How to Score the Best Amazon Prime Day Deals

There are a lot of things to love about July, like fireworks, barbecues, beach days — and, of course, Amazon Prime Day. The fourth-annual savings-fest promises great deals, if you know what to look for.

Prime Day is July 16, but some sales are already live (and more will pop up), so it pays to check the site now. Here's everything you need to know to have a successful Prime Day experience.

1. WHAT IS PRIME DAY?

   In case you've never heard of this online shopper's high holiday (honestly, where have you been?), Amazon Prime Day is a dedicated day (and a half) of sales on the site. Starting this year, Whole Foods Market is also included.

   The day kicks off on July 16 at 3 p.m. EDT and runs through July 17, giving shoppers 36 hours to save — the longest Prime Day so far. Deals (Amazon claims there will be over 1 million globally) are announced on a rolling basis, and some will only be available for a limited time within the 36 hours, so strategy is everything here. If you don't do well under pressure, don't sweat it — some deals are already live and will be running through the end of the promotion.

2. HOW TO GET THE DEALS

   All you need to access the sales is an Amazon Prime membership. Not a Prime member? You can sign up now, or start a 30-day free trial. You may also want to consider downloading the Amazon app. Since deals go live at different times, you can set up alerts to let you know when your desired items go on sale. Bonus: Amazon is currently giving members $10 when they download and sign into the app for the first time.

   If you'd rather go hands-free, you can also just yell “Alexa, what are my Prime Day deals?” in the direction of your Echo.

3. WHAT'S ON SALE

   The short answer: A lot. Amazon is keeping some things under wraps until Monday, but here's what we know so far:

   • Tech: The Echo Show is already on sale for $129.99, compared to its regular price of $229.99, but shoppers can also expect deals on other Alexa-enabled devices, like the Fire TV and tablets.
   • Amazon Brands: The retailer will be promoting its own labels, with discounts of 20 percent and more on brands like AmazonBasics, Rivet, Stone & Beam, Mama Bear, Presto! and Solimo.
   • Whole Foods: Several offers have already gone live, like a $10 credit to use on Prime Day if you spend $10 now through the 17th, 10 percent cash back instead of 5 percent when using your Amazon Prime Rewards Visa, and $10 off your first Amazon Prime Now delivery service, plus an additional $10 off a future order.
   • Amazon Music: First-time users can get four months of Amazon Music Unlimited for $0.99.
   • Twitch Prime: A free PC game will be given away every day through July 18.