When is Black Friday 2026? Friday 27 November

Black Friday in 2026 is on Friday 27 November, with Cyber Monday following on Monday 30 November.

Since April 2025, the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA), the UK’s principal competition and consumer protection authority, has been able to decide for itself whether firms have broken consumer law under the Digital Markets, Competition and Consumers Act 2024. It said the CMA can fine a company up to 10% of its global turnover.

What counts as a fake discount?

In a 2023 open letter to online businesses that cited the Consumer Protection from Unfair Trading Regulations 2008, the CMA defined a price reduction claim as any discount or special offer price that refers to a higher comparison price. The higher price, it said, must be a genuine and realistic selling price, and a business should be able to demonstrate this.

The CMA’s guidance, updated on 18 November 2025, says 32 commercial practices are unfair in all circumstances, including fake reviews and falsely saying an offer is available only for a limited time. Its example is a trader who says an offer will end when a countdown clock runs out, when in fact the offer continues and the clock restarts. If the offer really does end, the guidance says, that is unlikely to be a problem. It also says showing a headline price and then adding mandatory charges, known as drip pricing, is prohibited.

Do sale items carry the same rights?

GOV.UK says customers have exactly the same rights to refunds when they buy items in a sale as at full price. For goods bought online, by phone or by mail order, shoppers can cancel within 14 days of receiving them without giving a reason. Citizens Advice says that period starts the day after the order arrives.

How do scammers use the sales?

The National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) says it is easy for a criminal to duplicate the design of a legitimate shop website, and says: “Never pay by direct bank transfer.” It points out that many credit cards protect online purchases under the Consumer Credit Act.

Figures the NCSC and Action Fraud published in November 2024 showed shoppers reported losing more than £11.5 million to online criminals between November 2023 and January 2024. Action Fraud’s deputy head said a false sense of urgency is a tell-tale sign of a fraudster.