Key takeaways
- Lightning Deals are limited-time promotions that pop up on products across the Amazon store.
- They can be especially enticing during the holiday season or events like Prime Day.
- The limited-time discounts last as little as a few hours; when they sell out, the deal is done.
If you’re an Amazon shopper and have never taken advantage of a Lightning Deal, you’re missing out on one of the site’s best and coolest ways to save money.
Lightning Deals are limited-time promotions that pop up on products across Amazon stores on everything from fashion to bedding to tech, and the savings can be substantial. While they run year-round, Lightning Deals can be especially enticing during the holiday season, or events like Prime Day. (A reminder, Prime saves members money every day with exclusive deals, free delivery, prescription savings, and quality entertainment. Learn more about the benefits that make your Prime membership worth it.)
What are Amazon Lightning Deals?
Lightning Deals are limited-time discounts that can last for as little as a few hours. Likewise, the quantity for any given deal is always limited; when they sell out, the deal is done, even if there is still time left on the clock. And because the discounts are often quite deep, you’re limited to buying just one. Lightning Deals are time-sensitive, so you'll need to complete your order as soon as possible. On Prime Day, all Lightning Deals are exclusive to Prime Members.
How to find Lightning Deals
From a browser on a desktop computer, the easiest way to see what Lightning Deals are currently active is to head to the Today’s Deals page. There you'll find a horizontal list of shortcuts to different product categories and types of deals. Using the arrows, scroll left or right until you see Lightning deals.
If you’re using the Amazon mobile app, tap the three-line menu at the bottom of the screen and choose the Deals & Savings button. Then tap Prime Day Saving and from there, you'll see the same category and deal type options running horizontally across the screen. You can swipe to the left or right until you see Lightning deals. Once you do, click on it. You can also click the word Filters, and under Browse by you'll find Lightning Deals. Once you select it, you'll then want to click Show Results. Note: You may have to click See more for Lightning Deals to appear.
This is Lightning Deal central. You can see all the current deals along with a banner showing you the discount. It may also show you how much time is left to shop the deal. If inventory on a particular deal is running low, you may even see a fuel gauge telling you what percent has been claimed.
For more details, click a product you’re interested in. You should see the percent claimed in the Lightning Deal box, along with the deal price and discount.
If other customers hold all the promotional discounts for a particular Lightning Deal, you'll see a Join waitlist button and the status bar shows that 100% of the promotional discounts are held in other customer carts or have been used to purchase the deal.
Lightning Deals and Prime membership
Not an Amazon Prime member? While you can take advantage of Lightning Deals regardless of your membership status throughout most of the year, Prime members get a cool bonus: They can see upcoming Lightning Deals before they start, which can help them prepare and snag a great deal before it sells out. During events like Prime Day, you have to be a Prime member to claim Lightning Deals (or take advantage of any other deal).
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