Prime Day 2020: The dates, the deals and the smart ways to shop

Save the dates: Amazon Prime Day 2020 starts Tuesday, Oct. 13 and runs through Wednesday, Oct. 14. We’re here to help you cut through all the noise, to find the best deals in all the categories and get the most for your money.

First things first: Some Prime Day deals are already available, like a pair of Echo Dot smart speakers for $40 and the Fire TV Recast for $130 (a $100 savings). More will come in the two weeks leading up to the event, so you may not have to wait if there’s an Amazon-branded item on your wish list.

Speaking of which, Prime Day tends to favor Amazon products — the Echos, Eeros, Blinks, Kindles, Fire TVs and so on — so watch for maximum savings there. Many of those items go on sale every few weeks, but rarely all at the same time, and not always with the same rock-bottom prices.

Meanwhile, look for some of the year’s best deals (so far — Black Friday’s a-coming) on things like computers, Instant Pots, iPads, TVs, smart home gear and game consoles — though this is iffy given the insane demand for red-hot new Xbox and PlayStation game consoles launching in early November.

Here’s everything else you need to know about Prime Day 2020.

What are the best Prime Day tips and tricks?

Knowledge is power. The more you know going in the better you’ll do. For example, are you aware of the cash-back options available when shopping at Amazon? Do you know how to check a product’s price history to see if that Prime Day price is really the best price?

Start with these two stories to learn the best Prime Day tips: 

• 6 ways to win Prime Day
• How to make sure that Prime Day deal is really a deal

While you’re at it, sign up for texts directly from me for more inside scoop:

I can’t wait for Prime Day. Where can I find good deals now?

Yes, it’s still two whole weeks away! But there are still plenty of sales and deals in the meantime.

• See the  for new discounts from major retailers every week.
• Read my own Cheapskate feed, where I identify great deals every weekday.
• , where we share a variety of deals from our retail partners and the web at large. 
• Check out
  See Amazon Daily Deals