It’s just under ten days until Black Friday, but the sales have already begun, and we’ve seen plenty of offers, discounts and Black Friday deals going live early. Black Friday is on 27th November this year and Cyber Monday follows just after on 30th November.
If you’re worried about getting your Christmas gifts due to the second lockdown, don’t worry, you can make the most of early sales online now as many retailers have decided to make Black Friday a month of deals. We’re seeing new offers and more retailers launch their offers, or pre-Black Friday sales, every day on just about everything – from phones to fridge freezers.
According to Statista, shoppers in the UK go big for Black Friday. We were forecast to spend £8.57bn during Black Friday last year – that’s more than any other country in Europe. On average in 2018, we spent £346 per person.
But this year is unlike any other, non-essential shops are all shut in England and we’re back to bingeing boxsets on our sofas. As a result there will be even more competition between retailers (and shoppers) online. Unfortunately, that also means stock could be an issue – we’re already seeing limited PS4 stock and the Nintendo Switch always sells out quickly.
Given everything that 2020 has thrown at us, it’s no surprise we’re keen to get into the festive spirit early. Think With Google reported that we started our festive planning in September, earlier than the usual October, and there were more searches for Christmas trees, stockings and decorations at this time than in 2019.
In addition to putting up the tree early, we also predict you’ll also want to shop sooner for gifts to ensure they arrive in time for Christmas. Retailers have noticed this early demand with many, like Currys, offering price matching on their early sales, encouraging you to buy now rather than later. Others, such as Boots, are calling this year’s sale their biggest ever Black Friday.
Amazon Black Friday was one of the first to kick off early sales in late October, despite the fact that Prime Day took place a mere 10 days or so before. The early sale is running until 19th November and is across all key products.
If you just want the cheapest and best deals this is your ultimate guide. Read on to find out which popular sales and Black Friday offers are already live, the (absolute) best deals and our tips for shopping smartly and safely online.
The RadioTimes.com team will be updating you over the next few weeks with all the latest Black Friday news and the best UK deals. Remember, our best advice will always be; if you know what you want and you see it within your target budget, go for it now. With stock issues we can’t guarantee deals will return later or that you’ll get them as cheap.
Since the deals and discounts will continue throughout November, we suggest bookmarking this page and checking back to see which brands have launched their sales and where to find the biggest savings.
Which retailers and brands have launched their Black Friday sales?
We’ve listed the retailers who have already launched their Black Friday offers below, or are holding clearance or Christmas sales. Currys is one of the latest to launch early offers, running from 10th to 19th November. Amazon’s early sale also ends on 19th November. We’re still waiting for John Lewis’ sale to properly kick off and Next is reportedly planning to skip the event altogether.
Scroll down to find the best tech and gaming deals, including the best prices for the Nintendo Switch and Apple AirPods, in addition to gift, homeware and advent calendar offers, and our Black Friday tips with advice for shopping safely online during deals season.
Early Black Friday deals: quick links
- Amazon – early Black Friday sale runs until 19th November, £25 off Nintendo Switch bundles and 25% off home appliances
- Very – Black Friday sale has begun with savings on TVs, home items and FIFA 21
- AO – appliances including fridge freezers, vacuums and coffee machines
- Appliances Direct – savings on smart home, 35% off fridges, and up to 26% off phones (next day delivery)
- Argos – 50% off many toys, 25% off baby and nursery and 2 for £75 on Little Tikes
- ASOS – up to 50% off thousands of styles
- The Body Shop – save 15% for ‘Black November’ with code 14672 and beauty bundles are now live
- Boots – a month of Black Friday offers on beauty, gifts and electrical
- Cath Kidston – up to 70% off sale
- Carphone Warehouse – The Wait is Over sale now on with Apple, Samsung and Pixel discounted
- CDKeys – save on games across PS4, Nintendo Switch and Xbox One as well as NOW TV passes
- Currys – early Black Friday ‘Ready, Set, Go’ sale has started, £700 off 4K LG TV
- Dell – save 12% or 15% with code BLACK12 or BLACK15 on laptops in early access sale
- eBay – 20% off coupon on millions of products
