I’ve spent 10 years covering Black Friday – here are my top tips to shop smart

Black Friday is the biggest sale of the year. Every November, hundreds of retailers slash prices ahead of Christmas, with deals on everything from TVs and laptops to air fryers and vacuum cleaners. According to research from Adobe’s digital analytics division, Brits are expected to spend a record £28.52bn online between November and December this year. But not every deal is as good as it seems.

For 10 years now, I’ve helped consumers navigate the choppy waters of Black Friday. For all the money it can save you, Black Friday is also littered with misleading discounts and sneaky little marketing tricks that make you part with your cash. It’s so easy to get sucked in. Thankfully, over the years, I’ve learnt a thing or two about how to spot a real saving and avoid getting ripped off.

There’s no need to panic-buy. I’ve pulled together my top Black Friday tips – my dos and don’ts for shopping smart, if you will – to help you separate the deals from the duds and ensure you’re actually getting your money’s worth. From knowing when to be sceptical to my little insider tips and tricks, here’s how to shop with confidence this Black Friday.

1. Black Friday sales start earlier than you think

It wasn’t that long ago that Black Friday was a single day of chaotic in-store shopping. The good old days when we’d all queue up outside the local Tesco superstore to bag a cheap telly for one day and one day only. Black Friday later morphed into a four-day shopping extravaganza, culminating in Cyber Monday, before retailers shrugged their shoulders and decided to make Black Friday a month-long event.

For many brands and retailers, Black Friday now lasts all of November. Argos, Currys, John Lewis and others even kicked off their sales at the end of October this year. While that does mean you have longer to shop, it also makes the whole thing a whole lot more confusing.

2. Make a wish list and set a budget

With Black Friday plastered right across shopfronts, our TVs and our phones, it’s easy to get overwhelmed, feel like you’re missing out and subsequently end up buying something you never even needed (or really wanted) in the first place. Before you start shopping, the biggest thing you can do is make a wish list.

Ideally, you’ll have kept a running wish list throughout the year, adding things as and when you think of them, instead of waiting until October or November. But don’t worry if you haven’t been doing that.

Sit down now, grab a cup of tea and write down everything you need and want. Perhaps your vacuum cleaner is on its last legs and urgently needs to be replaced, but you’ve also had your eye on some new AirPods. The vacuum goes in the ‘need’ pile and the AirPods in the ‘want’ pile.

Assign a budget to each pile so you don’t overspend, then jot down how much each product currently costs, as well as the retailer and date. That way, when the actual Black Friday day itself eventually rolls around, you’ll have something to compare prices to. This is even good in the lead-up to the sale, giving you something to compare to as the sale gets closer.

And if you can get the kids and grandkids to figure out what they want for Christmas in advance, even better.

3. Don’t be fooled by big discounts – check the price history

It’s Black Friday and the air fryer you’ve just stumbled upon has a massive 50 per cent discount, taking it down to £80. Obviously, you’re going to pop it into your basket – it’s half price.

Except, it’s been selling for £80 for most of the year. One of the oldest tricks in the book is to advertise a massive discount against a product’s recommended retail price (RRP), even though it hasn’t actually sold for that amount in months. Just because something is reduced for Black Friday doesn’t mean it wasn’t cheaper in July, September or even a few weeks ago.

That’s why I always take those big red percentage discounts with a pinch of salt. The best way to check you’re actually getting a bargain is by using price comparison sites – Keepa and CamelCamelCamel are great for checking historical prices for products sold on Amazon. PriceSpy and PriceRunner are great for checking historical prices at other retailers, including Currys, John Lewis and Argos. You can look back over weeks, months and even years and set price alerts.

I recommend looking at a product’s price history over at least six months, ideally a year. If you spot that it’s always hovered around the price it’s been discounted to, then you’ll know it’s really not that big of a deal. Or you might find that it’s the lowest price it’s ever been and want to buy it immediately.

This will hopefully be cracked down on in the future, but not until next year. Prime Minister Andy Burnham announced plans in August to tackle misleading discounts. The government says it wants to ban fake ‘was’ prices, invented discounts and misleading RRPs. That should make it easier for regulators to take action against dodgy retailers and stop them from employing these tricks.

