Amazon is giving away $20 before Prime Day - but you'll need to act quick

Amazon is offering a $20 credit to some customers in the run-up to its annual Amazon Prime Day event, which this year falls on July 16-17.

The online retailer has stipulated that certain steps must be taken by consumers to secure the credit before July 13. The $20 credit is up for grabs for Prime members who back up at least one photo using Amazon's Photo app within a specified timeframe.

Amazon uses the event as a platform to promote its own products, from Kindle e-readers to Fire TV. This year, the company is offering the $20 credit as an incentive for users to try out its Amazon Photo app, a service that offers unlimited storage and five GB of video - additional video storage comes with a price tag of about $12 a month.

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Revenue from Amazon's services, such as its cloud computing platform, now significantly overshadows its income from product sales. The company is also facing increased competition for consumer spending as budget retailers like Temu and Shein make their way into the US market.

The offer is open to Amazon Prime members who upload at least one photo via the Amazon Photos app for the first time. Those who aren't Prime members or have previously used the Photos app are not eligible for the credit.

Amazon has also stated that consumers with a Prime trial membership do not qualify for the $20. Some people utilise the 30-day trial membership to take advantage of Prime Day before deciding whether to join.

You must upload at least one photo via the Amazon Photos app before 11:59pm Pacific Time on July 12. An email will be sent within four days of your photo upload, confirming that a $20 credit has been added to your account. This means if you upload a photo on July 12, you can expect to receive the credit by July 16 - the start of Prime Day .

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The $20 credit can only be used for purchases from Amazon.com or Amazon Digital Services. It cannot be used for products sold by third-party sellers or other Amazon divisions, even if the product is marked as Prime eligible or fulfilled by Amazon.

Amazon stipulates that you must spend at least $30 to apply the $20 credit. The $30 minimum does not include taxes, shipping and handling, or gift wrapping costs.

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Finally, Amazon confirmed that the credit will expire at 11:59 Pacific Time on July 17 - the final day of the Prime Day event.

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