Amazon's October Big Deal Days sale is back, but don't check out yet. These cards earn rewards and offer 0% interest

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Amazon's Prime Big Deal Days sale is back for the fifth year. From October 6 through 7, Prime members can shop millions of items, from fresh fall decor to beauty products.

The rising cost of living is expected to make the 2026 Prime Big Deal Days sale even more appealing. Roughly half of prospective shoppers say economic pressures like inflation and high gas prices make them more likely to shop this sale, according to data company Numerator.

If you're hoping to snag some deals during Amazon's fall sale, CNBC Select outlines three credit cards that earn strong rewards on spending on Amazon.com.

Amazon's October 2026 Big Deal Days

• What to expect: Prime Big Deal Days 2026
• Boost your savings (or pay off your purchase) with a credit card
• Tips for shopping Amazon sales

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What to expect: Prime Big Deal Days 2026

This year's Prime Big Deal Days sale will include deals on items across over 35 categories and sales on top brands like Lego and Keurig. There will also be rotating, limited-availability deals — coined Today's Big Deals — of up to 55% or more off. These deals change three times a day (midnight, 8 a.m. and 1 p.m. PDT) and include first-time deals and trending products.

Who can shop this sale?

Similar to Amazon's flagship sale (Amazon Prime Day), Big Deal Days discounts are only available to current Prime members. But there are a few ways to get a membership that don't involve paying $139 per year.

If you're primarily interested in what Amazon has to offer during its major sales, you can simply sign up for a single month of Prime for $14.99. You'll get all the benefits (including the ability to shop exclusive sales), and if you're not satisfied, you can just opt to cancel.

If you feel like you'd get value out of a longer membership, Amazon offers two discounted memberships for those who qualify:

• Prime for Young Adults: Young adults (ages 18–24) and higher education students can get a free Prime trial for six months. After that, you're charged a discounted rate of $7.49 per month or $69 per year.
• Prime Access: Qualifying income-verified customers and recipients of government assistance will receive a 30-day free trial, followed by a discounted rate of $6.99 per month.

Boost your savings (or pay off your purchases) with a credit card

If you don't want to have a Prime membership year-round, these three credit cards are some of the best options for shopping on Amazon.

With the Blue Cash Everyday® Card from American Express, you'll earn 3% cash back on all U.S. online purchases, including on Amazon (on up to $6,000 in spending per year, then 1%). Cash back is earned in the form of Reward Dollars, which can be directly used at Amazon checkout.

If you're looking to delay any interest, the Blue Cash Everyday gives you 18 months to pay off your purchases at a low intro APR. Afterwards, a variable APR of 19.74% to 28.74% will apply.

While the Chase Freedom Unlimited® (see rates and fees) doesn't directly earn rewards on Amazon purchases, you'll earn 1.5% cash back on all purchases (including those made during the Big Deal Days sale) and 3% back on dining and drugstores.

The card also comes with an introductory APR on purchases for 15 months, so you can spread out the cost of your Amazon purchases. After the intro period, a variable APR of 18.49% to 27.99% applies.

If you'd prefer to earn a flat rate on all purchases, the Citi Double Cash® Card earns 2% cash back anywhere you shop, including on Amazon. You'll earn 1% when you buy and the other 1% when you pay.

The card technically earns Citi ThankYou® Points, which can be redeemed for anything from statement credits to transfers to Citi's travel partners.

Tips for shopping Amazon sales

You can absolutely find some great deals during Amazon's Big Deal Days, but double-check to make sure each is as good as it seems.

Amazon recently added the ability to check the price history of an item directly on its site. On each product page, you can click the "Price history" button and see 30, 90 and 365 days of price history. Sites like CamelCamelCamel have been doing this for years, and with these services, you can make sure a discount is genuine and not the result of a recent price hike.

It can also be helpful to save specific products you're interested in. That way, you can use alerts and get notifications when the items you're tracking drop in price.

doesn't offer physical coupons, but its digital ones are just as useful and easier to use. If an item has an eligible coupon, you'll see a little checkbox when you're adding it to your cart; clicking this applies the coupon. While these are often pretty small discounts (generally a few dollars), it's still saving you money with a simple click.

The biggest tip is to make sure you're shopping within your means. Don't let financing costs erase any of the savings you're getting. If buying something optional means you'll carry a balance on your card, it's probably not worth it.

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At CNBC Select, our mission is to provide our readers with high-quality service journalism and comprehensive consumer advice so they can make informed decisions with their money. Every personal finance article is based on rigorous reporting by our team of expert writers and editors with extensive knowledge of financial products. While CNBC Select earns a commission from affiliate partners on many offers and links, we create all our content without input from our commercial team or any outside third parties, and we pride ourselves on our journalistic standards and ethics.

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For rates and fees of the Blue Cash Everyday® Card from American Express, click here.

Editorial Note: Opinions, analyses, reviews or recommendations expressed in this article are those of the Select editorial staff’s alone, and have not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by any third party.