Microwaves are helpful appliances to have around the home. They're convenient because they're quick and easy to use, and they can cook foods more healthily because little to no oil is required. We would like to help you save money, too, including getting one of the best microwaves for less.
Sales pop up across the year, whether Amazon Prime Day in the spring, summer, and fall months or the Black Friday extravaganza in November. But it can all get a little overwhelming, so we're here to arm you with everything you need to know to navigate the deals when they come.
Bookmark this page so you can easily return to it to access the best deals as they drop.
Where to find the best microwave deals?
Aside from Amazon, you can find more discounted microwaves year-round at these big retailers, and some of them even have extra discounted microwave deals outside of major sales seasons/shopping events too.
Below is our A-Z of trusted big name resellers that often have low prices on reputable microwave brands.
- Amazon: Prime Exclusive deals
- Bed Bath & Beyond: Shop plenty of on sale models
- Best Buy: Discover discounted models
- Lowe's: On sale countertop microwaves
- Sears: Shop LG, Samsung and Frigidaire
- The Home Depot: Check out these special buys
- Walmart: Check out these reduced prices
- Wayfair: Explore the microwaves sale
- Williams-Sonoma: Shop, Breville, Panasonic & more
When is the best time of year to shop a microwave deal?
Many brands tend to release new stock at the beginning of fall — for the holiday shopping season — and spring — for the new year — so they're the best times of year for finding the best deals.
If you're looking for a new microwave, the fall season is your best bet. This is because the holiday sales, including Black Friday, Cyber Monday and Amazon's second Prime Day, occur within the October to November period, and we usually see the biggest discounts on almost appliances, including microwaves, during this time.
This is because many manufacturers are clearing the way to make space for new stock to land in the spring. It's good to keep watch during any end of year sales and after Christmas sales, too, because that's generally when you'll see the return of some Black Friday and Cyber Monday prices as a last ditch attempt to shift stock.
Is Labor Day a good time to find a microwave deal?
We see deals on a range of appliances every year during the Labor Day sales, but to be honest, there isn't always the greatest choice, certainly not as much as when it's Black Friday. That said, you'll still definitely find a good selection of microwave deals if you shop around the big retailers, so it's still worth a look during Labor Day sales.
Is Amazon Prime Day a good time to find a microwave deal?
If you're signed up to Prime, it's certainly worth checking out what's on offer 16 - 17 July on Amazon, as there are some really good discounts. Amazon has one of the best selections of products across the board, and new listings are being added all the time. Prime Day usually provides heavy discounts across home and kitchen appliances, including microwaves. So we wouldn't be surprised to see plenty of choices on offer, and some anti-prime day deals too, just like we did last year.
Just remember: you will need to be signed up to Prime Membership to access the exclusive deals. It's FREE for the first 30 days and you'll get access to free shipping, new movies and first dibs on deals.
Is Black Friday a good time to find a microwave deal?
Because Black Friday is such a major shopping event, often you'll see the best Black Friday deals available up to three weeks before the big day, and even continued for several days after Cyber Monday, so that you've got plenty of time to shop. To make the most bank, brands and retailers often offer their best discounts during this time, so the Black Friday deals are the best opportunity for you to save money on your purchase.
If you can wait till then, it's the best time of year to buy — so yes, the deals are definitely very good, arguably the best they'll be all year.
Is after-Christmas a good time to find a microwave deal?
The end of the year is a great time to be shopping for any kind of home or kitchen appliance, as it's when that year's last pieces of stock need to be cleared to make way for all the newness of the coming year.
As mentioned above, what we've seen in general is that microwaves are discounted in the weeks leading to Black Friday, and some remain at these low prices all through the after Christmas sales until January.
Is Presidents' Day a good time to find a microwave deal?
Some well-known retailers like Amazon, Best Buy and Walmart usually make a pretty big deal out of Presidents Day sales, especially on larger home appliances, but there are still good deals to be had on smaller items like microwaves too, so it's worth checking out in-store and online what your favourite retailers will be offering.
