Want more deals? Visit CNN Underscored’s Guide to Prime Big Deal Days for wall-to-wall coverage of the best early discounts to be found ahead of Amazon’s annual fall sale.
There is just over a week to go until the biggest savings event of the fall is live at Amazon. Its upcoming October Prime Day sale, known as Prime Big Deal Days, will be offering deep discounts across just about everything it sells. But the key to scoring some of the best Amazon deals around is to take advantage of the early markdowns that you’ll find up for grabs right now. I’ve combed through thousands of offers to find 49 deals that are already delivering some of the best prices of the year on gear that CNN Underscored editors swear by.
This version of the best MacBook our editors have tested adds extra storage into the mix to help ensure it’s built to last for years to come. I can still recommend it despite the recent price hikes for anyone in need of a portable and powerful laptop, especially considering this model comes with an elevated 1TB of solid-state storage, providing ample room for photos, documents, videos and other important files at $150 off.
Need a USB-C charger to go alongside a new iPhone or just want to finally improve the slow charging times on your current smartphone? This UGreen USB-C charger is an affordable solution. Don’t be fooled by its compact size that fits in the palm of your hand, though. It can still dish out 45 watts of power to a smartphone, tablet and other gadgets for the second-best price I’ve seen at $7 off.
The best price to date has just landed on Apple’s new-and-improved Bluetooth tracker. It’s perfect for adding some extra peace of mind to an end-of-summer trip or just keeping tabs on your purse, your keys and even your parked car. Today’s offer saves you $5, and this is only the second time it has sold for this low.
Save nearly 50% on this versatile smart plug ahead of Amazon’s fall Prime Day event. Whether you’re looking to add some voice controls or automation to a lamp to help combat the earlier sunset or are already thinking about how you can elevate the Christmas decorations this winter, this smart plug lets you control anything with a typical AC wall outlet from your smartphone. This is the best discount of the year and the first time since June it’s enjoyed this kind of price cut.
If you hike, ski, rock climb, swim or enjoy any other intense outdoor workout, the most capable smartwatch in Apple’s lineup is for you. Normally, you’d have to pay a premium for the Apple Watch Ultra 3’s added features and more durable design, but this week, you can save $199 with the second-best discount to date on the elevated wearable that comes with one of Apple’s Black Titanium Milanese Loop bands. This watch is great for those who need a battery that can last for days on a single charge, added cellular connectivity in remote areas and rugged titanium housing that can withstand rougher treatment than the standard Apple Watch.
Are you tired of dealing with slow internet speeds? Let this discount be your sign to finally upgrade your Wi-Fi router. Our pick for the best system to splurge on is now on sale at Amazon, with three different packages to choose from based on how large your home is. Each one is at least 25% off, thanks to the year’s best prices.
This retractable USB-C charger is the perfect solution to ensuring you always have a way to recharge your smartphone, earbuds and other gadgets while away from home. The 3.3-foot cable zips up into a compact little disk with the click of a single button and is small enough to clip on your keys with the included carrying hook. This deal is the best discount ever at 50% off the usual rate and lands at an extra $4 under the previous markdown I spotted.
As much as I love the AirPods Pro 3, I still reach for this pair of Technics earbuds when I want to fully enjoy the music I’m listening to. They sound far more accurate than Apple’s buds, with clearer vocals, a wider soundstage and less distortion. If you appreciate audio quality over quick-pairing features or hands-free access to Siri, I can’t recommend this pair enough now that they’re at least $50 off.
I rely on this unique 2-in-1 wall charger every time I cook dinner. It has a 30W USB-C port on the side for keeping my HomePod speaker powered to give a soundtrack to my cooking, while an onboard magnetic wireless charger holds my iPhone in place so I can follow recipes while keeping the phone out of the way as I prepare meals.
