Amazon has announced that Prime Big Deal Days, often referred to as October Prime Day 2026, will take place from October 6 to 7, offering a 48-hour window for Prime members to access deals on household essentials and winter items. Early deals are already available, with the event officially starting at midnight Pacific Time on October 6 and ending at 11:59 PM PT on October 7. The article provides detailed timing information and advice for taking advantage of these sales, emphasizing that membership is required to participate.
Written by the local model on 2026-09-15,
using this article's own text rather than the other coverage of the
same event.
Amazon just confirmed that Prime Big Deal Days (unofficially dubbed October Prime Day 2026) is happening from October 6 to 7.
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Days → confirm → 7
The Prime member-exclusive sale gives shoppers 48 hours to stock up on household essentials and fall and winter staples, as well as get a head start on holiday shopping before popular items sell out.
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items → give → shopping
To help you plan for Prime Big Deal Days, I answered the most important questions below — I’ve been covering Amazon’s mega sales for seven years, so I know all the ins and outs, and I’ve been talking to experts for weeks about their expectations.
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I → help → expectations
Read on for everything you need to know and bookmark this article: I’ll share frequent updates as I learn more about October Prime Day.
Want more from NBC Selected?
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I → read → Selected
Amazon previously hosted Prime Big Deal Days around these dates, so this timing is typical for the retailer.
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timing → host → retailer
What time does October Prime Day start?
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Day → start → time
October Prime Day starts at 12 a.m. PT on October 6 — that’s 3 a.m. ET, 2 a.m. CT and 1 a.m. MT.
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that → start → October
When does October Prime Day end?
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Day → end → ?
October Prime Day ends on October 7 at 11:59 p.m. PT — that’s October 8 at 2:59 a.m. ET, 1:59 a.m. CT and 12:59 a.m. MT.
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that → end → ET
It’s shorter than Prime Day, which has been four days long since 2025 and typically happens in July (but took place in June in 2026).
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which → ’ → 2026
Do you need to be a Prime member to shop October Prime Day deals?
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you → need → deals
Yes, only Prime members can take advantage of the deals during Prime Big Deal Days.
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members → take → Days
You can sign up for a free 30-day trial Prime membership on Amazon’s website or app (learn about the three different types here).
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You → sign → types
Amazon automatically charges you for your Prime membership once the free trial ends.
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trial → charge → membership
Can you shop early October Prime Day deals?
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you → shop → deals
Yes, Prime members can shop early October Prime Day deals as the event approaches — some are even live right now, which I’m tracking here.
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I → shop → which
The best way to stay updated about early Prime Day deals is to download the Amazon app, which can notify you about sales in real-time.
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which → stay → time
Products across all shopping categories are on sale during Prime Big Deal Days, but you won’t know exactly what’s available until the event starts.
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event → know → Days
In my experience covering October Prime Day, the best deals are very similar to those you see during Prime Day in the summer: They center around Amazon-owned technology like Echo, Fire, Blink and Ring devices, small home and kitchen appliances, beauty products, household basics and groceries.
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They → cover → devices
Additionally, because Prime Big Deal Days is in the fall, it unofficially kicks off the holiday shopping season, so brands discount popular gifts like gift cards and toys, as well as Advent calendars and themed decor.
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brands → kick → cards
You’ll also be able to shop Amazon’s Lightning Deals during the event: They’re flash sales that give shoppers a short window to purchase limited quantities of specific products.
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that → shop → products
I recommend browsing through Amazon’s early October Prime Day deals to get a sense of what’s going to be discounted, and looking at bestsellers from previous years.
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what → recommend → years
In 2025, for example, NBC Selected readers saved a lot of money on the household essentials below, plus other favorites.
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readers → save → essentials
The first one was in October 2022, and ever since, the retailer has hosted it around the same time each year.
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retailer → host → time
That’s why many people refer to Prime Big Deal Days as October Prime Day.
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people → ’ → Day
Like Prime Day, Prime Big Deal Days is exclusive to Prime members and offers some of Amazon’s lowest prices of the year across all product categories.
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Days → offer → categories
But since the sale is in October rather than June or July, there’s an emphasis on early holiday shopping, so brands intentionally discount popular gifts like toys, gift cards, beauty sets and personal tech, as well as themed decor.
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brands → ’ → toys
You can get a free 30-day free trial, and after that, a standard membership costs $139 a year or $14.99 a month.
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membership → get → 139
Amazon also offers two types of discounted accounts: Prime for Young Adults, which is $7.49 a month for those 18 to 24 years old, and Prime Access, which is $3.50 for the first three months, and then $6.99 a month for those who qualify for certain government assistance programs.
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who → offer → programs
Benefits of a Prime membership include exclusive savings during Prime Day and Prime Big Deal Days, as well as free two-day, one-day and same-day delivery.
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Benefits → include → Day
Prime members also get a handful of streaming and entertainment perks, plus they can order groceries online through Whole Foods or Amazon Fresh and sign up for a free Grubhub+ membership.
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they → get → membership
Amazon has hosted two Prime Day-level events every year since 2022: Amazon Prime Day during the summer (typically July, but it was in June this year) and Prime Big Deal Days during the fall (typically in October, often referred to by shoppers as fall or October Prime Day).
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it → host → fall
The retailer is following this schedule in 2026.
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retailer → follow → 2026
I’m a reporter at NBC Selected who has covered Amazon since 2020.
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who → ’m → 2020
In addition to numerous sales stories, I wrote NBC Selected’s history of Amazon Prime Day and Prime membership guide, both of which I frequently update.
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I → write → which
I also regularly appear in related NBC News NOW and TODAY segments.
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I → appear → NOW
For this article, I researched Prime Big Deal Days 2026 and reviewed information from Amazon press releases.
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I → research → releases
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