- The Entertainer – pre-Black Friday clearance sale has now launched on toys
- Greenworks – up to 25% off Greenworks gardening equipment and tools
- Gtech – Black Friday sale underway with offers on vacuums and garden tools
- Gymshark – up to 50% off
- Joules – up to 60% off plus free delivery
- JD Williams – savings on Apple products, TVs, GoPros and up to 50% off gaming
- Kurt Geiger – 25% off everything
- La Redoute – 40% off ‘don’t wait for Black Friday’ sale now on
- The Perfume Shop – the retailer’s Black Friday sale is live and claims to be their biggest ever
- Robert Dyas – ‘Mega Deals’ on home and garden
- Selfridges – up to 20% off gifts including Le Creuset, Coach and Charlotte Tilbury
- Silentnight – 40% off at Very
- Simba Mattresses – 35% off
- Sky – 50% off Sky TV packages and 30% off Superfast Broadband
- Superdrug – Black Friday deals are now live on make-up, fragrance and electricals
- TalkTalk – get 3 months of broadband free with selected deals (ends 2nd Dec)
- Trouva – find unique gifts on sale and support independent shops
- Under Armour – 15% off at Amazon
- Virgin Media – Buy Huawei P30 Lite and get Nintendo Switch free
- Wayfair – festive sales on furniture
- Yankee Candle – save 25% at Amazon
- Nespresso – 56% off Nespresso coffee machines at Amazon
- Oral-B – save up to 74% on electric toothbrushes
- Philips Sonicare – save up to 64% at Amazon
- Menkind – early Black Friday deals on gadgets and gifts
- Whistles – 25% off full-price items
- Woodwick Candles – 20% off at Amazon
Best Black Friday TV deals
Black Friday wouldn’t be Black Friday without TV deals. The best TV deals are often found at retailers like Currys or AO.com, but Very is giving them a run for their money this year with a great 4K TV offer. You’ll also start to see TV bundle deals appearing the closer Black Friday gets. Currys is already offering a Nintendo Switch with its LG OLED TV. If you’re confused just remember from best to worst picture quality: 8K, 4K/Ultra HD, Full HD, HD ready and standard definition. QLED in a nutshell means greater brightness, OLED means better contrast generally and lower power usage. Below, we’ve rounded up our top TV picks.
55-Inch TV top deal: Samsung QE55Q70T QLED, 4K Ultra HD Smart TV | £1,299 £899 at Very (save £400 or 30%)
Black Friday is a good time to buy a new TV – there are always plenty of televisions seeing price cuts. TVs are a personal choice and your final pick will depend on how much you are willing to spend and which features you absolutely can’t forego. But also, importantly, the size of the screen and how large your living room is. According to Statista, Samsung was the most popular TV brand in the UK in 2019, followed by LG and Panasonic. Given this, we’ve found the cheapest deal on the Samsung QE55Q70T 55-Inch smart TV which is seeing big savings this Black Friday. If you buy this model at Very, you can also save £250 on the Samsung HW-Q60T Soundbar.
Further TV deals not to miss:
- LG 55UN7100 55-Inch Ultra HD 4K Smart TV |
£749£469 at Very (save £280) - Samsung QLED TVs | save up to £500 at Very
- LG OLED 55-Inch Smart 4K Ultra HD HDR OLED with Google Assistant and Amazon Alexa |
£1,599£1,299 (save £300) - Samsung QE85Q60TAUXX 85-Inch Smart 4K Ultra HD HDR QLED TV with Bixby, Alexa and Google Assistant |
£2,199£1,999 (save £200) - Samsung 55-Inch Smart 4K Ultra HD HDR QLED TV |
£1,299£999 at Currys (save £300) - LG 65CX6 OLED TV with Nintendo Switch and Games | £9,999 at Currys (bundle deal)
Black Friday TV streaming deals
If it’s not a new TV you’re after, but rather a clever device to turn your old TV into something smarter, you’re in need of a TV streaming stick. There are a few on the market that bring you all your favourite streaming services in one place, all by plugging in something that looks like a USB stick. Cool, right? We saw early deals on Amazon’s Fire TV stick, but now Roku has launched their Black Friday offers. The Fire TV Stick Lite previously went on sale for £19.99, so if it’s a budget option you’re after, the Roku Express is now the cheapest deal we’ve seen.
- Streaming Stick+ (4K) |
£49.99£34.99 at Very (save £15) - Roku Premier streaming player |
£39.99£27.99 at Very (save £12) - Roku Express streaming player |
£29.99£17.99 at Currys (save £12)
Best Black Friday tech deals
Black Friday is a key shopping period if you want to pick up discounts on pricey tech and it’s a great opportunity to tick Christmas gifts off your list, while making some savings. Laptops are always popular, but this year we’ve also got our eyes on iPhone 11 deals. If you’re looking for the sought after Nintendo Switch, you’ll find gaming deals and bundles below this section. Lower down, you’ll also find our tips for shopping smartly this Black Friday.