Either way, your friendly neighbourhood consumer experts at The Independent will be hunting down the best Black Friday deals and highlighting when a product is really at its lowest-ever price, so you don’t have to do any arduous research yourself.

4. Shop around before buying

Some shoppers are just wedded to certain retailers and brands. Maybe it’s a sense of loyalty, maybe it’s their reputation, or maybe it’s because of… well, your Amazon Prime account. But it’s always worth shopping around before buying. It’s Black Friday after all, and retailers are all discounting the exact same products, often at wildly different prices.

Don’t assume that because Amazon has taken a massive £100 off a dehumidifier, you don’t need to look elsewhere. Currys, John Lewis or Argos might have taken £120 off the very same dehumidifier. Do a quick Google search for the product and see what other retailers are charging. It’s only sensible.

If multiple retailers sell something for the exact same price, look to see if there’s any benefit in going with one retailer over the other. Maybe you get free next-day delivery, maybe you get a longer warranty, maybe one charges for installation while the other offers it for free. Factor that into the price.

5. Check if retailers price match

If you’re dead set on buying from a certain retailer, check to see if they can price match from a cheaper retailer. Maybe you trust John Lewis more than Amazon, or you have an Argos or a Currys round the corner and want to pick it up that very same day because you’re impatient (I get it).

Thankfully, lots of retailers this year are price matching, including Currys, John Lewis and AO. Currys, for example, is matching prices from other UK retailers, including discounts applied using promotional codes. You can even request a price match up to seven days after buying a product.

But just watch out – terms and conditions can differ from retailer to retailer. Some retailers won’t price-match Amazon, for example, especially if it’s sold by a third-party seller. AO requires the competing product to be exactly the same product (model number and all) and available to buy from a UK retailer.

6. Pay attention to Black Friday price guarantees

The worst thing about shopping Black Friday sales is the dread you feel when you buy something for it to only fall in price the following day. Or maybe you don’t know whether to buy now or wait for Black Friday itself. Thankfully, some retailers have implemented Black Friday price guarantees this year.

A Black Friday price guarantee ensures that if a product you've bought drops further in price during a specified period, you'll get the difference back. Argos, for example, has a Black Friday price guarantee on some of its products, with the retailer promising to give you a voucher for the difference if the price drops further before Christmas. Very has a similar scheme, with it saying it’ll refund the difference if a product you've bought drops further in price before 4 December 2026.

Again, there’s a catch. Argos’s scheme only applies to certain products with a “price guarantee” badge, and Very says you have to contact customer service to get the refund, suggesting you’ll need to make a claim. There are hoops to jump through.

7. Cashback sites can save you even more

One of the ways to get the best out of your money is with cashback sites. If you haven’t used one before, sites like Quidco and TopCashback essentially give you money back for shopping at the same places you would anyway. You just visit the retailer through one of the cashback sites, make your purchase and then get a percentage back, paid into your cashback account. Different cashback sites offer different cashback amounts, so compare amounts before choosing one over the other. Some retailers offer boosted cashback amounts for Black Friday.

It’s not foolproof – sometimes your purchases don’t track, meaning you don’t get the money. It can also take months for the cashback to make its way into your account, so don’t factor the potential cashback amount into your purchase or don’t think of it as an additional discount on top of the Black Friday price. Think of it as a nice little bonus.

8. Sign up for membership schemes to save even more

Before you even start shopping, check to see if the retailer has a membership or loyalty scheme. Retailers often provide exclusive deals and discounts, early access to sales or free delivery just for their members.

Amazon Prime is the best example. You won’t need an Amazon Prime membership to shop its Black Friday sale, but members can access limited-time lightning deals and free delivery. It costs £8.99 a month or £95 a year. New and returning customers can also get a 30-day free trial. Just remember to cancel if you don’t want to continue after Black Friday.

