Amazon Prime Day 2022: What to know about two-day shopping event

Brett Molina, USA TODAY

Mon, Jul 11, 2022, 2:53 PM·3 min read

Ready for a taste of Black Friday shopping in July?

This week Amazon kicks off Prime Day, a two-day shopping event for Prime members featuring deals from top national brands and Amazon itself.

"This year, we’re making it simple for members to find the best deals, from personalized deal recommendations to Alexa reminders," said Jamil Ghani, vice president of Amazon Prime, in a statement last month announcing details for this year's Prime Day event.

The tech giant has been offering some deals since June 21 ahead of the event.

Hoping to score some deals on Amazon next week? Here's what you need to know about Prime Day, and if you're looking for which deals to watch for, keep reading.

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In this July 17, 2018, file photo UPS employee Liz Perez unloads packages for delivery in Miami.

What day is Prime Day?

The event starts on July 12 and runs through July 13. It's available in the U.S. as well as Austria, Australia, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, China, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Luxembourg, Mexico, the Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Singapore, Spain, Sweden and the U.K.

What is Prime Day?

Prime Day started in 2015, just before Amazon's 20th birthday, as a way for Amazon to offer Black Friday-style deals just for its Prime subscribers, according to the company.

The first Prime Day was a 24-hour sales event on July 15, 2015. More than 34 million items were ordered, an average of 398 items every second.

Prime Day didn't become a two-day affair until 2019. Other retailers have since jumped in with their own sales events similar to Prime Day, such as Target's Deal Days.

Is everything discounted on Prime Day?

Not everything, but a lot of items, will be available at lower prices.

As with previous years, most items from Amazon such as tablets, e-readers, Fire TV streaming devices and Echo speakers will receive discounts.

Not sure where to start? Our colleagues at Reviewed have the latest updates on Prime Day deals.

How much does Amazon Prime 2022 cost?

To participate, you have to subscribe to Amazon Prime. Members pay $14.99 a month or $139 for the full year. Students can get Prime for $7.49 a month or $69 a year.

Amazon Prime Day 2022: Shop the 40 best Amazon deals right now

Amazon Prime benefits

The big draw is free shipping on orders. Depending on where you live, you can get free same-day shipping, as well as free two-day shipping on select items.

There's also the option to pick no-rush shipping and earn rewards.

The subscription also includes free access to Prime Video, Amazon's streaming video service, and Amazon Music Prime. Members also get special discounts from Whole Foods Market.

Earlier this week, Amazon announced it would add a free year of Grubhub+, which provides free delivery on food orders above $12.