Apple MacBook Air (2020) | £1,449 £1,299 at Very (save £150 or 10%)
Tech always does well over Black Friday and in this year’s Amazon Prime Day sale event we saw everything from deals on TV smart sticks to headphones fly off the (virtual) shelves, which bodes well for Black Friday 2020. Traditionally, laptops have always been popular and, according to data by price comparison site Idealo, they are predicted to rank at number seven in the top ten highest-discounted tech products this Black Friday. And, with so many retailers already launching early sales, we’ve already seen some great discounts available, such as this brand new, 2020 MacBook Air. Spec wise it’s 13 inch, 1.1GHz Quad Core 10th Gen Intel Core i5 Processor, 16Gb RAM, 256Gb SSD.
There are also discounts on the MacBook Pro, DELL Inspiron and Huawei Matebook below.
Huawei MateBook 13 (2020) | £899.99 £799.99 at Very
The Huawei Matebook may not be the first laptop you think of when looking for your next buy but the £100 discount brings this deal to the forefront of our list. The laptop is 13-Inch, Intel Core i5, 8GB RAM and 512GB SSD. The Huawei Matebook X Pro (2019) is also on offer with 38% off at Amazon if you want something that packs a bit more of a punch – 13.9-inch, Intel Core i5 and 8GB RAM.
Other laptop deals not to miss:
- DELL Inspiron 15 3000 15.6-Inch Laptop |
£599£479 at Currys - ASUS E410MA 14-Inch Laptop – Intel Celeron, 128 GB eMMC Blue |
£399£299 (out of stock, but we’ll keep checking for you) - MacBook Pro (2020) 13-Inch with Magic Keyboard and Touch Bar |
£1,799.99£1,649 at Very
Apple AirPods top deal: AirPods Pro | £249 £199 at Amazon (save £50 or 20%)
Apple’s headphones come with a fairly hefty price tag. The original AirPods (2nd generation) start at £159, while the AirPods Pro come in at an RRP of £249. For this extra cash, the Pro headphones give you noise cancelling and a customisable fit. You can currently save £50 on the AirPods Pro at Amazon (their cheapest ever price), though stock is running low. Very are offering the product for £209, saving £40, if you can’t grab the deal at Amazon.
Further AirPods low prices not to miss, the original AirPods are often cited as having better sound quality:
iPhone 11 top deal: iPhone 11 64GB, EE – unlimited minutes, texts and data | £58 a month, £10 upfront
With the arrival of the iPhone 12 this year, many are hopeful for discounts on older models, such as the iPhone 11. It can be pretty overwhelming to trawl through phone deals, given there are so many possible combinations of data, minutes, storage, colours – the list goes on. If you’re in the market for a new phone, we’d recommend checking out our Black Friday phone deals and sim-only deals pages and our full iPhone Black Friday guide. If you’re after a pay monthly contract for an iPhone 11 with unlimited data, we suggest the £58 a month Essential Plan from EE. Though, you can also find a range of ‘Smart Benefits’ on other plans with EE, such as getting Apple TV+ thrown in.
Buy now for £58 a month, £10 upfront
Further iPhone deals not to miss:
- iPhone 11 Pro 64GB, Tesco Mobile – 5000 minutes, 5000 texts and 3GB data | £41.49 a month, £0 upfront)
- iPhone 11 64GB | £599 at Currys
- iPhone 11 Pro 64GB, Virgin – unlimited minutes and texts, 100GB data | £38 a month, £0 upfront
The new iPhone 12 also has deals available:
- iPhone 12 Unlimited Data, texts and minutes, 64GB on Three – 6-months half price: £31.50 a month, £29 upfront
- iPhone 12 64GB, Sky Mobile – unlimited minutes and texts, 2GB data | £28 a month, £0 upfront
- iPhone 12 Pro 128GB, EE – unlimited minutes, texts and data | £68 a month, £0 upfront at FoneHouse
SIM-only deal with Three – 12 months, unlimited data, calls and texts | £17 per month
Three was on our best deals last year thanks to its SIM only deals, so it’s no surprise it’s made another appearance with this £17 p/m offer. Unlimited data plans always catch our eye, but this has the added benefit of being the cheapest plan we’ve seen.
