I Asked ChatGPT Whether Prime Day Is Actually Worth It — Here's What It Said
Amazon Prime Day is one of the biggest shopping events of the year. It's also, according to ChatGPT, one of the most misunderstood.
This year, the event takes place from June 23 to June 26.
The answer to whether it's worth it turns out to depend almost entirely on how you shop — and the data behind the sale is more complicated than Amazon's marketing suggests.
Discover Next: 5 Little Luxuries To Buy at Dollar Tree Ahead of Summer
Trending Now: 9 Unusual Ways To Make Extra Money (That Actually Work)
The Headline Numbers Don't Tell the Whole Story
Amazon reported record sales and billions in customer savings during Prime Day 2025, with the biggest wins in electronics, beauty and household essentials. Top deals included AirPods Pro, Dyson products and Amazon's own devices. On the surface, that sounds like a legitimate sale.
Then there's the other number. According to ChatGPT, a 2025 pricing analysis found that 45.5% of products on sale during Prime Day had actually increased in price compared to the period before the event. That's not a small asterisk! In fact, it's nearly half the products being promoted as deals.
What Extended Prime Day Actually Means
Prime Day 2025 expanded from two days to four and total sales grew 35% year over year. More time to shop sounds like a consumer benefit. ChatGPT's read was more skeptical: More days means more time for pricing to be manipulated and more runway for impulse buying, which is where most Prime Day spending regret comes from.
The daily sales average actually fell as the event extended. The volume went up because the window was longer, not because the deals were better on a per-day basis.
Where the Real Deals Are
Amazon devices are the most reliable Prime Day category. Echo, Fire TV and Ring products historically show the deepest and most consistent discounts — partly because Amazon controls both sides of the transaction and has a direct incentive to move hardware. These are the deals most worth watching.
Big-ticket electronics — TVs, headphones, laptops — also show real price drops, though comparison shopping is essential because Target and Walmart typically run counter-programming during the same window. Household essentials and personal care products deliver consistent value. Whole Foods and Amazon Fresh promos during Prime Day have offered some of the more interesting specific deals, like the 50% off frozen items that appeared in 2025.
Where It Isn't Worth It
Random third-party sellers are where the fake discount problem concentrates. These are the listings most likely to have inflated pre-sale prices and misleading percentage-off claims. Fashion is almost always cheaper off-season than during Prime Day. Small appliances with volatile pricing are hit or miss. And impulse purchases — the thing Prime Day is engineered to produce — are the single biggest source of spending regret associated with the event.
ChatGPT noted that during the Prime Day window, 67% of brands actually reduced their ad spend (confirmed by Measured), which means fewer competitive deals outside Amazon and a more concentrated marketplace that benefits the platform more than the shopper.
How To Come Out Ahead
The tools that matter: CamelCamelCamel and Keepa both track Amazon price history and show whether a "deal" represents an actual price drop or an inflated comparison. Neither takes more than thirty seconds to use on any product. Checking the actual price trajectory before buying is the single most useful habit for Prime Day shopping.
Beyond that: Make a list before the sale opens, compare final prices against Target and Walmart on the specific items and ignore percentage-off claims entirely in favor of looking at the current price against historical pricing.
Prime Day is worth it for the informed shopper with a list. For the casual browser who shows up to see what looks good, the event is designed specifically to extract money from them (and it's very good at its job!).
Summer spending adds up fast. Enter MoneyLion's Summer Break Giveaway for a chance to win $500 — and give your budget a break. (No pur. nec. Ends 7/4/26. See official rules at mlion.info/summerbreakofficialrules)
This article was provided by MoneyLion.com for informational purposes only and should not be construed as financial, legal or tax advice.
More From MoneyLion: