With Amazon holding another Prime Day on October 10-11, a new contender for holiday shopping has arrived. For people who love getting their gift shopping done extra early, this is a dream come true. Rather than having to wait till the end of November for good deals, you could get some in early October.

But then the question comes, which is going to have better deals? Should I do all my buying in October or wait ‘till November and Black Friday? 
 

Differences Between Prime Day and Black Friday
 

The biggest difference between these two occasions of savings is that Prime Day is only for Amazon customers with a Prime membership (though anyone can sign up for a trial membership). Black Friday is open to everyone, no expensive membership needed.

Another difference is that Prime Day is only recognized by Amazon. No other business participates in it. Black Friday is a nationwide event, with most retailers and online stores, including Amazon, having sales.
 

Buy Tech on Prime Day
 

One of the biggest features of Prime Days is Amazon selling their tech items at huge discounts. With a ton of options, you can find a tech item that matches someone on your gift list. Discounts can even get as high as 50% off or more. Great items you can get include:

• Kindles
• Fire Tablets
• Echo and Alexa devices
• Fire TVs
• Ring Video Doorbell

These items can also be on sale during Black Friday, but Prime Day will often give you a much better deal since it is coming straight from Amazon. 
 

Stick to Toys, Clothing, and Appliances on Black Friday
 

With many other items, but especially toys, clothing and appliances, buy them on Black Friday. Especially if the stores you are visiting specialize in these items, you’ll get much better deals than you would on Prime Day.

Many toy brands have deals with certain stores to only sell their items there, meaning you won’t find them on Amazon. So if your kid has their heart set on a specific toy set, you will probably get the best deal on Black Friday.

Clothing is best purchased in person because you can try it on and get a good sense of its size. That means when you make the purchase on Black Friday, you are less likely to have to return it. But if you buy clothing on Prime Day, by the time you can try it on, the deal is done and if you have to return it, you can't get another deal.

While you can purchase many appliances on Amazon, they don’t have many name brands nor very good deals. By going to a retail appliance store, you have better options and better deals than what you get on Prime Day. So if you are looking for a new fridge, oven, microwave or washer and dryer, stick to Black Friday.
 

Doorbusters vs Prime Lightning Deals
 

If you are hunting for the very best deals, you have to look at the Black Friday doorbusters and the Prime Day Lightning Deals.

Doorbusters are for the people on Black Friday who are the first into the store. These are often the biggest items with the best deals. This is a 70 inch TVs for $300, the latest smartphone for half off, or video game consoles on a great deal. These are the deals people camp out for several days in order to get. The biggest downside is that you often don’t know what the doorbuster is until a week or so before Black Friday, and once you do, you have to start camping out.

Prime Day Lightning Deals are a bit different. Often there is either a time limit or a set amount they sell at the good deal price. Amazon has several different lightning deals going on all at once and cycle through them throughout Prime Day, giving you a reason to check back several times. These deals probably aren’t quite as good as doorbusters, but you also don’t need to camp out for several days in order to get them.
 

Spread Out Costs More with Prime Day
 

The holiday season always puts a strain on the wallet. Buying gifts, hosting parties, and traveling home for the holidays, it gets expensive. By doing your holiday shopping on Prime Day, you can spread out the costs a bit more, giving you more breathing room.

You can also utilize tools to your advantage on Prime Day, like Pioneer’s Platinum VISA Credit Card. Make your purchases, pay it off, and earn Rewards points. Then, you can redeem those points to help pay for your holiday expenses. For example, use the points for airfare to travel home, or get a gift card to use during Black Friday.

Open a VISA Credit Card