One of my favorite portable Bluetooth speakers has dropped by as much as 40% at Amazon this week. The compact Wonderboom 4 can dish out far louder and better-sounding playback of your favorite music or podcasts than you’d expect from its handheld design, and now its price tag matches its miniature build. Throw in water resistance and it’s ready to serenade you just about anywhere.
This recent MagSafe power bank has earned a spot in my purse with two ways to recharge my gear. I love that it has a 15W Qi2 magnetic wireless charging pad for pairing with my iPhone, while the added USB-C cable means that I always have a way to refuel earbuds or any other device via a USB-C port. Today’s offer takes at least $25 off with its best discount to date that’s $5 less than the previous markdown I tracked.
Early October Prime Day home and kitchen deals
This pack of five glass food storage containers is matching its lowest price to date in the Halogen Blue color. Each one is made of the same tempered glass construction that impressed our editors enough for us to name Ello’s other meal-prep containers the best we’ve tested, as well as leakproof lids that have earned these a permanent spot in our editors’ kitchens.
CNN Underscored’s pick for the best air fryer has skipped out on quite a few of the major savings events in 2026. Prime members weren’t able to save back in June during the summer Prime Day festivities, a trend that carried over to the 4th of July and Labor Day. But now, ahead of Prime Big Deal Days, the Ninja Crispi has received a rare discount. We can only recommend its unique cooking basket that doubles as a glass food storage container even more with this markdown attached.
In the market for a carbon steel frying pan? One of the best options that our editors have tested is on sale this week to make its budget-friendly status even more affordable. Our team found that this reliable pan delivered great results and even searing without breaking the bank. The only downside is that it’s only rated for oven temperatures of up to 660 degrees Fahrenheit. But that hardly ruins today’s $15 discount to the best price of the year.
Despite having a dishwasher in my kitchen, I still prefer to hand-wash some of my dinnerware. I rely on a very similar dish-drying rack to help streamline the chore, and particularly love that, like this KitchenAid model, it comes with an angled drainage system that routes all water back into the sink. Today’s markdown helps you enjoy the same feature for less, thanks to this $28 discount.
Take $50 off this larger 5.5-quart air fryer while it’s down to the best price of the year. This rare discount is one of the first price cuts in all of 2026 and is an upgraded version of our previous pick for the best air fryer. It may not be as versatile as the Ninja Crispi, but it will get the job done when it comes to making appetizers and side dishes for far less.
With each food storage container down to under $6, this bundle is one of the best values I’ve tracked all year for storing prepared food in your refrigerator. Each of the five containers comes with an airtight lid and is made from a BPA-free plastic that’s lighter and less prone to breaking than glass. This 34% discount is a couple bucks and change below the previous markdown, landing the set at one of its lowest prices of the year.
Fall is the perfect time to add one of Le Creuset‘s coveted Dutch ovens to your kitchen arsenal, especially with this week’s discount attached. It’s perfect for soups, stews, roasts, bread and all kinds of other autumnal dishes, and this larger 5.5-quart model comes in several seasonal styles with as much as $166 in savings attached.
The year’s busiest baking season is around the corner, and KitchenAid’s stand mixer is ready to help with a $120 discount across nearly every color that Amazon sells. This 5-quart model is the best stand mixer we’ve tested and is ready to take some of the elbow grease out of kneading dough once it’s time to start baking treats this holiday season.
Our editors’ pick for the best electric kettle, the Cuisinart PerfecTemp, features six preset temperature settings, an automatic 30-minute keep-warm feature and a durable design that is built to last in your kitchen. It’s also $40 less than you’d normally pay to help streamline your morning tea or pour-over coffee routine for less.
This new addition to the Philips electric toothbrush lineup just released earlier this year and is already on sale. It received an early October Prime Day deal last week at $30 off but has fallen further now that the upcoming shopping event is only a week away. It’s an extra $25 under that previous sale and allows you to save a total of 41% on its increased bristle movements that are designed to better tackle gumlines. The Sonicare 5960 also includes a BrushPacer timer that reminds you to move to a different part of your mouth every 20 seconds.
