4 simple ways to save on your October Amazon Prime Day purchases

Amazon’s Prime Early Access Sale, also referred to as the ‘October Prime Day,’ is happening this week on Oct. 11th and 12th.

The 48-hour event will have thousands of products discounted exclusively for Amazon Prime members, giving consumers the chance to get a head start on their upcoming holiday shopping. But how can you save even more on your purchases?

Select details a few simple ways to ensure you’re getting the lowest price possible on your purchases.

There are a number of credit cards that can help you earn bonus rewards on Amazon purchases. Some cards also offer other perks like extended warranties and 0% intro APR periods. Just ensure that your purchases are also aligned with your budget as any rewards you earn from any credit card will be negated if you need to pay late fees or high interest rate charges.

If you plan on taking advantage of this week’s sale, consider applying for one of these top credit cards for shopping on Amazon:

Several credit card rewards programs offer the ability to redeem your rewards for Amazon purchases. So if you’ve been earning credit card rewards, consider looking into your rewards program to see if you can redeem them for your upcoming Amazon order. For example, several American Express cards like the Platinum Card® from American Express earn Membership Rewards® Points which can be redeemed directly with the online retailer. Terms apply.

Note that redeeming credit card rewards for Amazon purchases typically isn’t the best value. For example, Membership Rewards points are worth around $0.007 when you redeem them on Amazon.com, but can be worth a cent or more when redeemed for travel or gift cards.

However, there are frequent promotions where you can score discounts for redeeming points. Targeted American Express cardholders can currently save up to 50% on Amazon (up to $60) by redeeming at least one Membership Reward point.

If you wish to buy a product from another retailer — for example, if you don’t have a Prime membership — you can use this Amazon sale to your advantage.

Several big-box retailers such as Bed Bath & Beyond, Office Depot, Joann’s, BuyBuyBaby.com, JCPenney’s, Staples and more will honor prices available on Amazon.

However, each store has its own terms as to what they will and will not honor, so it’s advised to call ahead or check online to verify how each retailer’s policy works. For example, Target will not match Amazon’s lightning deals.

This week’s Prime event is only for Prime members. However, you don’t need to be left out if you don’t currently pay for an Amazon Prime membership.

You can get Amazon Prime for free for 30 days by signing up here. Alternatively, thanks to Amazon Household, you can share the Prime membership access that your friend or family member already pays for to get access to the sale.

And this may be worth considering since the price of Amazon Prime membership went up earlier this year.

Amazon Prime continues to deliver solid value to members and gives even more savings to members with its Amazon Prime Early Access Sale offering.

However, before sales tempt you to spend more money, be sure that you’re making efficient purchases that don’t exceed your spending capabilities.

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Information about the Amazon Prime Rewards Visa Signature Card has been collected independently by Select and has not been reviewed or provided by the issuer prior to publication; if you purchase something through Select links, we may earn a commission.