Amazon Prime Big Deal Days
You’ve obviously heard of Prime Day – who hasn’t? But if you missed that sale or are wondering if Amazon has any upcoming days like that, you’re in luck. Enter Prime Big Deal Days. If you’ve been waiting to purchase an item in hopes that it would go on sale, start looking at Amazon now and put a reminder in your calendar for this event.
Note: This post may contain affiliate links. If you make a purchase through the links, I may make a small commission – at no cost to you!
What is Prime Big Deal Days?
Similar to Prime Day, this is a fall event exclusively for Amazon Prime members where you can purchase scores of items at discounts of varying amounts. Discounts can be 10 – 15%, or, in some cases, upwards of 60% savings.
When is Prime Big Deal Days?
This year, Prime Big Deal Days is on October 8th and 9th. It starts at 12am PST on the 8th. Similar to Prime Day, Amazon started releasing some early access deals in advance of the actual date of the Big Deal Day. Positioned at the start of Q4, this sale is a way to kickoff your holiday shopping.
Do you have to be a Prime member to shop Big Deal Days?
Yes, you have to be an Amazon Prime member to shop Big Deal Days. You still have time to sign up for Prime prior to this shopping event.
What items will be on sale?
It’s difficult to predict what items will be on sale, but if previous sales are any indication, there will be discounts on thousands of items across countless categories and price-points.
Taking a look at the items that are already part of the early sale, you can find electronics, cleaning supplies, toys, luggage, kitchen gear, and more. It’s a good bet that Amazon will discount their own items (Fire stick, kindles, etc.) as they typically have in the past.
In advance of the sale, take a look at the website and note specific items you’ve been meaning to buy. Note their price pre-sale and keep an eye on it on October 8th and 9th. Never buy something you don’t need to just because of a sale, but if you have things you’ve been putting off buying, now could be a good time to buy.
Okay, this is all nice to know, but you’re a points and miles blog. Why are you writing about Prime Big Deal Days?
Well, Amazon is a common place to shop, and I’m all about maximizing your spending whenever and however you spend it in order to accrue the most points and miles for future travel.
And because Amazon is not an elevated earning category on most credit cards, it can be tricky to know how you can turn your Amazon purchases into travel.
How to earn points and miles on Amazon purchases
At a minimum, we always use our Chase Freedom Unlimited on Amazon purchases because it earns 1.5 Ultimate Rewards points per dollar on all purchases that aren’t part of an elevated category. 1.5 is better than 1, but it’s definitely not optimal, especially if you spend a fair amount at Amazon. Here are a few ways you can earn a higher amount of points and miles on Amazon purchases.
American Express Gold Card
The American Express Gold card earns 1x at Amazon, so I wouldn’t suggest using this card to purchase something directly from Amazon. This card does, however, earn 4x Membership Rewards points at grocery stores. I’ve always seen plenty of Amazon gift cards at our local grocery stores, so if you’re planning to participate in Prime Big Deal Days this October, purchase a gift card at your favorite grocery retailer and load it onto your Amazon account. Using this strategy means a $100 gift card earns you 400 American Express Membership Rewards points.
Ink Business Cash
The Chase Ink Business Cash earns 1x on all purchases outside of elevated categories. It’s also a cash back card. But, if you have an Ultimate Rewards card like the Chase Sapphire Preferred, you can add the cash back from your Ink Cash to your CSP and redeem them for points and miles. Similar to the strategy for the American Express card, you can purchase an Amazon gift card at an office supply store like Office Depot or Staples for 5x Chase Ultimate Rewards points. Not sure if you can qualify for a business card? There are a lot of ways, many of which may surprise you! Send us an email if you’re wondering what qualifies, and I’m happy to answer any questions!
Chase Freedom Unlimited
As I already mentioned, this card earns 1.5x on all purchases. So if you purchase from Amazon directly, you’ll only earn 1.5 Ultimate Rewards points per dollar. The Freedom Unlimited does earn 3x at drug stores, so purchase an Amazon gift card at CVS or Walgreen’s for elevated points.
Chase Freedom
The Freedom earns 1 Ultimate Reward point per dollar except on the rotating 5x quarterly categories. Amazon was a 5x quarterly category in Q2, so using this card directly with Amazon is not the best way to maximize your points and miles earnings. The Q4 Freedom categories that earn 5x points are PayPal, Pet Shops and Vets, Select Charities, and McDonald’s. I’ve never seen Amazon gift cards at a Pet Shop, so it’s pretty obvious that PayPal is the way to get 5x this quarter. Now Amazon doesn’t accept PayPal directly, but you can purchase an Amazon gift card from a retailer that does accept PayPal like Best Buy.
