Amazon Alexa can tell you about Prime Day deals before they go live

Hunting down the best Prime Day sales can be exhausting. Limited-availability Lightning Deals often sell out in minutes, and it can take hours to sift through hundreds of thousands of discounts across the site.

But there's a better way to find Prime Day deals on the stuff you want: enable Alexa to give Amazon deal alerts.

Who can use Alexa's advanced deal alerts?

Advanced Amazon deal alerts are available for U.S.-based Prime members on newer Echo smart speakers and include upcoming deals on eligible products from your Wish List, shopping cart, or Saved for Later queue up to 24 hours before they're available. You can also have Alexa purchase an item for you as soon as its discount goes live.

The advanced deal alerts feature is available year-round, but it'll be especially valuable during massive savings events like Prime Day and Black Friday when discount FOMO is very real.

How to turn on and use Alexa's advanced deal alerts

1. Open the Alexa mobile app. Go to More > Settings > Notifications > Amazon Shopping; from there, hit Shopping Recommendations and then Deal Recommendations.

2. Add products you're interested into your Wish List, Shopping Cart, or Saved for Later queue on the Amazon app or website.

3. When Alexa catches word of an upcoming deal on one of those products, your Echo will light up yellow. Ask, "Alexa, what are my notifications?" to learn more.

4. Once you've heard the latest deals, ask Alexa to remind you about the deal or ask her to order it when it goes live. ("Alexa, buy it for me.") The purchase will be made using the default payment and delivery address in your Amazon account, so make sure that information is updated and correct beforehand.

What if an item sells out or I change my mind?

You'll only be charged if your order goes through when the deal is available. If a product sells out before Alexa gets to it, she'll break the news in an email and a push notification. And if you change your mind about an item, Amazon will send you a post-purchase confirmation email that contains a "Cancel order request" link just in case.