If you’re looking to buy a new toothbrush this week, the discounts also carry over to whitening toothpaste that helps brighten your smile. Whether you’re trying it for the first time or were just waiting for the right chance to restock with a discount attached, this markdown is another chance to score the year’s best price on the three-pack that uses hydrogen peroxide to assist with the cause.
Save $10 on this pack of 14 Crest teeth-whitening-strip treatments that will help you achieve a brighter smile in just a week. I’ve been keeping my eyes on this kit for most of the year and haven’t seen it sell for below $30 in all of 2026, with today’s offer beating the June Prime Day deal by an extra $2. It’s the second-best price of the year and the lowest since back in May.
This affordable water flosser dispels the idea that making the switch from traditional floss will cost you a fortune. Even at its MSRP, it’s still a budget-friendly way to achieve better oral hygiene, but now, with a $15 discount attached, you can score the best price in seven months with an extra 10% in savings compared with the markdown from June Prime Day.
Early October Prime Day beauty and hygiene deals
In testing, CNN Underscored’s beauty experts found this French option to be the best moisturizer for dry skin. It has a soothing formula that’s safe for even the most sensitive skin, and now you can score a rare discount that’s the first in months.
Clipping the on-page coupon at Amazon allows you to score a rare $15 discount on this expert-recommended night cream. It comes in three levels of retinol to accommodate different needs, and it has humectants for hydration, emollients to boost the skin barrier and anti-aging peptides. The first retinol level is on sale, and it’s a great place to start for those who want to give age-defying beauty products a try. Today’s discount is $5 under the previous markdown I spotted at the beginning of the month.
This no-frills electric shaver will now get the job done for less with this rare Amazon discount. Our team found that it delivers a surprisingly effective shaving experience at an affordable price, the latter of which is now accentuated by an $8 markdown.
I’ve seen this two-pack of 50 total makeup remover wipes sell for less in the past but only by an extra dollar or two. You could wait for that low price to return sometime this holiday shopping season or stop rationing the wipes you already have at home by replenishing now at 29% off.
When consulting with dermatologists, our editors were recommended this RoC serum, thanks to its 3-O-ethyl ascorbic acid that is ideal for those with more sensitive skin. It targets dark spots while also tightening and improving your skin texture in the process. This week’s Amazon discount takes $8 off with the first chance to save in months.
Don’t spend a fortune on other hair care tools from competitors like Dyson when this Shark FlexStyle is at least $120 off. Our team has found that it does just as good of a job replacing a ton of hair tools in your morning arsenal, with different attachments that can blow-dry, curl and volumize hair.
This skin care bundle comes with a 1.7-ounce jar of CeraVe’s Skin-Renewing Night Cream as well as 1 ounce container of its retinol serum to help mask the effects of aging.
CNN Underscored’s pick for the best canister vacuum is now down to its best price of the year. Today’s offer allows you to make the switch to one of the most dependable ways to keep your floors clean with $130 in savings. This deal is matching the Prime Day price from back in June to help anyone who already prefers “canister clean” over “stick vacuum clean” hard floors, low-pile carpets, rugs and even upholstery.
I have been using this recent Dyson vacuum cleaner for the past eight months and don’t see myself going back to a more typical stick vacuum. The PencilVac and its lightweight design makes cleaning my floors far easier than before, and now with a $120 discount attached, you can find out why its broom-like design is so useful for less. The best part is its unique Fluffycones cleaning head that carefully sucks up debris without causing a tangled web and prevents shoelaces and cables from getting stuck.
To go alongside the discounted PencilVac, Dyson also brought the broom-like design over to a wet floor cleaner with its new PencilWash. While this model isn’t matching its lowest price ever, it has returned to its second-best discount to date at $100 off. It weighs under a pound and touts a 64,000-filament microfiber roller to give different surface types a precise scrub.