Sky packages
Sky’s Black Friday deals have now gone live and if you’re looking for a new contract there are a few bundles worth checking out. Sky also has deals on a range of smartphones including the new iPhone 12.
Deals not to miss:
- The Complete TV Bundle |
£106£66.50 a month - Sky TV, Sky Cinema and Sky Sports |
£71£49.50 a month - 50 per cent off 30GB plan with any phone
- iPhone 12 64GB, Sky Mobile – unlimited minutes and texts, 30GB data |
£58£43 a month, £0 upfront
Oral-B SmartSeries Black 6500 cross action electric toothbrush | was £229.99 now £59.99 at Amazon
We’ve typed that price correctly, don’t worry, there’s £170 off the Oral-B toothbrush, that’s 74% off. An electric toothbrush has become the coveted Black Friday deal for us all over the last few years, with huge savings to be had. This one comes with four brush heads and a travel case. There are five modes; daily clean, pro clean, sensitive, gum control and whitening. You’ll see other electric toothbrushes around but we’d recommend this deal if you’re looking for a great saving. The cheaper Oral-B Smart 4 4900 Electric Toothbrush is also on offer, two for £69.99 (black and pink as a “gift for men and women”).
Apple Watch | top deal: Apple Watch Series 3 | £279 £199 at Very (save £80 or 28%)
The main Apple Watch ranges to look out for this Black Friday are the Apple Watch Series 6 (from £379, according to Apple), the Apple Watch SE (from £269) and the more budget friendly Apple Watch Series 3 (from £199). The SE and Series 6 ranges are newer, having launched this September. Therefore, we predict better discounts on the older Apple Watch Series 3.
Fitbit Inspire 2 with free Google Mini | was £138.99, now £89.99 at Currys (save £49.99)
The Fitbit is another option if you’re looking for a smart watch. More for the fitness conscious this has a heart rate monitor as well as a tracker for calories, sleep and distance you walk, so you can easily rack up those 10,000 steps. It’s also water resistant so you can swim with it, which was an issue with the earlier versions. Guided breathing is a nice add on as, let’s face it, we’re all a little stressed right now. There’s a food log and you also get a year’s free access to Fitbit Premium thrown in. The Google Mini is just the icing on the top of this offer.
Further smartwatch deals not to miss:
- Fitbit Versa 2 |
£199.99£169.99 at Amazon (save £30) - Samsung Galaxy Watch Rose Gold |
£199£169 at Amazon (save £30 or 15%) - HUAWEI Band 4 Pro |
£69.99£41.49 at Amazon (save £28.50 or 41%)
Virgin Media broadband packages
Virgin Media has just started its early Black Friday deals and claims these are its best ever (though, warning: a lot of brands are saying that this year). Virgin Media’s deals are available until 30th November, that’s Cyber Monday, which gives you time to ponder and get out of your current deal. There are savings on TV, broadband and mobile phones, but we’d recommend the M100 Fibre Broadband package, it’s an 18-month contract for £24.99 a month. It’s a basic package but has an average download speed of 108 Mbps which is more than enough to binge The Crown – and it’s normally £44 a month. If you need something that packs more punch the M500 Fibre Broadband package has £20 off, it’s now £42.99 a month with 516 Mbps average download speed.
Best Black Friday gaming deals
In addition to TVs and other tech, gaming is a popular category when it comes to Black Friday deals. With two new consoles in 2020, the PS5 and the Xbox Series X, you’d be right to hope for offers on previous models. And of course, we can’t not mention the Nintendo Switch, which was out of stock for large periods of the year. Now back on retailer websites, we’ve got our eyes peeled for the best Nintendo Switch deals – discounts on Prime Day were popular, but savings were limited.
Nintendo Switch neon + Just Dance 2021 | £344.97 £304.99 at Amazon (save £39.48 or 11%)
Ideal for family fun, the multiplayer-ready Nintendo Switch has been difficult to get your hands on this year. Although it’s finally back in stock, we’re not yet seeing huge price drops on the console. We advise you to move fast if you do spot a good offer. Amazon has up to £25 off. Our current pick of the best bundles available is the neon Switch with Just Dance 2021 for £304.99, saving you nearly £25. You can also keep an eye on our Nintendo Switch Black Friday page for accessories, bundles and games.