AO’s Five Star membership costs £39.99 a year and comes with loads of exclusive member prices, which are often lower than the lowest Black Friday prices at competitor retailers, for example. You also get free delivery, free appliance recycling and a 100-day returns period.

You don’t actually have to pay to unlock extra discounts either. I definitely recommend signing up to Currys Perks. It’s completely free to join and you’ll be sent exclusive discount codes by email to use on your purchase. I also like the My John Lewis loyalty scheme. Sign up and John Lewis will give you exclusive rewards, early access to selected sales and extra discounts on specific product categories, tailored to you. It’s always worth checking to see if a retailer has a loyalty scheme before shopping.

9. Get first dibs on Black Friday deals with fashion-label apps

Here’s a little-known trick you might not know about. Some fashion labels actually launch their Black Friday sales on their app before launching the discounts on their website or in-store, letting you browse before everyone else.

Zara is one fashion label that does this. For a few years now, it’s launched its sale the day before Black Friday itself, with its deals going live on the app an hour before the website. It’s the same for all the brands owned by Inditex, including Bershka, Pull&Bear, Stradivarius, Oysho and Massimo Dutti, which all give app users the same one-hour head start.

Asos is another one. The fashion retailer gave 24 hours of early access to its Black Friday sale last year, with app users getting access to discounts of up to 70 per cent on Wednesday 26 November, before launching to the rest of the public the following morning.

10. Consider buying last year’s model

While it’s always nice to say you’ve got the latest gizmo in the product line, you don’t always gain much more by going for the latest model.

With tech, the previous generation is often just as good (and that’s coming from a tech editor). This is especially true for TVs, laptops and headphones. These get refreshed almost every year, but the upgrades are so small you probably won’t even notice the difference. You can often find bigger discounts on the previous model, primarily because retailers slash the price when the newest one comes out.

For example, an older pair of headphones might have almost identical sound quality and noise cancellation to the latest version, but cost £100 less. Just remember to compare the specs and read reviews before deciding.

11. Work out whether bundles actually save you money

One for those of you buying games consoles this Black Friday. Make sure you actually calculate everything in a bundle to see if you’re really saving money. A Nintendo Switch 2 bundle, for example, may come with two games, a camera and a three-month membership to Switch Online, but it might actually cost more than buying everything individually. The team and I will be calculating this for you at The Independent ourselves when highlighting any bundle deals.

And even if it is cheaper to buy a bundle than it is to buy the console on its own, take a step back and think about whether you actually want the games in that bundle or if you need those accessories. You might just end up paying more than you need to.

If you just want the console, and it’s cheaper, just buy the console instead of the bundle.

12. Avoid nonsense-name brands on Amazon

Amazon is littered with unidentifiable brand names that are just a series of random capital letters. The products they’re selling are often temptingly cheap. Avoid, avoid, avoid. These oddly-named brands put their products on sale every Black Friday for cheap-as-chip prices, but there’s rarely any mark of quality. You may think you’re getting a great deal on a smartwatch or a laptop, only to realise it breaks after a few months of use.

Most of these nonsensical brand names are created by third-party sellers, many based in China, who sell generic products on Amazon under invented names. There’s even a reason why the brands choose random letters for the brand name as well. Amazon’s brand registry gives sellers with registered trademarks control over their product listings. Registering a brand with random letters is less likely to clash with existing brand trademarks, helping these nonsense brands skirt the requirement.

It doesn’t automatically mean every brand with a weird name is naff, but it’s worth doing a bit of research to check if it has a website or if there’s an easy way to get in touch with the seller. Do a TrustPilot search for the brand name as well.

13. Be wary of electric toothbrush deals

This is one that comes up every year. In fact, all year round. Electric toothbrushes are notorious for having enormous discounts plastered across listings, with some toothbrushes supposedly reduced by 70 per cent or more. Don’t believe the discount. Many of these toothbrushes rarely sell for their full recommended retail price (RRP).

Maybe you’ve spotted an Oral-B or Philips Sonicare toothbrush slashed from £200 down to £60, making it look like you’re saving a whopping £140. Except it’s been that price all year long. Just remember to check price comparison sites and ignore the misleading discounts. I have no idea why electric toothbrushes are so notorious for this, but they’re the biggest culprit when it comes to misleading discounts.

