Best USB flash drive deals for October Prime Day 2024 | PCWorld

Every year, there are a few sale events that we simply cannot wait for—namely, Amazon’s Prime Day and Black Friday. Well, with October Prime Day now here (Amazon calls it “Prime Big Deal Days”), we’re treated to some of the best thumb drive discounts of the year.

It’s always wise to have a good flash drive on hand to move files easily from one device to another, and Prime Big Deal Days is the best time to finally get one for a better price. We’ve curated our list of great drive deals by capacity level so you can quickly find what you need.

I’ve been a journalist for 18 years, with the last 12 of them focused on consumer tech. The past couple of years have been spent, in part, looking for the best deals available, including amazing discounts for flash drives. To create the deal lists below, I’ve taken into consideration several factors, including the manufacturers’ reputations, user reviews, as well as each product’s pricing history.

First published on Sept. 23, 2024. Last updated on Oct. 9, 2024.

We’ve found some amazing discounts, and these tiny flash drives will certainly come in handy, no matter what you’re looking to store. They’ll fit in your pocket easily and safely store your data.

If you want a model that’s compact for portability, the Samsung Fit Plus is a great option with read/write speeds of up to 400MB/s. If you want data protection, you’re going to want the SanDisk Ultra, which comes with 128-bit encryption for your files and multi-password options.

The large-capacity flash drives have some great discounts, too. The best price is definitely for the SanDisk Ultra Fit, where 512GB costs $40, a hefty discount from its original price.

Of course, if you’d rather get a 1TB flash drive, the Kingston DataTraveler Max is a good option given its price. It also doesn’t hurt that it has write speeds of up to 900MB/s.

Knowing which deals are good and which are not can be tough at times. A first step is going to be comparing the discounted price to the regular retail price displayed on Amazon. Reading through the product’s reviews can also help you figure out whether the thumb drive is reliable and whether others got it for a much better price in the past. There are multiple platforms online that will provide a price history for any Amazon listing you want. You need not worry, though, because we already did that so you don’t have to.

This is really a question we can’t answer for you, but we can help offer some guidance. Picking the right USB flash drive depends on what you want it for. If you’re planning on moving work documents, for instance, you can get a 64GB version. However, if you want a thumb drive to have “just in case,” you should go for a larger version, such as 512GB. That should be enough to store photos, videos, games, and just about anything else you need.

If you need to transfer large datasets or video projects, for instance, you may do better with an even larger capacity.

The first thing you have to figure out is what capacity you need and what you’re going to use it for. Our recommendation, regardless of your answer, is to get a USB 3.0 and above for faster read/write speeds.

The drive’s durability is also something that’s of importance here – no use for a thumb drive you’ll ruin by sitting down and forgetting you have it in your pocket. Aluminum casings, for instance, will offer better protection for drops, for instance.

Security is another important feature, especially if you’re going to use the thumb drive for sensitive files or personal photos. Some flash drives offer 128-bit AES encryption, while others go for 256-bit. The latter are better protected, but both will perform just as well considering both encryption standards are pretty much impossible to crack.

Gabriela has focused on tech writing for 12 years, covering news, reviews, buying guides, deals, and more. She has bylines in numerous consumer tech publications, including PCWorld, Macworld, PCMag, IGN, MakeUseOf, XDA, Android Police, and Pocket-lint.