Further Nintendo Switch deals not to miss:
- Nintendo Switch Neon + The Witcher bundle |
£326.77£315 at Amazon (save £11.77) - Nintendo Switch Ring Fit Adventure |
£69.99£64.99 at Currys - Nintendo Switch fee with Huawei P30 Lite New edition | £22 p/m on Virgin Media
- Nintendo Switch Lite – Grey |
£199£159.20 at eBay (save £39.80)
Nintendo Switch Lite with Animal Crossing Horizons | £239 at Amazon
Yes, we’re giving you another Nintendo Switch deal, but why not? The Nintendo Switch and Nintendo Switch Lite sold like hot cakes in the UK’s first lockdown, everyone wanted one – young and old. Animal Crossing: New Horizons was also the only game anyone could talk about. If you’re looking for a family friendly console this is your pick. It’s not quite at the powerful graphics level of the Xbox or PS5, but the Switch more than makes up for it with oodles of fun, genius game concepts and the ability to bridge the gap between parents and kids. Plus it’s portable. The Nintendo Switch Lite is a slightly cheaper and on-the-go option too.
PS4 500GB console in stock | £249 at Currys
It’s been tricky to get your hands on the PS5 with each round of pre-orders selling out extremely quickly. For those hoping to bag a PS4 at a discount, it’s not exactly been a walk in the park to find a cheap bundle in stock, either. It’s worth remembering that the RRP of the PS4 is £249 and if you’re looking for a bundle, don’t forget to check the RRP of the games thrown in. We’ve searched major retailers like Argos and Smyths and we can’t currently find a PS4 bundle in stock – there are still plenty of games available, however. Keep checking our PS4 Black Friday deals page as we’ll update this with the best PS4 offers when new stock lands.
Further PS4 deals not to miss:
- FIFA 21 PS4 |
£54.99£48.99 at Very (save £6) - FIFA 21 PS4 game and DualShock controller |
£84.99£64.99 at Very (save £15)
Xbox One in stock | £249 at Currys
With the Xbox Series S and X now on sale the older gen Xbox One is a hot product to keep your eye on. They’re going to be hard to come by as the last of the stock shifts, but there are still a few deals you can snap up for Black Friday. Retailers seem to have a fair bit of the white console in stock to shift so we’d recommend adding it to the must-watch list if you’re looking for a console deal. Xbox One games will also crop up in deals in the lead up to Black Friday.
Futher Xbox deals not to miss:
- Xbox One S – 1TB | £249 at Argos
- Xbox One S – 1TB Fortnite Console + Forza Horizon 4 + Spyro bundle | £320.97 at Amazon
Best Black Friday deals for appliances
Homeware is another category that sees big discounts during Black Friday. Shark vacuums are already featuring in many retailers’ sales, while deals on popular kitchen appliances are starting to appear.
Shark Anti Hair Wrap Flexology Vacuum Cleaner | £279.99 £219.99 at Argos (save £60 or 21%)
Vacuum cleaners are a must-watch deal in the Black Friday sale. This Shark vacuum cleaner has already proved popular and you’ll find a few discounts abound whether that’s at Currys, Amazon or AO.com. The Shark vacuum cleaner removes hair as you clean, whether that’s human hair or pets, which is a selling point for us, as we all know a hair covered sofa is the worst feeling. The Shark vacuum also turns into a handheld unit if you can’t quite reach those tough spots. Also, check out the twin battery Shark Cordless Vacuum Cleaner. It was £449, but it’s now £299 at Very.
Tassimo Boscho Coffee Machine | £89.99 £29 at Currys (save £60.99 or 63%)
Who doesn’t want to snap up a coffee machine in the Black Friday sale? There are plenty of offers out there, but Currys is a great place to take a look for this must-have. Whether it’s a Christmas treat or a gift to yourself to make your mornings that much easier, this £50 discount will at least make things a bit sweeter. This one takes pods if that helps, or makes the decision for you too.
Ninja Foodi Electric Multi-Cooker | £199.99 £149 at AO (save £50 or 25%)
Another one to watch, the Ninja Foodi proves popular in any sale let alone Black Friday. This £50 discount on the 6 litre is a nice saving at AO, but it’s also £149 at Very. The multi-cookers offer an all in one option for those tight on time – that’s air frying, grill, slow cooking, pressure cooking. You’ll be giving Mary Berry a run for her money in no time (disclaimer: we can’t guarantee that). In their Ninja Foodi review, our friends at BBC Good Food gave it a 4.5/5 so we’re sold.
