A Black Friday countdown cannot tell you whether an air fryer is a bargain. Its usual selling price can. Knowing what you want and what you would pay before the red banners arrive is the defence; otherwise the loudest timer gets to make the decision for you.
What is Black Friday?
Black Friday is the day after the American Thanksgiving holiday, and Cyber Monday is the Monday after it. Both have become sale events in the UK, where shops run "Black Friday" offers for weeks around the day rather than for one Friday: when Which? tracked the sales, it measured a four-week Black Friday period.
Why is it such a big deal?
Because so many people are looking for it. In the UK, "black friday" is searched about 165,000 times a month on average, "black friday deals" about 74,000 and "cyber monday" about 14,800 (Google Keyword Planner, October 2026). Retailers know it, so the emails, banners and countdown clocks start early.
Why should you care before you buy?
Because the label promises more than the prices deliver. When Which? tracked 175 products for a year around the 2024 sales, 83% were the same price or cheaper at least once outside that four-week period. A countdown clock tells you how long an offer lasts, not whether it's good.
The short answer: Black Friday is 27 November 2026 and Cyber Monday is 30 November, but the work starts before that: the thing you want, what it normally sells for and the most you'd pay, written down before the emails arrive. A deal that beats your number is worth buying, and one that doesn't isn't, whatever the clock says. Live codes and deals go on our Black Friday page and Cyber Monday page as shops publish them.
There are no live Black Friday deals in this article. What you'll get is a plan for phones, gaming hardware and Christmas presents, so that when the real offers turn up you can compare them in about ten minutes.
When are Black Friday and Cyber Monday?
The dates come from the American Thanksgiving calendar. Time and Date lists Black Friday as 27 November, and Cyber Monday is the Monday after. UK shops will probably start early and drag it out for weeks. That doesn't mean every "Black Friday" banner in November is the same sale with the same rules, so the small print on each one matters.
If you're buying Christmas presents, the sale date and the delivery date are two separate questions. Something can be discounted, on back order and useless as a present all at the same time. The delivery estimate for your postcode and the exact version you're buying are worth confirming before you get excited.
Is Black Friday actually the cheapest time to buy?
Sometimes. The name itself tells you almost nothing. Which? published an investigation in November 2025 that tracked 175 home, tech and health products across eight retailers around the 2024 sales. Plenty of the offers were matched or beaten at other times of the year.
That study covered one sample of products in one year, so it can't tell you what your 2026 phone or console will cost. The lesson still stands, though: what something actually sells for over time matters more than how much has been knocked off the "recommended" price. A big "was £X" discount can still leave you paying exactly what everyone else was charging in October.
My rule is simple. Before the emails start, I write down the price I'd be happy to pay. If a deal beats that number and the thing still suits me, I buy it. If it doesn't, the word "sale" hasn't changed anything.
How to keep a price record without it taking over your life
One row per exact product. That means the storage size, model number, size or colour if they change the price. Each row needs the date, the retailer, the total with delivery and any conditions, plus the link, so you can check later that you're comparing the same thing.
| Item | What to record | Easy comparison mistake |
|---|---|---|
| Phone | Model, storage, unlocked/contract, full term cost | Comparing a trade-in maximum with an outright price |
| Gaming hardware | Storage, included accessories, queue and delivery status | Counting a game you already own as a saving |
| Hobby kit | Kit contents, tools, consumables and delivery | Buying a cheap box that needs a second expensive basket |
| Gift voucher | Eligible activities, expiry and booking conditions | Assuming the recipient can use it on any date |
A made-up example: something's labelled £120, down from £180. Sounds great. But if two other UK shops sell the same version for £115 delivered, £120 isn't the best price, however big the red "SAVE £60" sticker is. And if one of those £115 prices doesn't include delivery, add it on before you decide. I'm not talking about any real shop here. It's just how the sums work.
For LEGO, the set number matters as much as the price. Our LEGO Black Friday 2026 watchlist shows how to compare the same box across shops and decide whether a live offer is useful for the person you are buying for.
Phones: know what you want before the deals land
Our guide to the best Android phones to switch to from an iPhone is where I'd begin. It sorts them by the complaint you're fixing (price, sameness, repairability or plain Android with long updates), because those are quite different reasons to buy a phone.
The exact version comes before any comparison. The cheaper, smaller-storage model might be cheaper for a reason you'll hate in six months. A network bundle might include stuff you need, or stuff you're already paying for somewhere else, and our phone finder adds up each plan's full cost, price rises included, so bundles are easier to compare. I count "free" extras as worth nothing unless I'd have bought them anyway.
If your current phone works, Black Friday doesn't have to be your upgrade deadline. A fresh battery, or another year with the phone you have, might beat any sale price.
What about Steam hardware?
Before you shop, it's worth working out which Steam device fits your life and looking at our 
Steam store guideSteamSteam is Valve's PC games store and library, selling full games, DLC, in-game items and some Steam hardware through one account. It is a useful first stop for PC gamers who want puBuying guide · View store →. A handheld, a headset and a box under the telly do very different jobs, even with the same logo on them.
If you're after the Frame, our UK price and waitlist guide is the place to start. Joining a stock queue doesn't save you any money, and a place in the queue doesn't tell you when it'll arrive. We haven't seen any confirmed Black Friday discount or any Christmas delivery promise for it.
The whole basket is the price that matters: a charger if you need one, the storage you'll actually use and any games you're buying with it. Bundled games you already own aren't money saved, either. You already paid for them once.
When should you just buy the present now?
Buying early makes sense when you know the person wants that exact thing, the price is fine and getting it matters more than maybe saving a tenner later. Small makers, workshops and anything tied to a date don't play by the same rules as mass-market electronics. They sell out, or the date passes.
That doesn't mean panic-buying everything weeks ahead. If it's for someone whose hobby you only half understand, it's worth asking what they've already got. Giving someone a duplicate, or a gadget that doesn't work with their setup, is worse than choosing something together. It's also quite awkward on Christmas morning.
Our Christmas guide for nerdy adults starts from what people are into and what they could make first. It's also got ideas for giving an experience without tying someone to a date they can't make.
How not to get suckered by a big bundle
The test is what the useful bits are worth on their own. Say a £90 kit includes £30 of tools you already own. You're not saving £30 by buying those tools again. The smaller kit, or just the one bit you actually need, deserves a look before you get excited about the "total value" on the box.
Same with subscriptions: what renews, when you start paying and how you cancel. If you take a free trial, the cancel date belongs in your own calendar. You won't remember it in January.
Should you wait for Cyber Monday?
Waiting makes sense if the deal in front of you doesn't hit your target price, or you don't need the thing yet. Buying makes sense if it hits your target and you really want that exact item. Nobody can honestly tell you a Monday sale that hasn't been announced will beat Friday's price, however confident the YouTube thumbnail looks.
You're not trying to beat every price that might ever turn up. You're trying to buy something you're happy with. Once the number is set, the total compared with delivery and the decision made, the best thing to do with the tabs is close them.
Our Black Friday page has the live codes and deals once the sales start. If a coupon browser extension is part of how you shop, our piece on the Honey scandal explains what changed.