Over the past few years, robotic vacuums have gotten surprisingly good at completely taking over the chores of routinely sweeping and washing your floor. Even the affordable ones, like this iRobot Roomba, do a solid job at taking one more task off your to-do list. Today’s discount slashes $270 from the going rate of this combo cleaner, bringing it to a new low price ahead of Prime Big Deal Days.
This miniature version of the renowned Bissell Little Green is now down to its second-best price of the year. There have been a handful of markdowns throughout 2026, but only one has managed to beat today’s deal and that was all the way back in April. Odds are Amazon (and other retailers) won’t sell it for less come Prime Big Deal Days, so this $20 discount is your ticket to the best discount of the season.
O-Cedar makes the best mop we’ve tested, and this higher-end version includes many of the features that impressed our editors in the first place. We particularly appreciated its lightweight and easy-to-handle design and its effective scrubbing power on all kinds of floors, and this H2prO version improves the experience with a dual-tank system that keeps clean and dirty water fully separate so you’re always mopping with fresh water. Today’s offer is the best I’ve tracked and only the second time it has sold for $10 off.
Save 40% on this combination robotic vacuum and mop to spend less time worrying about having spotless floors. This Eufy robo vac will do the chores for you, with powerful vacuuming and mopping capabilities that make the E25 one of the best high-end robot vacuums on the market. This is the first price cut in months and the second-best discount ever on the floor cleaner that has garnered an average 4.4-star rating from over 54,000 Amazon shoppers.
This affordable stick vacuum isn’t going to be the most dependable floor cleaner that money can buy, but it’ll cost you far less of it than the best models our editors have tested. Today’s 50% discount matches the best offer I’ve tracked this year and comes within $2 of the lowest price ever. That makes its lightweight design, powerful motor optimized for sucking up pet hair and convertible handheld design an even better value for those on a budget.
Arm your upcoming camping trip or tailgate with this affordable folding chair now that it’s down to the best price of the year. We already recommend it at full price as the best camping chair our outdoors editor, Kai Burkhardt, has tested, with a comfortable design that’s light enough to bring anywhere. Now it’s an even better value, whether you plan to actually take it to the campsite or just need an extra place to sit as you get ready for football games this fall.
This price is one of the best values around for those hoping to ditch the old-school rake in favor of an electric leaf blower that won’t hurt their backs after an afternoon of cleaning up leaves. The $101 discount scores you the cordless leaf blower alongside a battery and charger at the lowest price of the year. It’s also on the lighter side at just over 5 pounds.
As great as the affordable Greenworks leaf blower is for those on a budget, this higher-end Ego Power+ model has some added tricks worth considering. It’s on sale for only the second time since first launching over the summer and helps you tackle one of autumn’s most annoying chores with vacuuming and mulching functionality on top of the usual blowing features. That means you can turn 10 giant bags of foliage into a single bag just by sucking up leaves as you walk around your yard.
As summer comes to a close and winter weather begins to loom, time is running out to finish those home-improvement projects. If there are still a few things you need to fix around the house, this cordless drill driver set from DeWalt, which includes a battery and charger, will certainly help the cause. While I have seen it sell for a few dollars less in the past, today’s 41% discount is still worthy of any weekend warriors tool kit.
Trim back tree branches that might become a problem once winter arrives with this electric chainsaw at its best price of the year. The $130 discount includes the cordless electric tool, as well as a battery and charger.
It might seem too early to cash in on a discounted snow blower, but odds are you won’t be able to save once snow actually starts falling this winter. Prepare your home ahead of time by saving on this model from the maker of the best snow blower that CNN Underscored’s testing experts tried for themselves. It’s $100 off with the first discount in months.
This tried-and-true camping stove from Coleman may not offer the traditional sear of a grill, but it still helps outfit your campsite, tailgate or patio with a way to cook in the great outdoors. Today’s markdown is an extra $6 below the previous offer and saves you a total of $46.