KitchenAid Artisan Stand Mixer | £399,99 £349.99 at Very (save £50)
KitchenAid is the gold standard in stand mixers, proving popular in the Black Friday sale every year. Very has a great discount for an early Black Friday offer, and if you’re certain this is for you, it’s a deal we’d recommend. Anyone into their cooking shows will be used to seeing the KitchenAid grace the screen whether that’s Nadiya Bakes (she’s got a nice pastel one) or Nigella (her one is hot pink) – it’s clearly a talking point and a must-have for any serious chef. This deal is on the graphite rather than the popping colours you see on TV, but we’re sure other colours will appear with deals soon – red and cream were both on offer last year.
More home and appliance offers:
- Crock-Pot slow cooker –
£59.99£38.99 (save £21, further price drop from £44.99) - Simba Mattress Pro –
£1,229£798.85 (save 35%) - Simba Hybrid Mattress – £869 £564.85 (save 35%)
- Instant Pot 80 Duo –
£99.99£79.99 (save £20) - Nutribullet Starter Kit –
£49.99£39.99 (save £10) - Morphy Richards breadmaker –
£99.99£79 (save £20.99) - LG American-style fridge freezer –
£1,199£849 at Currys (save £350) - Philips Azure Steam Iron |
£90£57.99
Best Black Friday gift deals
With concerns growing over getting presents in time for Christmas with shops being shut, we’ve rounded up some of the best early deals on toys and gifts that you can buy online.
- Plymouth Gin – save 25% at Amazon
- ghd Platinum+ hair straighteners –
£189£154.99 - GoPro HERO 9 –
£429.99£379.99 at Amazon (save £52.54 or 12%) - Champagne Veuve Clicquot Yellow Label Brut (in gift box) –
£42£32.98 at Laithwaites - LEGO Harry Potter Hogwarts Castle Astronomy Tower –
£89.99£63.95 (further drop from £69.99) - Clinique Superstars Gift Set –
£70£35 at Boots - Sylvanian Families Deluxe Celebration Home –
£119.99£69.99 at Very (save £50) - Philips Sonicare ProtectiveClean 4300 Black Electric Toothbrush –
£90£50 at Boots - Paco Rabanne 1 Million For Men –
£69£45 (+ triple points on selected fragrance) - BaByliss Air Pro 2300 Dryer –
£99£45 (better than half price) - Coffee – up to 25% off Tassimo Kenco, L’OR and Costa Coffee at Amazon
- 40% off fragrance
Christmas advent calendars
There’s only a few weeks left to pick up an advent calendar. While hunting for the best prices on popular products, we’ve spotted some advent calendars being added to the Black Friday offers.
- Crayola advent calendar –
£29.99£17.95 (save £12.04) - Cath Kidston Festive Party Animals Advent Calendar –
£40£29.99 (save £10.01) - Playmobil 9264 Advent Calendar ‘Santa’s Workshop’ –
£20£16 (save 20%) - Lindt Teddy advent calendar –
£10£8 (save £2) - Lindt & Sprüngli Christmas Market Advent Calendar –
£14.39£8.77 (save 39%) - Montezuma vegan advent calendar –
£10£5 - Peppa Pig advent calendar –
£20£15 (save 25%) - Paw Patrol advent calendar –
£20£16 (save 20%) - Harry Potter Sock Advent Calendar –
£30£20 (save £10)
How to make the most out of Black Friday: shopping tips
Black Friday is a great time to snap up some truly great deals, especially when it comes to home tech and gaming, as we saw on Amazon Prime Day. However, it can be a chaotic, pressure-selling environment which can easily feel overwhelming as buyers are bombarded with deals.
Here are some handy tips to help you make the most out of Black Friday and find the best deals.
- Remember what you’re looking for. While you may want to browse the sales and see what pops up, if there is something you are particularly looking for, we advise searching for this first. Try to avoid being side-tracked by other offers which could lead to you missing out on what you really want.
- Act Fast. Sometimes there will be short-term, flash deals, as we saw on Amazon Prime Day with lightning deals. In these instances, some products are on offer for a limited time or with only a limited amount of stock. Exceptionally short-term deals like these should be clearly labelled as such so you will know you need to act faster than usual.
- Know the RRP. You don’t need to know the price of everything, but if you’re hoping to get your hands on something specific such as a new games console or smartphone, it will pay to have an idea of what the standard price usually is so you know whether this is a good deal or not. Some retailers will raise prices in the weeks leading up to Black Friday so they can boast bigger discounts on the day which won’t save you as much as they claim. You can download The Camelizer toolbar extension which will show you how much Amazon products have cost over recent months, meaning you can see whether it is particularly low for Black Friday.
