Finance

Do you really save money on Prime Day?

Published

7 months ago

July 7, 2025

One of the biggest online shopping events of the year — Prime Day — will take place July 8-11 across 26 countries. What began in 2015 as a celebration of Amazon’s anniversary has since grown into a multiday retail extravaganza that rivals Black Friday and Cyber Monday in both hype and sales volume.

But amid the excitement, an important question remains: Do you really save money on Prime Day? Here’s what you need to know before loading up your virtual cart.

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Prime Day is a global sales event created by Amazon that allows Prime members to access exclusive discounts and deals on a number of products across the site.

The first Prime Day took place a decade ago to mark Amazon’s 20th anniversary. It has since evolved to span several days throughout many countries, with this year’s Prime Day event being the longest so far at four days.

Shoppers can score limited-time deals on a wide range of products, from big-ticket electronics and home appliances to beauty products, clothing, and Amazon’s own devices like Echo speakers and Fire tablets. And millions participate each year. In 2024, global sales for Amazon Prime Day totaled $14.2 billion over a 48-hour period, according to Capital One Shopping Research.

Keep in mind that to access these deals, you must be a Prime member, which costs $14.99 per month or $139 per year. However, Amazon offers a free 30-day trial, allowing new users to shop the event without paying up front.

Read more: Amazon Prime Day 2025: We found the best deals to shop before the sale officially kicks off

You may be wondering whether Prime Day is just another overblown shopping holiday like Black Friday, when retailers offer increasingly unimpressive deals to encourage unnecessary spending.

There’s no denying that some Prime Day deals offer real value. The key is having a smart shopping strategy in place to purchase items you actually need at a steep discount — not impulsively spending to take advantage of perceived savings.

Historically, shoppers have seen discounts of 30%-70% on items such as Apple AirPods, laptops, robot vacuums, smart home devices, and branded kitchen appliances. Amazon’s own products, including Kindles, Fire TVs, and Echo Dots, usually come with the deepest discounts. In 2023, Prime Day purchase discounts totaled $2.5 billion, according to Capital One.

Retail analysts have found that many of these items are offered at their lowest prices of the year. So yes, if you’ve had your eye on a specific product and it happens to be on sale during Prime Day, you could walk away with serious savings.

Read more: 7 money-saving perks for Amazon Prime members

Keep in mind that not all the deals offered on Prime Day are really worth it. It’s important to have a plan and do your research ahead of time so you know whether you’re looking at a true discount.

One common tactic retailers use to encourage spending is “price anchoring,” where the listed original price is inflated, making the discount look more impressive than it actually is. In some cases, the so-called sale price is just a return to the item’s normal price after a brief increase in the weeks leading up to Prime Day.

Another issue is the impulse-buy nature of the event. Flash deals and lightning sales are designed to create urgency, leading many shoppers to make purchases they wouldn’t otherwise consider. If you buy something you don’t need — or wouldn’t have bought without the flashy red countdown clock — you’re not really saving money, even if the price is lower.

If you’re hoping to cash in on Amazon Prime savings, it’s important to make a game plan.

It’s easy to get distracted by discounts and make impulsive purchases while browsing. Before you start shopping, make a list of the key items you really want. Prioritize finding deals on those must-haves — and only buy them if it makes sense for your budget.

Decide how much money you can comfortably afford to spend on Prime Day ahead of time and stick to that limit. You’ll avoid throwing your budget off track and ending up with buyer’s remorse.

This year, Amazon is offering over 40 personalized deal features to help shoppers find discounts on products they’re most likely to be interested in. Look for personalized suggestions within the “Recommended deals for you,” “Top deals for you,” and “Customers’ Most-Loved” features to zero in on the deals you may be looking for.

Amazon’s Subscribe and Save feature offers year-round discounts on items you need to stock up on regularly. On Prime Day, these items may have an additional discount that could help you score extra savings.

Many major retailers such as Walmart, Target, and Best Buy will have their own sales and promotions around Prime Day when they know shoppers are in the mood to splurge. Before you check out, compare the price of items in your cart across a few different retailers to ensure you’re getting the lowest price overall.