After months of testing solar generators, our editor named Bluetti the winner, thanks to its impressive performance and build quality. Both of those are true for the brand’s Elite 100 V2 power station, which comes with many of the same perks as the higher-end Elite 200 model that impressed our editors, just with lower battery capacity and a cheaper price tag to match.
This camping table is on sale for only the second time in 2026 at $20 off. While it did drop down to $62 for a single day back in June, today’s markdown is the only other chance to save so far this year. Its lightweight aluminum frame can be folded up to throw in the back of your car on the way to tailgates or campsites for those who need an extra cooking surface.
This year, Amazon’s Prime Big Deal Days event (also known as October Prime Day) starts on Tuesday, Oct. 6, and will continue through the end of Oct. 7. On the East Coast, the deals begin at 3 a.m. ET, while West Coasters can start shopping at midnight PT. The previous sale of this caliber from the retailer, Prime Day, was a four-day event, but Amazon is shifting over to a 48-hour event for this upcoming sale. One of the biggest changes for this year’s event is that Amazon will be rolling out new deals throughout each day of the event instead of just dropping everything all at the beginning. On both Oct. 6 and Oct. 7, new discounts will drop three times per day.
While previous October Prime Day events have run for four days, this year’s will only last two. That means you’ll have 48 hours to score many of the year’s best price cuts across everything from the latest tech and kitchen essentials to end-of-summer scores on grills and patio furniture. It’ll also be one of the first chances of the year to find deeper discounts on seasonal buys like cold weather apparel and Advent calendars.
Yes. Amazon’s Prime Day events have historically focused on offering discounts for those with Prime memberships. While there will certainly be some deals that are available to everyone, the week’s best markdowns surely will be.
Prime Big Deal Days may be an Amazon event, but that doesn’t mean it will be the only retailer to get in on the savings. In recent years, Best Buy, Target and Walmart have all launched events of their own to give sales such as October Prime Day a run for their money. I’m expecting much of the same during the upcoming 2026 sale, as competing retailers look to undercut Amazon’s offers.
It entirely depends on what you’re shopping for! There’s sure to be plenty of overlap between retailers, but odds are, the online storefronts will all fight to offer the best price cuts. Amazon will be setting the pace, given that this is its event in the first place, but expect to see the other major stores dishing out deep discounts of their own. Luckily, you can leave it to us at CNN Underscored to scour the internet and report back so you’re not left checking everything yourself.
The rest of the deals team and I are constantly researching all the season’s best deals. That carries over to events like this upcoming sale so you can cut right to the chase and save. Each team member, including CNN Underscored deals editor Jacqueline Saguin and associate deals editor Elena Matarazzo, is dialed into specific beats to help surface the best of the best deals.
First things first: Make sure you have an Amazon Prime membership. You can sign up for a 30-day free trial, after which your membership will cost $15 per month or $139 per year. In addition to fast, free two-day shipping, you’ll have access to Prime Video, ad-free music streaming, unlimited photo storage and unlimited Prime Reading. Many of Prime Day’s best deals, including Lightning Deals, are only available to Prime members.
Once your membership is squared away, you should take some time to ensure your payment methods, including 1-Click settings and default delivery, are up to date so that you can snag your desired deals in a timely fashion.
CNN Underscored’s deals editors scour the internet daily for the best available sales and discounts, then put them on your radar in real time. They utilize a range of techniques and consider a variety of factors — price history checks, available coupon codes, competitor pricing — to determine if a deal is worthy of coverage (and your money).
For this article, CNN Underscored senior deals editor Rikka Altland researched early deals worth shopping ahead of October Prime Day and broke down all the information you need to be a smart shopper come Prime Big Deal Days. Altland has been doing just that for over a decade, and that kind of experience extends to the rest of our deals team. Being an advocate for buyers to make sure we’re only recommending the best prices on the best products is what we’re all about, and that focus comes across in our work.
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