- Check your deal. A cheap deal doesn’t always mean a good deal and for certain products you will need to make sure it works for you. For instance, there are plenty of Black Friday broadband deals available but you will need to check the speeds and availability in your area. Other deals on phone contracts or TV streaming subscriptions may offer slashed monthly prices, but check in the small print how long the contact is for and whether the price changes at any point during this period before committing.
- Shop around. Sales events can be stressful as retailers will try to pressure you to make a purchase as quickly as possible. Unless it is a flash deal about to run out imminently, you should have time to do a quick search on the item you are looking at to check it’s not available anywhere else for less before you pay up.
- Look out for price-matching. Some retailers like John Lewis guarantee to match a price if you find a product being sold cheaper by another retailer.
- Bookmark our pages. We are continuously updating our Black Friday deals selections with the best offers so you don’t need to hunt through multiple sites to find the most exciting savings.
- Be wary of scams. Fake Amazon reviews are said to have increased this year. Be sure to check reviews on other retailer websites if choosing to shop on Amazon. Be wary of email scams and never give out personal information, such as a credit card details, over email. If a deal seems too good to be true, it probably is.
How does RadioTimes.com prepare for Black Friday?
We’re monitoring the price (RRP) across a large range of products in the run-up to Black Friday, including the most popular items from last year, such as the Nintendo Switch. That means we’ll recognise a genuinely good deal when we see one, and will keep updating this page with the cheapest and best deals.
When is Black Friday 2020?
Black Friday falls on 27th November this year, meaning it’s less than a month before Christmas Day. The event began as a US tradition and therefore always falls on the Friday after Thanksgiving, which is always the last Thursday in November.
Cyber Monday follows on the first Monday after Black Friday every year, so this year it’s on 30th November.
The two events used to be markedly different in that shoppers would rush to the high streets for Black Friday, whereas Cyber Monday was exclusively reserved for online deals.
Black Friday has always tended to lean more towards tech products while Cyber Monday was more about lifestyle and a wider array of products, though this is no longer the case.
However, as so much of Black Friday is now about online shopping, the two events are often simply branded as Black Friday weekend. Now that a new lockdown has been announced, shoppers won’t be able to bag discounts in store during Black Friday, pushing more focus to online sales.
We’re already seeing plenty of early deals, so you can treat November as a month of sales. Often, retailers that have held out for closer to the Black Friday weekend will start launching deals the week before. For example, Currys runs its own Why Wait Sale during this week for those who are looking to save some money without the usual panic-buying that comes with Black Friday sales.
How long is Black Friday?
Black Friday officially kicks off at midnight on 27th November (i.e. late night Thursday). Many deals last the entire weekend, and some will be exclusively available on Monday 30th November, for Cyber Monday.
While those are the official dates, Black Friday 2020 looks to be longer than ever. Many retailers have already kicked off their sales, offering a month of discounts during November. This year, due to the ongoing pandemic and new national lockdown, we’ll likely see more early deals online as retailers make up for a lack of footfall in stores.
How will Black Friday 2020 be different?
Black Friday 2020 should still bring with it plenty of discounts and offers, but we do expect there to be a few changes in shopping behaviour thanks to the pandemic – both economically and in terms of what deals are available. With non-essential shops closed in England, more savvy shoppers will turn to online deals and we expect retailers to try and match this demand.
According to a forecast by the Centre for Retail Research, total retail sales in 2020 will fall overall by 4.6% compared to 2019 (or a reduction of £17,281m). With retail taking such a hit during the lockdown months, retailers will be doing everything they can to entice shoppers into buying with them. We are expecting discounts to be bigger, with more ‘best-selling’ items included (Nintendo Switch, iPhone 12, PS5 etc) in the offers.
This need to make up for lost time is also likely to be a contributing factor as to why deals have started so early this year. Despite Black Friday itself not being until 27th November, most retailers have already started their sales. Online retailers such as Amazon, AO.com and Very, will likely have an advantage over the traditionally high-street brands because their online and delivery processes are more established. This should give them the opportunity to offer lower prices and maintain the promise of speedy delivery.
However, with this increased demand online, there is a possibility that we see more delays on delivery services.This is another reason why retailers may choose to start deals earlier and ensure those Christmas presents arrive in time. In previous years, retailers have saved their best deals for Black Friday itself, however with retailers more eager to attract shoppers and concerns around delivery, there is a chance we could see these ‘best-selling’ deals earlier and to be running for longer.
