Amazon Prime Day October date and start time: when to expect the best deals

Amazon Prime Day October deals will give you an early start to Black Friday shopping. How early? Well, last year's start date and time was October 11 at 3am ET / 12am PT

For the second year in a row, there will be an Amazon Prime Day October sales event, a surefire way for you to get a jumpstart on holiday shopping and for Amazon to beat those competitive Walmart Black Friday and Best Buy Black Friday deals.

Amazon Prime Day October 2023 date & start time

Amazon Prime Day October dates started on October 11 last year at 3am ET / 12am PT. While the official 2023 dates haven’t been announced by Amazon, you can expect a lot of the same timing from this year’s Fall Prime Day. According to Amazon Stores CEO Doug Herrington, the retailers will feature its best pre-Black Friday deals across 19 countries, including the US and UK. One thing about the date: Amazon loves beginning Prime Day on a Tuesday, and because October 11 this year is a Wednesday, we could see this year’s Prime Day shift to be one date earlier (the 10th).

We’ll update this page as soon as Amazon locks in an official date and time for Prime Day October 2023. Until then, we’ll be keeping track of price drops in the lead-up to the holiday season, Black Friday all the way through Cyber Monday.

What will be on sale for Prime Day in October?

The biggest Amazon Prime Day October sales won’t differ too greatly from the Prime Day that just happened in July. The biggest sellers included Amazon’s own products, Apple devices, and Bose headphones.

Specifically, The Shortcut has data almost two years’ worth of data to suggest that the Amazon Fire TV Stick and Apple AirPods deals will continue to lead the pack. We’ll also see a bigger sale on GoPro cameras in October 2023, according to our analysis of what sold last October. This is because the GoPro Hero 12 is likely to be announced in the coming weeks and, according to our GoPro Hero 11 Black review, last year’s model is in for a discount when that happens.

1. Amazon Fire TV Stick 4K

2. Apple AirPods Pro (2nd gen)

3. Amazon Echo Show 5 (3rd gen)

4. Ring Video Doorbell

5. Bose QuietComfort 45 headphones

6. YETI Rambler 20z Tumbler

7. Blink Outdoor Camera

8. Apple AirTag 4-Pack

9. Samsung 980 Pro SSD with Heatsink 2TB (works with PS5)

10. Roku Express 4K+

Don’t forget Amazon Prime Day rivals

For every Amazon Prime Day October deal, there will be an equally tempting discount from Walmart, Best Buy, Target and other retailers in the United States. Our Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 5 review and Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 5 review gave us insight into early pre-order pricing that’s likely to return during Black Friday and Cyber Monday.

Walmart, over the last two years, has been offering early access to its best deals for subscribers of Walmart+, its Amazon Prime-like service. When the Xbox Series X and PS5 restock opportunities were locked behind Walmart+ we saw a surge of people sign up for Walmart+… and then reap the benefits of other Walmart+ exclusive deals. During Prime Day in July, Walmart cut the cost of Walmart+ to just $50.

Best Buy has recently launched its own Prime Day-like service that costs just $50 per year at its most basic level. My Best Buy Plus includes free two-day shipping, discounted prices and an extended 6-day return on most products. The higher tier My Best Buy Total is a pricier $179.99 per year, costing more than Amazon Prime, but adding AppleCare+ (up to two years for Apple purchases made through Best Buy, of course), 24/7 tech support, and 20% off repairs (for labor; parts not included).

It’s safe to say that while the Amazon Prime Day October sales marathon will generate more news headlines in a few months, Walmart and Best Buy will challenge all of its best deals. And that’s a win for consumers.

How to get the best Prime Day October deals

The lowest prices never last. That’s why it’s important to pay attention to anyone who is tracking Amazon Lightning deals in October. It turns out, we do that here at The Shortcut, and I specifically issue alerts on my Matt Swider Twitter account (well, it’s now called X but no one is used to that yet).

We saw an Amazon Prime Day Lightning deal last month for a Pioneer 4K TV with Fire TV built-in and HDR that was normally $420 but was briefly marked down to $165. It sold out in under ten minutes, according to my real-time tracking data.

Who got this deal and others? People who turned on notifications for my account. During the 48-hour Prime Day marathon (now happening every July and October it seems), the best deals are in limited quantities. Follow along to save.

Amazon Prime Day discount codes

Amazon usually has discount codes available for specific areas of its company. So we may see another Amazon Fresh discount code take 25% off your groceries (if delivery is possible in your area) or that Audible 3-month free trial again (for new users).

Shockingly, the Amazon Prime Day partnership that premiered last year during the summer-time Prime Day never ended. While it seemed to be billed as a limited-time promotion, you can still get a Prime-exclusive free pass to GrubHub+, which is usually $10 a month. But, you’ll have to be an Amazon Prime member to get $0 delivery fees and lower service fees on all orders $12 and up.

Also, a hot seller every Prime Day, but not always at Amazon: the Sony PlayStation Plus discount code and Xbox Game Pass Ultimate promo code offers. But those promo codes happen all year long (they just happen to sell a lot during Black Friday). It’s become the easiest way to try some of the best PS5 games because it includes PS Plus free games every month. Xbox Game Pass discounts have suddenly become an essential purchase now that Microsoft has raised the monthly price.

Stay tuned for Amazon Prime Day October updates, as the official dates and the start time will be announced in the coming weeks.