Boost Prime Day Savings with These Smart Amazon Shopping Tips [CNET]

Many Amazon Prime Day deals are (as the name suggests) for Prime members only, but we won’t hold it against you if you’re hesitant to kick in a yearly $139 fee just to save money elsewhere. You can, however, try Prime for 30 days and take advantage of its features. After the period is up, you’re automatically charged for the Prime Monthly plan at $15 per month (which calculates out to $180 per year) unless you cancel.

And if you do choose to stay on Prime, be sure to use these Amazon Prime perks.

In the physical retail world, clipping printed coupons can get you discounts at local stores with only a small amount of effort. That idea has crossed into Amazon shopping with a small coupon checkbox. Just like the physical coupons, you have to take action on an Amazon item when a coupon is available. Click that box!

Want to find more products with coupons? Look for the Coupon Deals section to browse current click-it discounts.

Is anyone clamoring for more notifications? When they’re actually targeted to your interests and relate to a specific event such as Prime Day sales, they can be useful. In the Amazon app on your phone or tablet, view your account (tap the person icon) and locate Deal alerts or Deals and recommendations in the Message center or Notifications settings (the specific location varies by operating system).

When you’re looking at an item on Amazon, look below the large listed price to see if there are other variations. Prices may vary for other colors — a purple one might be on sale, but the standard black could be even cheaper. Or perhaps Amazon is looking to offload unpopular colors or patterns.

What if you don’t have Amazon Prime? Sure, Amazon prefers that you join its membership club (which has a host of perks), but it’s not necessary to take advantage of huge savings. Amazon Warehouse Deals include discounts for preowned, used and open-box products in nearly every category.

Online ordering is convenient and can be done at any time of the day, but it’s still a hands-off experience. Without seeing something in person, there’s always the risk that an item won’t fit, is larger than the photos suggested or just isn’t right for some other reason. If you think you may need to return something and you have an Amazon Echo smart device, order it using Alexa. Physical merchandise (except Amazon Pharmacy items) ordered via Alexa Voice Shopping can be returned for free regardless of reason.

Is the onslaught of Prime Day sales too stressful to wade through? For items you use regularly, sign up for Subscribe and Save, which provides a recurring discount of up to 15% and automatic shipping on a schedule you set. Say goodbye to hazy precaffeine mornings when you realize you’re out of coffee filters — new ones will arrive before the old ones are used up.

The tactical application of a credit card can save you money, earn cash back on purchases and knock off a big chunk of your Prime Day purchases. If you’re a Prime member and qualify for Amazon’s Prime Visa, you can start off with a $100 gift card upon approval. You’ll also get 5% cash back on items you order via Amazon’s website, Whole Foods and Amazon Fresh and 2% back at many other vendors.

If that sounds appealing, be sure to check out CNET’s look at all the details about the Prime Visa.