchases each quarter; then 1%