Everything we know so far

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In the shopping realm, there’s one tell-tale sign that nature is healing: Prime Day *isn’t* in October.

The shopping event won’t be taking up its usual mid-July time slot, either, but for reasons outside of a pandemic. According to CNET, Amazon CFO Brian Olsavsky pegged June as go time. An earlier quarterly earnings report confirmed that Prime Day would take place in Amazon’s second quarter.

When is Prime Day 2021?

June! Amazon has deviated from its usual calendar to try something new — and to avoid competition with the Olympics. June may also offer better timing for summer travel plans and graduations. Exact dates have not yet been revealed.

People are likely just relieved that Prime Day won’t be less than two months away from Black Friday this year. Prime Day 2020 was postponed (a few times) due to concerns about the coronavirus, officially landing on Oct. 13 and 14 of 2020. We need a summer shopping holiday to offset the winter holiday chaos, okay?

How long is Prime Day?

Another two-day situation is not confirmed, but likely. 48 hours has been the sweet spot since Amazon expanded past a single Prime Day in 2019. Since then, there have been crumbs of speculation that the tech giant will keep expanding Prime Day until it’s basically Prime Week. But given last year’s scheduling roadblocks and this year’s Olympics workaround, Amazon may decide to play it safe before going big(ger).

Robot vacuums, home gym equipment, and Amazon devices will be hot

Prime Day big-ticket items are often in line with that of Black Friday: TVs, kitchen appliances, robot vacuums, Apple products — you know the drill. Chances of a discount on the Apple AirPods Max are low (we’ll be lucky to even see one on Black Friday), but this could be a chance to score AirPods Pro for far under $200. We expect TV deals to match the shifting of the humble home TV, which are getting bigger, more affordable, and going Team OLED.

There’s no way Instant Pots won’t be on sale, but we don’t see them being a top-10 item like they were in years past. By now, a lot of people probably have one, but probably haven’t had it for long enough to need an upgrade. 

Gyms may be opening and returning to normal-ish capacities, but the scramble to compose a functional home gym isn’t about to fall off. Once forced to choose between working out in a mask or find a way to squeeze a machine into the house, people realized something: Heath concerns or not, sharing gym equipment with strangers sucks. We predict sales on treadmills, Peloton alternatives, and more home fitness gear that’s been flying off the shelves since last summer.

First and foremost, Amazon holds Prime Day for itself. Deals on Amazon’s own devices like the Echo, Fire tablets and Kindles, and Fire TV streamers are guaranteed, and Amazon isn’t shy about slashing such prices by 30, 40, or even 50 percent. Amazon announced new Echo Buds with ANC and a slew of new Fire tablets (including a Fire Kids Pro) in April 2021. Both are currently available for pre-order, but expect a first-ever sale on those items during Prime Day.

How to sign up for Amazon Prime

Yes, you have to be a Prime member to unlock Prime Day deals. This isn’t terrible news for anyone who’s never signed up for Prime before — they can start with a 30-day free trial and jump ship whenever. (Just set a reminder to cancel.) After that, Prime memberships go for $12.99 per month or $119 per year (just under $10 per month). Hit “SEE MORE PLANS” to choose.

Amazon Prime Student is available at a discounted rate of $6.49 per month for students with a valid .edu email.

Students with a valid .edu email can sign up for Amazon Prime for a discounted rate of $6.49 per month after a six-month free trial. (Check out our separate to learn more.) If you have Medicaid or EBT, you can also sign up at a discounted rate of $5.99 per month.

Giving Prime as a gift is also an option. It’s the epitome of last-minute gifting, but they’ll use the hell out of it.