Bookhound deals

Amazon is pumping out thousands of deals until 11.59pm on Wednesday 9 October for its second annual  'Prime Big Deal Days*' – try saying that quickly three times. We've done our usual analysis to help you separate the real deals from 'duds'. We'll be monitoring and updating the deals here throughout the promotion.

As the name suggests, it's only for Amazon Prime subscribers. If you've never had Prime before, there's a way to access the deals for free. If you already have Prime, see if you're eligible for £15 off £30 or other 'free' Amazon credit to use during Prime Big Deal Days.

Some deals are available for the whole duration of the promotion (which started at 12.01am on Tuesday 8 October), while others – known as 'Lightning Deals' – are only available for a limited time (usually between three and 12 hours), or while stock lasts. There's also 30% off selected Amazon Resale (formerly Warehouse) items*. 

Important: Don’t allow yourself to be taken in by the hype and sucked into buying something you don’t need or can’t afford. Always do your own price comparisons to ensure you're getting the best deal possible.

Are the Prime Big Deal Days offers any good?

Although there are some good deals on brands such as Shark and Ninja, we aren't too impressed so far. A lot of the deals we've seen so far look to be cheaper on previous Amazon days, particularly back in July (see our full analysis below).

However, Amazon is often the cheapest retailer to buy from, and these Prime Big Deal Days are no exception. A lot of the time when we see a 'dud' deal, it's because it was previously cheaper on Amazon, rather than Amazon being beaten by another retailer today.  We'll keep analysing the best deals you can get today and will add them in here. 

Over the next few days it's also worth watching out for other brands price matching Amazon, as has been the case with the Echo Dot example, below, as those other retailers could give you extra perks such as competitive warranties. 

We'll be keeping an eye on the deals and updating this page throughout the two days. The deals listed below will last until 11.59pm on Wednesday 9 October (or while stock lasts) unless otherwise stated, and as you'll see, it's a mixed bag of good and not-so-good deals.

We've tracked prices using the Amazon price tracker Camelcamelcamel. Where we can, we've listed the 'was' price as the price we saw the item at Amazon when checking on Monday 7 October, to give you a more accurate idea of the discount you're getting. We've also included the Recommended Retail Price (RRP), if it differs.

We've noticed numerous cases of Amazon being very cheeky, by raising the price higher than the RRP for those who aren't Prime members. When you click on the "non-deal price" it hides the RRP. The RRP of this Lenovo IdeaPad is £219.99, but Amazon has raised the price to £250.35 for those who aren't Prime members, effectively penalising you. 

Deals last checked: Wednesday at 5.30pm

Deals we've spotted that we think are decent (for example, cheapest it's been)👍

👍Shark Corded Upright Vacuum Cleaner NZ801UKTBK* - £189.99 (was £264.93 / RRP £299.99). This is the cheapest ever price at Amazon. The previous cheapest price was £199.99 in September. Next cheapest elsewhere, £241 at AO.

👍Ninja Speedi 10-in-1 air fryer ON400UKCP* - £129.99 (was £219.99 / RRP £254.99). This is the cheapest ever price at Amazon. The previous cheapest price was £139.99 in July. Next cheapest elsewhere, £249.99 at Ninja.

👍Apple Pencil (USB-C)* - £64 (was £79 / RRP £79). This is the cheapest we've seen, and it's the same price as in the July Prime Day. The previous cheapest price was £69. Next cheapest elsewhere, £79 at John Lewis, Argos, Currys etc.

👍Fitbit Versa 4* - £126.65 (was £164 / RRP £199.99). This is the cheapest ever price at Amazon. The previous cheapest price was £129 in July. Same price seen at Boots in January. Next cheapest elsewhere, £164 at John Lewis.

👍Ring intercom* – £39.99 (RRP £99.99). This is the cheapest ever price at Amazon. It is also the same price direct from Ring, as it's owned by Amazon. The next cheapest we've seen it is £44.99 at Screwfix.

👍Kärcher Window Vac WV 2 Plus N* – £44.99 (RRP £79.99). This is the cheapest ever price at Amazon. The previous cheapest price was £48.99 in June. Next cheapest elsewhere, £79.99 at Kärcher.

Deals we think are 'OK' 👌

👌 Echo Dot (5th generation)* - £22.99 (RRP £54.99) until 8.55am on Wednesday 16 October. This was £1 cheaper during last year's 'Prime Big Deal Days'. Same price at Argos and Currys.

👌Braun Series 5 51-W1600s Electric Shaver for Men* - £59.99 (was £65.99 / RRP £149.99). Was the same price in July, and marginally cheaper at £58.49 in August 2023. Next cheapest elsewhere, £89.99 at Braun.

👌Kärcher Window Vac WV 6 Plus* - £64.99 (was £84.99 / RRP £109.99). Was the same price in June. Next cheapest elsewhere, £109 at Currys.

👌Urban Decay All Nighter Makeup Setting Spray 118ml* - £16.74  (was £22.40 / RRP £28.50). Was the same price in July, and £15.60 in September 2022. Next cheapest elsewhere, £21 at Lookfantastic.

👌Shark FlexStyle Limited Edition Teal 5-in-1 Air Styler & Hair Dryer* - Update: Amazon has reduced this further to £218.49  (RRP £319.99). This is the cheapest ever price at Amazon, but was £215.99 at Shark and Currys in December 2023. Next cheapest elsewhere, £229.99 at John Lewis.