Finance

SB Financial Group Q4 Earnings Call Highlights

Published

7 hours ago

January 30, 2026

Press Room

SB Financial Group Q4 Earnings Call Highlights

SB Financial Group (NASDAQ:SBFG) management said fourth quarter and full-year 2025 results reflected continued execution across the franchise, with CEO Mark Klein calling it “one of the strongest earnings quarters and year in our history” despite ongoing pressure on mortgage activity across the indu

Finance

MUFG Seeks Stake In Indian Finance Company

Published

19 hours ago

January 30, 2026

Press Room

MUFG Seeks Stake In Indian Finance Company

Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group (MUFG), Japan’s largest bank by assets and market cap, is close to buying a 20% minority stake in India’s Shriram Finance Limited (SFL), for an investment of $4.4 billion.

SFL is one of the largest non-banking financial companies (NBFC), with assets under management totalling approximately $31 billion.

The negotiations are ongoing, and the agreement is not yet confirmed. The price and stake size could change, the agreement may be delayed, or even fall apart in the coming days.

Shriram’s shares rose nearly 50% this year on India’s National Stock Exchange and the Bombay Stock Exchange, giving a market value of around $18 billion, marking its fifth straight year of positive returns.

The reasons for the rally were: SFL’s strong fundamentals; the Reserve Bank of India’s easing for NBFCs; India’s rising Gross Domestic Product, which is increasing demand for SFL’s core lending segments; SFL’s final 150% dividend payout; and the proposed agreement with MUFG.

MUFG is not the first bank to propose a stake in an Indian bank. Sumitomo Mitsui Financial Group (SMFG), Japan’s second-largest bank, acquired a 20% stake in Yes Bank for $1.6 billion in May 2025, via secondary purchases from the State Bank of India and other banks. SMFG later became the single largest shareholder, acquiring a 24.2% stake in Yes Bank. It has already deployed almost $5 billion and is seeking to expand lending operations and increase employee strength.

Yet another Japanese financial group, Mizuho Securities, a unit of Mizuho Financial Group, is set to acquire a majority stake in Indian investment bank Avendus from KKR for up to $523 million in December 2025. This move will make Avendus a consolidated subsidiary of the Japanese financial group.

Some of the factors that attracted Japanese investors were India’s economic growth projected to grow at 6.5% in 2026, outpacing Japan’s stagnant domestic market, a 1.4 billion consumer base, low banking penetration, Reserve Bank of India’s robust regulatory reforms, eased foreign investment norms, and strong Japan-India collaboration in infrastructure projects like the Mumbai-Ahmedabad bullet train.

Since announcing its deal with Shriram, MUFG has reportedly seen increased interest from automakers looking to boost sales through preferential financing. Should the acquisition close, MUFG plans to have staff in Tokyo and Singapore to develop and execute these deals.

Finance

The big retirement question Aussies are asking right now: ‘We see a jump’

Published

1 day ago

January 29, 2026

Press Room

The big retirement question Aussies are asking right now: ‘We see a jump’

HESTA CEO Debby Blakey says there’s no better time than right now to look at your super. (Source: HESTA/Getty)

January is nearly behind us and most Australians are now back into the work grind, with kids returning to school to embark on another year. With things settling back to normal, it’s prompted one big retirement question to come to the minds of many workers.

Google Trends data shows searches for ‘how much do you need to retire’ surge as the school year begins. It’s one of four major spikes, along with around the Easter holidays, end of the financial year and the September school holidays.

Super fund HESTA has reported a surge in Australians using its retirement planning tool at the start of the school year, with activity increasing by more than 40 per cent in late January and early February in 2025.

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“We regularly see a jump in planning activity around this time of year after many members have enjoyed quality time with family and friends over the festive season – be it BBQs by the beach or relaxing by the pool,” HESTA CEO Debby Blakey said.

“As Australians look ahead to the rest of the year, many ask one simple question: when can I retire?”

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There’s obviously no one-size-fits-all answer to this question.

While there’s no set retirement age in Australia, to be eligible for the Age Pension, you’ll need to be at least 67.

In terms of how much money you need, the Association of Superannuation Funds of Australia’s standard estimates a single would need $595,000 and a couple $690,000 in their superannuation to retire comfortably at the age of 67. This assumes you receive a part age pension and own your home outright.

If you’re one of the many Aussies dreaming about retirement, Blakey said now was the time to take action.

“The reality is there is no better time than right now to take action on your super and it’s never too late to make a difference to your financial future,” she said.

“There are many small actions people can take to support their journey to a dignified retirement.”

To start with, Blakey said it was important to understand how much super you had, how much your employer was contributing, where your super is invested and how much it’s grown over the long-term.

The super fund’s research found a third of people were only checking their balance once a year or less, while 43 per cent were more likely to check it in times of market turbulence.