10 ways to save money this Christmas with Amazon Early Access Sale

Amazon's Prime Early Access sale is a great way to get ahead on your Christmas shopping and save some money too. Here's how to make the most of it.

When is Amazon Prime Day and is the Prime Early Access sale the same thing are the questions on many people's lips at the moment, as the retailer gears up for a two day sale. It's Amazon's new deal event taking place October 11-12 exclusively for Prime members, and is perfect timing for people who are concerned about how to save money for Christmas this year.

We've taken a look at how to get the best deals in the sale so that you can save money when shopping with Amazon this season, without having to cut down on your favourite festive treats.

11 ways to save money this Christmas with Amazon Early Access Sale

1. Sign up to Amazon Prime

This one might seem obvious, but items sell fast on sale days and you don't want to miss out because you were busy signing up to Prime. Not only is this particular sale exclusive to Prime members, but the membership has long term benefits if you're a regular Amazon shopper - from free and fast delivery, member-only discounts and a host of other hidden benefits.

An annual membership will cost you £8.99 per month, or you could try it out just in time for the Early Access sale by getting a 30-day free trial from the Amazon website. If you cancel before the 30 days runs out, you won't have to pay a penny.

Or, if you're happy to commit to it, you'll also save money by paying annually for Prime. Wile paying monthly will set you back £107.88 over the course of year, an annual membership costs £95.

2. Set a reminder for the Amazon Early Access sale

Life can get busy and in October you might not have Christmas shopping at the forefront of your mind - so it's a good idea to set a reminder to make sure you don't miss out.

The Early Access sale only takes place for two days, so mark it in your calendar, set a reminder on your phone or download the Amazon app and sign up to notifications. Another benefit of this is that Amazon will send you notifications about the items on your wishlist, so you won't waste time browsing for deals on the items you need.

3. Don't forget about Lightning Deals

While there'll be offers running across the two days of the Early Access Sale, you'll need to be quick to benefit from Lightning Deals. They're time sensitive - often only available for a couple of hours or some times as little as 30 minutes - so keep checking the Today's Deals homepage to make sure you don't miss out.

Amazon lists upcoming deals - including their start time - so you can add any products you're after to a watchlist and get a notification when the deal begins. But remember, it's only a good deal if you were going to buy it in the first place - don't be tempted purely because of the exclusivity.

4. Add products to your basket that you want - and don't buy beyond that

This Morning's 'Coupon Queen' Holly Smith shared this tip ahead of the last Amazon Prime Day. She advised shoppers to add items they had their eye on to their basket in advance of the event, and check back once the Early Access sale begins to see if any discounts have been applied.

She told This Morning viewers, "My little tip for the Prime event is if there is something you want on Amazon, put it in your basket now because when you have items in your Amazon basket, it will notify you when the price drops so then you can just check out quick and easy - it saves you from searching through all the deals."

She added. "Then you're not going to impulse buy and if the price drops you can just check out straight away."

5. Create a wishlist for kids' Christmas lists

For a lot of parents, it's buying presents for the kids that can make Christmas so expensive. With the Prime Early Access sale, you can save money on top Christmas toy brands such as Lego, Barbie and Hot Wheels - but there's always the danger with a Christmas list that someone else will get the same gift.

If you use Amazon wishlists to put all your kids' Christmas lists in one place, you can share them with other family members who'll be able to view and edit the list - making sure there'll be no doubling up on gifts. All you have to do is go to the relevant list and select 'invite'.

Of course, this tip can be used for more than just toys - it's great for gifting to people of all ages, whether you're looking for gifts for her, gifts for your in-laws or gifts for new mums.

6. Choose No-Rush shipping

If you're starting your Christmas shopping in October, it's unlikely you're going to need your items to be delivered right away. And if you opt for No-Rush shipping, you'll even get some money back on your order.

Prime members can choose No-Rush Delivery checkout at no extra cost, and Amazon apply a £1 discount to your next eligible order. Your discount will be available to use once your original order has been shipped.

To qualify, you must be a Prime member and spend £10 or more on either a single qualifying item or on qualifying items that can be shipped together.

7. Look out for Daily Deals to spread the cost

As well as the Early Access sale, Amazon has Daily Deals on a wide range of its products all year round. If you keep browsing in the lead up to Christmas, you're bound to pick up some bargains - whether that's on the best perfumes for a thoughtful gift, or something as simple as Christmas crackers to save some money on the celebrations. 

It's also a good idea to keep an eye on the 'Upcoming' category on the sidebar of the deals page, which will show you any future deals you can expect and when they will go live.

8. Switch to Prime Video

This is another tip that's great for all year round: if you find yourself using Amazon Prime for little other than watching the site's movies and TV shows, you'll be able to save some money by switching to Prime Video.

You don't need an Amazon Prime subscription to access Prime Video, and in contrast to the £8.99 a month you would pay for the full Amazon Prime subscription, Prime Video on its own is just £5.99 per month.

If you want to get the best bang for your buck when indulging in the best Christmas movies this year, you might want to read our feature on how to save money on TV streaming services.

9. Keep an eye on advent calendars

If you're not prepared to get your Christmas shopping underway just yet, then looking for advent calendar deals is an alternative way you can get prepared for the festive season with Amazon's Early Access sale.

Amazon is great for shopping some alternative, non-chocolate advent calendars -  the Pukka Tea advent calendar is always popular, and there's also My Little Pony and Peppa Pig advent calendars for the kids. 

10. Check the price history

When shopping in a sale, it's always a good idea to take a look at how much the products cost before they were discounted. Camelcamelcamel is an Amazon price tracker website that can help you see how good the deal is - because sometimes items are actually cheaper at a different time of the year.

It's also sensible to check with other retailers before purchasing, to make sure you really are getting the best deal out there.

We'll be live blogging the Prime Early Access Sale, bringing you all the best deals to help you spread the cost of Christmas.

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