Microwave deals: your questions answered
Where to shop for the best microwave deals?
To ensure that both the deal and the product are of good quality, make sure you stick to buying from trusted and reliable retailers that accept returns and allow you to take out product protection plans; that way you can rest assured that you haven't been left with a bad product that will break on first use without a warranty or protection plan. Amazon, Walmart and The Home Depot offer protection plan options.
What makes a good microwave deal?
A good microwave deal is one that saves you some money, ensuring you get a good quality product at a good price. With that, it is easy to just see a low price and get lured in to a bad deal — remember, sometimes you get what you pay for! So, we have a few tips to make sure you invest well.
Remember that most microwaves fall between a price range of $100 - $400, but really small compact ones can be even less than $100, while really high-end models can go well above $400. For example, swanky built-in microwave drawers can cost more than $1000 and beyond. So if you've found a good deal for less than $100, chances are you'll be buying a microwave with a relatively small capacity.
Start by filtering down to four stars or more if you're searching directly on a retailer site like Walmart. Also look for trusted brands like BLACK+DECKER, Whirlpool, LG, Samsung, etc. that have a good reputation in the market — these brands are well established and are known to make good quality products that last.
Don't forget to check our reviews too when you find a model you like. And if it seems more expensive than the others, check out what other extra or special functions it has that could be pushing the price up. Don't forget that microwaves come in a range of sizes, so if you want to save some money, don't overspend on a huge capacity model unless you see yourself using it for lots of family meals or large portions/dishes. An appliance that's too large can really crowd your kitchen countertop and make it look cluttered and unwelcoming.
As with all purchases, it's important to know if you're making the right decision, so make sure to check out the guides mentioned in the intro, as they've got a wealth of information on how to choose a microwave depending on what size and style you need/want for your kitchen.
What to look for in a microwave?
When Top Ten Reviews tests microwaves for our buying guides, there are a few key aspects that we think are vitally important to consider. One somewhat–obvious feature is how well a microwave cooks food: does it leave behind cold spots? Or burned spots? Does it evenly cook the food?
There are two things to look out for to help ensure your shiny new microwave cooks your food correctly: a turntable (which is fairly standard) and sensor cooking. The latter feature involves the microwave using sensors to measure the amount of steam coming from your food. It then uses this information to determine when it's finished cooking. This technology can even be used to automatically set the power levels and adjust the cooking or defrosting time – a super useful feature that's great for taking the guesswork out of cooking.
It's also important to consider how much power and space you want and need from your microwave. The two key specs to look at are the cubic foot capacity and the wattage. If the appliance you're looking at is under 1 cubic foot capacity, then it would be considered on the smaller side and you would struggle to cook anything larger than a dinner plate. However, a 1.4 cubic foot capacity would likely enable you to heat up large casserole dishes, so if you have a large family to cook for then you might want to consider sizing up.
Meanwhile, the wattage of microwaves can vary wildly, but most seem to sit around the 800-1,000W mark (although the upper range of wattage can actually hit 1,950W!). A wattage of 1,000W will be perfectly serviceable for most users (and many microwaves with wattages as low as 700W or 800W are absolutely fine, so don't discount a microwave with a lower wattage if it ticks all of your other boxes).
Another aspect to consider when looking for a good microwave deal is what type of warranty you're going to get. It's worth looking out for a separate, longer warranty for the microwave's magnetron. This isn't overly common and not every microwave manufacturer will offer it, but it's a useful thing to have (some of these magnetron-specific warranties will often last as long as ten years). However, you're more likely to see an all-encompassing warranty that usually lasts for one year.
Once you've ticked off the essentials, you'll want to consider features that simply make your microwave easier to use, like a 'Plus-30-Second' button, which is such a useful feature to have (this shouldn't be too hard to find, as it's pretty common now). It's also useful to have One Touch Quick Cook buttons to set the microwave cooking – these usually go up to six minutes. Most microwaves will also feature pre-set buttons for food items such as popcorn, pizza and potatoes. You'll also usually see Defrost functionality in most appliances too.
