Amazon has officially locked in the dates for its second Prime exclusive shopping spree of the year, Prime Big Deal Days, also known as “October Prime Day”, will run from October 7 to 8.
Unlike July’s marathon four-day blowout (because apparently 48 hours wasn’t enough chaos), this one’s dialing things back to the “classic”, but still misnomered, two-day format.
These days, October Prime Day sits comfortably in the shopping event big leagues, right behind July’s extravaganza and Black Friday in both size and hype. And, true to form, it’s still members-only; if you don’t have Prime, you’re not getting in the club.
Many of the discounts won’t reappear until Black Friday, so if you’ve got your eye on something shiny, this could be your first (and possibly best) shot at snagging it.
Here’s What to Expect from Amazon’s Next Prime Exclusive Sale
October Prime Day has turned into the perfect warm-up act before Black Friday brings full-on deal-induced carnage. Amazon loves to throw out discounts in October that mysteriously vanish come November, which makes this sale more than just a filler, it’s basically a cheat day for bargain hunters.
And Amazon’s not the only one itching for your wallet. Best Buy, Walmart, and Target will almost certainly roll out their own “totally coincidental” sales the week of October 6, all designed to one-up each other and prove they, too, can sell you an air fryer for half off. In short, there’ll be no shortage of places to impulse-buy stuff you didn’t know you needed.
Amazon’s already rolling out some early bait; Pokemon cards, PS5 hits like Madden NFL 26, iPhone 17 accessories, and more. But the real fun begins once October Prime Day officially kicks off.
Sure, you’ll get the usual boring-but-practical discounts on batteries and pet food, but the real treasures are the highly anticipated (but not yet confirmed) 3-for-2 offers on 4K Blu-rays, books, and other physical media. Yes, physical media is alive and well, and Prime Day is one of the best times of the year to pad out that collection.
On the tech side, keep an eye out for AirPods Pro 2 price drops now that the AirPods Pro 3 are stealing the spotlight. And don’t sleep on refurbished and “Used – Like New” gaming gear either, last time around, the PlayStation Portal plunged to $125 and the PS5 Pro dipped to around $500. If history repeats itself, those kinds of deals could be back on the table, and well worth feasting on ASAP.
Amazon Prime Day Freebies To Look Out For
Amazon also has a habit of dangling free memberships and perks during Prime Day, so it’s worth keeping an eye out for deals on subscriptions like Audible, Kindle Unlimited, Amazon Music Unlimited, and Prime Gaming.
For September 2025, Prime Gaming members can already grab free PC games including Sid Meier’s Civilization IV: The Complete Edition, the Dungeons & Dragons: Ravenloft series, and Into the Breach. Later this month, more titles are on the way, such as Afterimage, Pixel Cafe, Residual, and FATE: The Cursed King, but we’ll let you know with any updates for October as well.
Amazon Prime for Young Adults
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Six-month trial before renewing at $7.49 per month.
But the best freebie of all? That’s reserved for younger shoppers. Amazon’s “Prime for Young Adults” deal is basically a cheat code if you’re between 18 and 24, or a student.
You get a six-month trial for $0, then a half-price subscription at just $7.49 per month or $69 per year. No stripped-down version either, this is the full Prime experience.
That means Prime Video with upcoming tentpoles like Fallout Season 2 (December 17) and Gen V Season 2 (September 17), all the usual fast shipping perks, and Prime Gaming bonuses like monthly freebies, in-game loot, and a Twitch sub for whichever streamer you’ve irrationally decided to support this month.
Do the math and that free trial alone saves you almost $90. Honestly, it’s one of the best Prime deals Amazon ever offers. And yeah, I’m bitter I aged out of it.
But also, be smart about signing up for any subscriptions: Turn off auto-renew, set a reminder if you need to, and make sure you’re not paying a penny more than required.
Shop October Prime Day or Wait for Black Friday?
Black Friday might still seem like the king of sales, but which is actually better: Prime Day or Black Friday? There’s only one way to find out, FIGHT!!! (While I hate explaining a joke, that was a Harry Hill’s TV Burp reference, for those too young or too American to understand my sense of humor).
Er, yeah so October Prime Day! Amazon, Target, Walmart, and the rest of the retail Avengers are lining up right now to swing the discount hammer before November even arrives. But here’s the big question: are these “Prime” deals actually worth it, or is Black Friday still the heavyweight champ?
Both sales events love dangling shiny big-ticket temptations, think Apple Watches, iPads, and 4K TVs, and it’s not always obvious which one cuts deeper. Tariffs bouncing back into play this August haven’t exactly helped either, making deal-hunting feel like a contact sport.
The catch with Prime Day is, well, you need Prime. That’s $14.99 a month or $139 a year (or £8.99 per month or £95 a year in the UK) unless you’re a fresh-faced newbie who can grab the 30-day free trial and scoop up all the October 7–8 bargains (or, as I mentioned, even a fresh faced under-24 y/o who can bag zero-cost six month trial as well).
Black Friday, meanwhile, simply wins out on scale. Everyone piles in, from mega-retailers to random shops desperate to clear stock, which means fierce competition and sweeter prices on big-ticket tech like gaming consoles and laptops. That’s why Black Friday still tends to edge out Prime Day in that department, even if rival sales have started muscling in on Amazon’s turf.
On the flip side, Prime Day is laser-focused on Amazon and its buddies, which makes it perfect for grabbing Amazon’s own toys. Fire TVs, Echo speakers, Kindles, and they’re typically discounted ahead of time as well. So if you’re already paying for Prime (or you’re happy to burn that free trial), you can bag some hefty savings without waiting for Black Friday chaos.
Prime Video’s 2025 Champions League Fixtures Confirmed
Only for the UK, or access via a VPN
Amazon has also nailed down its UEFA Champions League broadcast schedule for the rest of the year in the UK, just ahead of the opening round of fixtures:
- September 16 – Tottenham Hotspur vs Villarreal
- September 30 – Galatasaray vs Liverpool
- October 21 – Arsenal vs Atlético de Madrid
- November 4 – Liverpool vs Real Madrid
- November 25 – Chelsea vs Barcelona
- December 9 – Inter Milan vs Liverpool
As with previous seasons, one match will air exclusively on Prime Video every Tuesday of a Champions League gameweeks, with Prime members getting access at no extra cost.
Of course, if you’re outside the UK, this is where a VPN comes in handy. Got one? You’re sorted. Don’t? Then check out our top VPNs for streaming in 2025.
Amazon’s first live game of the League Phase will see Thomas Frank make his European debut with Europa League champions Tottenham Hotspur facing Villarreal on September 16. Liverpool follows on September 30 in their opener against Galatasaray.
And if you’re in the US, you also can catch Champions League action on Paramount+, which is currently running a limited-time deal: 50% off an annual subscription until September 18, available to both new and existing subscribers.
Robert Anderson is Senior Commerce Editor and IGN’s resident deals expert on games, collectibles, trading card games, and more. You can follow him @robertliam21 on Twitter/X or Bluesky.
