Prime Day is underway: Here are all the ways you can save

Prime Day is on track to be a major spending event for American shoppers, even as consumers continue to navigate elevated prices and rising debt.

Adobe forecasts that consumers will spend over $26 billion during the four-day period. That’s 9% more than last year and more than Black Friday and Cyber Monday shopping in 2025 combined.

Amazon’s Prime Day deals so far include a discount of up to 27% on Apple AirPods Max 2 headphones, 50% off Ring cameras, 20% off DoorDash and Uber gift cards, and much more.

But the sale itself isn’t the only way to save. By taking time to explore competitor discounts and stackable deals, and even using AI tools, shoppers can maximize their Prime Day shopping even further.

“Don’t treat the sale price as the final number,” Stephanie Carls, retail insights expert at RetailMeNot, said to Yahoo Finance. “Because the number that matters is what you actually pay at checkout.”

Save more on Prime Day deals

Compare prices

Prime Day may be specific to Amazon, but other big retailers like Target, Walmart, and Best Buy also run competing sales each year. From big-ticket electronics to everyday essentials, other sites’ sale prices may be even lower than Amazon’s this week.

And there are more potential savings beyond the list price too.

Sale prices at two retailers may be the same, but one might have additional promo codes or cash-back offers. Right now, for example, Rakuten is offering up to 17% cash back at Best Buy and $5 cash back on Amazon, while RetailMeNot has offers for 2% cash back sitewide at Target and 7% cash back at Walmart.

These sites generally reward shoppers with cash back for shopping through their portals, browser extensions, or apps.

“The real price is the sale price plus whatever you can add on top, whether that is a promo code, a cashback offer, maybe your credit card rewards, maybe you have points as a loyalty member from that retailer,” Carls said.

Use the right credit card

A rewards credit card can offer another layer of savings on everyday spending, and an even bigger discount on Prime Day deals.

Regular Amazon shoppers with a Prime membership, for example, may benefit from a card like the Prime Visa, which offers 5% cash back on all Amazon purchases (in addition to more bonus rewards). That’s an additional 5% back on any Prime Day discounts when you use the Prime Visa card.

A more general option is a cash-back credit card that earns a flat rate on every purchase, no matter the retailer. The Wells Fargo Active Cash® Card, for example, and the Citi Double Cash® Card both earn 2% cash back on every purchase, which can help boost savings on Prime Day deals or discounts from competitors.

One option that may not yield great savings, however, is using credit card rewards to shop on Amazon. Many rewards cards have the option to “Shop with Points” on Amazon, but this rarely offers the best redemption value for points and miles.

For example, paying with American Express points at checkout will generally get a redemption value of 0.7 cents per point. In other words, 10,000 Amex points redeemed on Amazon would be worth $70, but other redemptions could be worth $100 for the same amount.

Check price history

“The simplest thing that a shopper can do is know what the item cost last week before they buy it,” Carls said. “A slashed price and deal badge are easy to spot on a page, but they don’t always tell you enough.”

Amazon now offers its own price history tool accessible via a “price history” link near an item’s listed price or using the site’s AI chatbot. That price history includes up to one year of previous prices available on Amazon.

Third-party price trackers can also help shoppers evaluate Amazon sale prices. Sites like Keepa and camelcamelcamel are two options with price tracking available online or using a browser extension.

Shop with AI

Technology is making it easier to compare prices, look for online discounts, and track price changes — and many shoppers are already turning to AI for help.

Adobe expects traffic to retail sites from generative AI sources to more than double from last year. Increasingly, “consumers are relying on AI to quickly surface deals and product information during high-stakes shopping events,” the report said.

For Prime Day specifically, Amazon is integrating AI into the sale experience with Alexa for Shopping — its recently launched AI assistant. Shoppers can use the tool to create custom shopping guides, compare products, look up an item’s price history, add items to their cart, and more.

AI agents and integrated tools like Alexa for Shopping can make it easier to quickly spot discounts and determine whether a sale price is actually a good deal. The part that still belongs to the shopper, Carls says, is the decision about what’s actually worth buying.

Avoid impulse shopping

Prime Day can offer big savings, but it’s important to remember that it’s not the only sale day of the year.

One of the best ways to save is to avoid impulse buying during sales, even when an item is temporarily discounted. A sale item may be worth it if it’s something you already repurchase frequently or that you’ve had your eye on for a while — but making a purchase because it’s easy to get caught up in Lightning Deal countdowns or deep discount pricing could lead to unnecessary spending instead of solid savings.

“There are still going to be different deals,” Carls said. “Don’t feel like it has to be all in this one sale.”