Are Black Friday deals real?
Yes, Black Friday deals are real. The deals are agreed with the brands and retailers so aren’t just flash sales even though that’s how they come across.
Sudden price drops are also used, which is more based on an algorithm. Take Amazon, for example, with its lightning deals.
Price-matching is also popular, with John Lewis and Currys PC World both running a price match promise.
The main issue isn’t so much whether deals are real but how good they are. Keep an eye on prices in the lead up to the day to ensure you are getting the best Black Friday deal you can. Sometimes you will see some items are cheaper after Black Friday, sometimes with price drops on Cyber Monday, but this is a usual practice too. The best thing to do is grab a deal if it is cheaper than usual and it’s a product you already wanted. You can read more about the difference between Black Friday and Cyber Monday in our guide.
Can Black Friday deals be returned?
Legally, you have the same rights to refund faulty items bought on sale as you do when they’re bought full price. If the item isn’t faulty – for instance, if you decide you simply didn’t like the product – then you need to check with the retailer. In the UK you need proof of purchase if you want to return an item, but if you just want a repair or to exchange you don’t need the warranty. You can read more in our guide to Black Friday returns.
Origin and history: What is Black Friday?
Back in November 1951, Black Friday was first mentioned. The Factory Management and Maintenance journal used the term to describe people calling in sick the day after Thanksgiving so they could get that extra day off.
US police also used the phrase Black Friday and Black Saturday to describe the intense traffic that happens around the season.
There was also a movement in 1961 from local government to change the shopping season to Big Friday or Big Saturday, but it never took off. The term Black Friday was seen as more fitting as it represented a shopping spree that pushed retailers ‘back into the black’ money-wise.
What products will be on offer for Black Friday?
We have already seen many retailers encouraging shoppers to use the Black Friday sales to buy early Christmas presents.
And, according to research by Google, they might be right to do so. The data from Google showed that 22 per cent of Brits were considering their Christmas purchases three to six months before the big day last year. With new lockdown restrictions and pressure on deliveries, it may well be wise to get shopping earlier than usual.
Expect offers on home appliances such as coffee machines, too, as well as big name brands such as Le Creuset and Nespresso. Last year, some of John Lewis‘ most popular offers included 30 per cent off Le Creuset, 20 per cent off LEGO and £100 off the Dyson V11 Absolute Cordless Vacuum Cleaner.
PS5 pre-orders have already proved extremely popular, so we expect the console to continue to sell, with or without any deals. Much like last year, any discounted stock of the Nintendo Switch is likely to go fast, so we recommend taking advantage of Nintendo Switch Black Friday deals fast, if you haven’t been lucky enough to get your hands on one in recent months. Nintendo Switch deals were among the best sellers last year.
Game-wise, expect FIFA to be among the top deals, especially as FIFA 21 is out, and soon to be joined by the new PS5 and Xbox Series X – so expect PS4 and Xbox One deals.
Another big release of 2020 has been the long-anticipated iPhone 12. iPhone 11 deals are already appearing, so it might be a good time for an upgrade to the previous model.
Apple has also announced the new Apple Watch 6, and Apple Watch SE. With new items on their way, we expect the older Apple Watches to have deals on them. During Prime Day, Fitbits and Samsung wearables were also on sale.
And what about smart home tech? We’ve already seen Amazon cut prices on its entire Fire TV Stick range – we don’t know if these products will see more offers later in November. Perhaps the retail giant (who was one of the first to launch early Black Friday deals back in October) is reserving Black Friday weekend for its other smart devices.
Where to find the best Black Friday deals
There are plenty of retailers taking part, but we’re keeping track of the best deals for you. Whether that’s technology, consoles, games, electricals, toys or homewares. We have guides on the best Black Friday deals.
Amazon Black Friday | AO Black Friday | Apple Black Friday | Argos Black Friday | Currys PC World Black Friday | Dell Black Friday | EE Black Friday | GAME Black Friday | John Lewis Black Friday | LEGO Black Friday | Nintendo Switch Black Friday | NOW TV Black Friday | Samsung Black Friday | Sky Black Friday | Smyths Black Friday | Very Black Friday | Black Friday phone deals
Want more offers? Keep checking this guide for the best and cheapest deals as well as the latest news in the lead up to Black Friday and Cyber Monday. For more tech deals check out the technology section.
Wondering what to watch? Visit our TV Guide.
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