14. Don’t be fooled by countdown timers

Another psychological tactic some retailers employ is countdown timers. Maybe you’ve seen a site telling you that 73 other people are looking at the exact same product you are, or that you have 20 minutes left before the deal expires. It’s a really nasty tactic that creates a sense of urgency to pressure you into buying because you think you’ll miss out. Ignore all of it. Oftentimes, the countdown timer just resets, which under UK consumer law is illegal. Take your time and shop around.

15. Check Christmas return periods.

I always use Black Friday as a chance to get my Christmas shopping out of the way early, but just remember to check the Christmas returns window. You don’t want to end up buying something during Black Friday, only for the standard returns window to expire before Christmas Day.

Thankfully, the biggest retailers usually extend their return window for Christmas, so if grandpa doesn’t like his jumper, you can take it back – most give you until January to return unwanted prezzies.

Argos gives you until 31 January to return products bought from 23 September and Christmas Day. For Amazon, anything bought from 1 November and Christmas Day can be returned until 31 January. John Lewis will let you return products bought from 1 October and Christmas Eve until 23 January.

The same exclusions that apply at any other time of year will still apply here, however, so opened toiletries, personalised gifts and some hygiene products may not be eligible for a change-of-mind return.

16. Use your credit card for purchases over £100

Under section 75 of the Consumer Credit Act, purchases that cost more than £100 and up to £30,000 qualify for additional protection when you pay with your credit card. If the retailer goes bust, your order never arrives or the product isn't as described, your credit card provider could be jointly responsible for putting things right. It’s a good way of protecting your full purchase. Just remember to pay off your balance in full to avoid interest charges.

18. Watch out for Black Friday scams

Black Friday is Christmas come early for scammers. With millions of shoppers hunting for bargains, fraudsters are out in full force. You’ll inevitably land on fake websites, you may get sent phishing emails and you may spot discounts on products that look too good to be true.

I never trust sponsored social media adverts from a brand I’ve never heard of, especially when they’re offering pricey products at unbelievably low prices.

Watch out for text messages pretending to be from your bank, a retailer or delivery companies. If you’re unsure, check the retailer’s website directly – don’t click any links you might be suspicious about.

19. Buy now, pay later schemes have more protections – but be careful

Buy now, pay later schemes such as Klarna and Clearpay now come with stronger consumer protections, making them work more like credit card payments. On 15 July 2026, interest-free buy now, pay later agreements were brought under the regulation of the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA). That means lenders must now carry out affordability checks, as well as provide clearer information about repayments. Qualifying purchases now also benefit from section 75 protection under the Consumer Credit Act.

Still, that doesn't mean you should throw caution to the wind. Buy now, pay later makes it dangerously easy to spend more than you can afford, and that’s especially so during Black Friday. While a £600 Dyson vacuum sounds affordable when you only have to pay £200 up-front, you’re still going to be spending £600 in total. And it’ll become unwieldy if you buy everything using buy now, pay later. Taking out multiple contracts could see your monthly outgoings balloon.

20. Follow IndyBest’s Black Friday coverage

Of course, if all this sounds like a whole lot of work, we’re here to help. Here at The Independent, my colleagues and I have spent weeks tracking prices. We’ll be comparing discounts as we hunt down the best Black Friday deals. We’ve also tested hundreds of products, from TVs and laptops to vacuum cleaners, mattresses and air fryers, and we only recommend deals on products we genuinely think are worth your money.

Right throughout the month, we’ll have guides to the best Black Friday deals on almost every product category and retailer, and you can read more about how we choose the best Black Friday deals for more information.

Our rolling liveblog, where we find the best discounts as they drop, is already live. We’ll also be highlighting when products fall to their lowest-ever price this year, so you can shop with confidence knowing you’re getting an actually good deal.

Our expert team of deal-hunters works year-round to secure readers exclusive discount codes on big-name brands and retailers. So you’re in safe hands.

Read more: Amazon’s Black Friday sale