The duds – deals we don't think cut it 👎

If you are in the market for these items right now, they are mostly cheaper at Amazon than elsewhere, but we have seen them cheaper before.

👎 Barbie Dream Boat* - £33.24 (was £34.99 / RRP £79.99). This was cheaper at £22.50 in September at ASDA. Next cheapest elsewhere, £34.99 at Smyths.

👎 Ghd Original hair straightener* - £95.99 (was £111.20 / RRP £129). This was cheaper in July's Prime Day at £90.24. Next cheapest elsewhere, £111.20 at John Lewis, currently out of stock. 

👎 Blink outdoor cameras three-pack* - £85.99 (RRP £214.99). This was £11 cheaper at £74.99 during Prime Day in July. Same price at Screwfix, Argos and Currys.

👎Ring Alarm Pack* - £179 (RRP £219.99). This was cheaper in May at £159.99, and is often this price. It was even £50 cheaper in December 2021. Cheaper for £159 at B&Q.

👎Calvin Klein CKIN2U For Him Eau de Toilette, 150ml* - £18.95 (was £24 / RRP £62). This was the same price in September, cheaper at Superdrug last year, and £16.99 on Amazon in 2022. Next cheapest elsewhere, £24 at Lookfantastic.

👎Logitech G G502 HERO High Performance Wired Gaming Mouse* - £26.59 (was £34.79 / RRP £79.99). This was cheaper in August at £24.48. Next cheapest elsewhere, £27.99 at Currys.

Warning: Be careful buying from Amazon during Prime days if you're a non-Prime member. In a quick spot-check, we noticed a few non-Prime prices being over Amazon's own listed RRP, eg a £159.99 (RRP £239.99) Ninja Foodi MAX being sold for £249.99 to non-Prime members.

Amazon Resale (formerly Warehouse*) has an extra 30% off on selected pre-owned or mildly-damaged items until 11.59pm on Wednesday 9 October for Prime members. See how it works, and previous bargains we’ve spotted in our Amazon Resale guide.

How to work out if it's a good deal

1. Only buy what you need, and check current prices now. A deal is only a deal if you were going to buy it anyway. Write a list of what you need and only search those during Prime Big Deal Days to see if there's a deal. Note down today's price so you can see how much you're really getting off (if anything) – don't rely on the advertised RRP.

2. Amazon's not always cheapest, even during a promo event – so use price comparison tools. If there's a product you're looking for, use a 'shopbot' comparison tool such as Google Shopping and Price Spy to find its cheapest online price on that day. However, shopbots can leave out or favour some retailers.

3. As Amazon prices go up and down regularly, use a price tracker to see if it's actually a deal at all. Free tool CamelCamelCamel charts an item's Amazon price history.

4. Look out for price-matching from other retailers. Check AO.com*, Argos*, Currys*, John Lewis* and others who may offer free extras such as a longer guarantee on some products.

How to get access to Prime deals for FREE

Prime Big Deal Days is aimed solely at those with Amazon Prime membership (one-day delivery plus other perks), which normally costs £95 a year or £8.99 a month.

However, if you've not had an Amazon Prime account before, sign up to its free 30-day trial* and you'll be eligible for Prime Big Deal Days discounts. Just make sure you cancel before the trial is over if you don't want to continue membership, otherwise you'll be charged. Students get six months' free Prime and 50% off full membership.

Can you get up to £15 'free' Amazon credit to use during Prime Big Deal Days?

From time-to-time Amazon offers 'free' credit to use against selected orders. It usually involves having to do a specific action (such as buying through its app) or making a spend to get the 'free' credit. They're not available for everyone, but it's quick to find out if you can get them.

1. £15 off £30+ when signing into the Amazon app on an iPhone or Android phone for the first time

Amazon is offering 15,000 of its customers £15 off a £30+ spend via its app – but there's only a chance you'll be eligible if you've never signed into the Amazon app before – check this Amazon* link to see if you can get it. If eligible, you'll need to activate the offer by selecting the 'Apply promotion' button, and then make your purchase in the Amazon app on an Android phone or iPhone (excludes the app on tablets, Windows phones, or iPad) within 15 days.

The £15 credit can only be redeemed against items sold and dispatched by Amazon, excluding baby formula, alcoholic drinks, e-cigarettes and cartridges for e-cigarettes containing tobacco or nicotine, digital products, items sold on Amazon Luxury Stores, gift cards, Resale deals, or products sold by third-party sellers.

2. £3 off £10+, but you'll need to live near an Amazon pickup location and not have used one before

If that's you, visit this Amazon* link to check if you're eligible (and also check you live near a pickup location). It's best to go ASAP as it's only available until 20,000 have been claimed (or Tuesday 31 December if that's later).

If you're eligible, select 'Apply promotion' and the £3 will automatically be added to your Amazon account. Add a minimum of £10 of qualifying products to your basket, choose your pickup location, and you'll be able to use your £3 off to reduce what you pay. You'll need to do this by 11.59pm on 31 December 2024.

There's no minimum spend to use the credit but it can only be used on items sold and dispatched by Amazon, and it won't work on gift cards, Resale deals, digital products, Amazon devices and accessories, e-books, alcohol, baby and infant formula, e-cigarettes (including e-liquids, refills and accessories), delivery costs, and gift wrapping costs.

Already had a Prime trial? See if you can save on membership, including £2 a month off Prime for O2 customers and split the cost of Prime with another adult. We've more in our full 30+ Amazon buying tips guide.