Chase Freedom Flex
Like the original Freedom, the Freedom Flex earns 5x on the same quarterly categories. And you can use the Freedom Flex like you’re using the Freedom – to buy an Amazon gift card from a retailer that takes PayPal. There is a unique workaround with the Freedom Flex. The Freedom Flex earns 3x Ultimate Rewards points always at drugstores, like the Chase Freedom Unlimited. But when one of the elevated earning categories is part of the 5x category, you can earn even more points. So, if you were to buy an Amazon gift card at CVS or Walgreen’s using PayPal on your Freedom Flex, you could earn up to 7x Ultimate Rewards points. Here’s how Chase explains it: 1x on all purchases + additional 2x drugstores + 4x additional quarterly categories. Not bad, huh?
Our favorite travel items
While we don’t know for sure what Amazon will have on sale during Prime Big Deal days, we wanted to highlight some of our favorite travel items in case you’re looking for recommendations.
Trtl Travel Pillow
The only travel pillow that’s helped me sleep through the night on an overnight flight. It’s not a pillow in the traditional sense. It’s more like a neck brace, but it’s worked wonders on my flights abroad.
Kindle
I’m all about saving space when I travel, and this Kindle lets me bring countless books. I first bought my Kindle during Prime Day a few years ago, and it’s been well worth the money. I use this case to protect my Kindle, and it’s also currently on sale at over 60% off.
North Face Backpack
I’ve been using this backpack for the last few years. It fits a lot of items but is still compact enough to fit under the seat. As of writing this post, it was 20% off.
Columbia Hiking Boots
Another solid investment for the way we travel. We love to frequent national parks, and these are solid, waterproof, and haven’t shown any signs of wear even after visiting more than a dozen national parks. These are also often part of big sale days. At last check, they were 10% off. Different colors may also see further discounts, so if you’re not picky about the style, check out all the offerings for the biggest savings.
Sorel Winter Boots
I originally bought these for the Quebec City Christmas Markets as I didn’t want to wear clunky boots. These are lightweight but kept my feet warm and dry even as we trudged through sludge and rain.
Power Adapter
Last year, we visited six new countries and plan to continue to travel internationally. This travel adapter is a necessity if you travel abroad. As a bonus, it has multiple USB ports so you can charge several devices at once. With the current discount, it’s only $20.
Apple AirTags
Who doesn’t want to keep track of their luggage? Well worth it for the peace of mind. Amazon has placed these on sale the last few Prime days. If you’ve been waiting to buy, this time could offer savings.
Our top items for traveling with a baby
After spending years traveling just the two of us, our travel started to look a bit different when we welcomed a new traveler to our crew earlier this year. Here are some items that have helped us on the six trips (and counting) we’ve taken with our baby.
Joolz Aer+
After our baby grew out of our initial travel stroller, we invested in the Joolz Aer+. This stroller folds down with one hand, comes with an attached carrying strap, and can fit in the overhead bin of an airplane. No waiting for it to be brought up after your flight! Grab and go. We also like that this stroller can recline for our little one to nap on the go but sits up when he’s ready to take in the sights. Note – this stroller doesn’t have a ton of space for storage under the seat, but that’s not critical for us as we always travel with a backpack.
Guava Lotus Travel Crib
Such a well-rated item that we actually had two different families gift it to us. The Guava Lotus Travel Crib can be carried on an airplane in the carrying case (with straps) it comes with. It’s also incredibly easy to set up once you get to your destination. As of the writing of this post, it’s 18% off in Amazon.
Graco Contender Slim Convertible Car Seat
The Graco Contender Slim Convertible Car Seat can be used for children 4 pounds to 65 lbs. It is FAA compliant, so you can use it in an airplane seat for your child. It can be rear-facing or forward-facing and doesn’t require a base for installation, which means it can easily be moved from vehicle to vehicle.
BabyBjörn Baby Carrier
Another item we’ve brought on every trip so far – the Baby Bjorn Baby Carrier. Babies can be worn front-facing or facing towards the wearing parent. We always wear our baby through the airport to keep our hands free to pull out IDs going through security, carrying bags, etc. Some colors are currently listed at 25% off!
Baby Headphones
We’re big sports fans, so sometimes our travel includes bringing our baby to athletic events. To protect little ears, these Baby Headphones are a great option and currently listed at 33% off!
Yeti Cooler
This Yeti Cooler has also been something we bring on every trip. If you’re wondering about the efficacy of it, we used it on a 9+ hour flight from Chicago to Zurich, and our baby’s milk was still cold even after we got to our hotel in Zurich.
Summary
As always, don’t spend money that you don’t need to. But if you’ve been holding off on some purchases, Amazon Prime Big Deal Days can be a great time to get those necessary items at a discount. And, if you’re spending money anyways, why not earn the maximum amount of points and miles on those purchases? Earning more travel? Sign me up!
