Don’t wait: Martin Lewis says Black Friday is the best time to find discounts pre-Christmas
The money-saving expert says that waiting for pre-Christmas sales to buy gifts is unlikely to pay off
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Your support makes all the difference.Black Friday 2024 is just around the corner, and if you’ve been umming and ahhing about whether to hold off until December to buy your Christmas gifts, money-saving expert Martin Lewis advises shoppers not to wait.
A new study by Money Saving Expert has revealed that over two-thirds of 50 popular items were cheaper on Black Friday in 2023 than in the lead-up to Christmas. It found that 70 per cent of products were cheaper on Black Friday compared to their price on 19 December.
The study highlighted deals on Amazon devices – such as the Echo, Kindle and Fire TV Stick – which were all cheaper on Black Friday than the weeks leading up to Christmas, along with tech from Apple, Ninja air fryers, the Dyson airwrap, Shark vacuums, Nintendo Switch, PS5 and more.
If you’ve found a deal on something you’re planning to buy for Christmas, Martin Lewis advises snapping it up during Black Friday. “The idea that Black Friday discounts are a complete washout is not backed up by the data, based on the impartial research we’ve done,” he explains.
Read more: Black Friday 2024 live updates
Waiting for pre-Christmas sales, he adds, is unlikely to pay off. “If the item you’ve been planning to buy has a decent discount on Black Friday, and you need it by Christmas, the chances are you should buy it,” Lewis adds. “Waiting to see if it gets cheaper in the pre-Christmas sales will more often than not be fruitless.”
While Black Friday doesn’t officially kick off until 29 November, many retailers and brands have already launched their sales. Big names like Amazon, Currys, Argos, Boots, Samsung, Dyson and Debenhams are already offering early discounts, with beauty, fashion and jewellery brands, including Charlotte Tilbury, Zara and Pandora joining them soon.
Below, we’ve rounded up some of the best deals you can snap up right now on the most popular products highlighted in Money Saving Expert’s research.
Best early Black Friday deals to shop now
- Amazon Echo Dot, 5th gen: Was £54.99, now £22.99, Amazon.co.uk
- Dyson airwrap origin multi styler: Was £339, now £249, Brandalley.co.uk
- PlayStation 5 (disc edition): Was £479.99, now £399.99, Amazon.co.uk
- Maybelline lash sensational sky high mascara: Was £12.99, now £6.49, Amazon.co.uk
Amazon Echo Dot, 5th gen: Was £54.99, now £22.99, Amazon.co.uk
Reduced by 58 per cent, Amazon’s Echo Dot is perfect for those on a budget. IndyBest’s tech critic, Alex, said that “the fifth generation smart speaker has even better sound than all the Echo Dots that have come before it (a mean feat given how hard it is to eek good sound out of a small device).” Praising its top functionality and neat new indoor temperature sensor, he said it can be placed anywhere in your home to deliver weather reports, set timers, play music, podcasts, the news and more.
Amazon Fire TV Stick 4K: Was £59.99, now £34.99, Amazon.co.uk
With a discount of nearly 50 per cent, now’s the time to upgrade your home entertainment system for less. The nifty Fire TV Stick 4K lets you watch all your favourite shows from various streaming platforms at a higher resolution than the standard version. Serving up a crisp picture, it plugs into the HDMI port on any TV, turning any telly into a smart one.
Apple Watch Series 9, GPS, 41mm: Was £349, now £290, Amazon.co.uk
Released last September, the Apple Watch Series 9 might not be the latest smartwatch in Apple’s repertoire, but it’s still a very good one. Featuring an always-on display and one of the brightest screens on any Apple Watch, it’s the new S9 processor that makes the Series 9 stand out. With a £60 saving, this is well worth picking up if you’re in the market for a new smartwatch.
Dyson airwrap origin multi styler, refurbished: Was £339, now £249, Brandalley.co.uk
Save almost £100 on a refurbished original Dyson airwrap, which boasts three attachments: a 30mm long barrel, a coanda smoothing dryer and a round volumising bristle brush. The cult hair tool helps you create endless styles, including super-sleek locks using the smoothing dryer, curly styles with the barrel and a voluminous bouncy blow dry. “I love the original barrels, which encourage the hair to wrap itself around them (without getting tangled, I hasten to add) for a soft, voluminous, light curl,” beauty writer, Louise, said in her review.
PlayStation 5 (disc edition): Was £479.99, now £399.99, Amazon.co.uk
The PlayStation 5 is at an all-time low price for Black Friday, so now’s the time to buy before Christmas. This model has the disc drive included so it can read Blu-ray discs, which you’ll need if you own physical movies and games as well as digital ones saved to your PlayStation account.
Maybelline lash sensational sky high mascara: Was £12.99, now £6.49, Amazon.co.uk
The mascara to rival all others, this is a tubing mascara, meaning it coats the lashes from all sides, for a full and voluminous finish. It’s even more tempting now it’s half price and, in beauty writer Lucy’s review, she found it left my lashes looking lengthened, volumised and defined. It didn’t leave a smudge or imprint, either, even after a full day’s wear.
Elizabeth Arden eight-hour skin protect cream: Was £29, now £16.81, Amazon.co.uk
Already cheaper than last year’s Black Friday price, you can save 42 per cent on this Elizabeth Arden moisturiser for face and body. The brand says it helps to shape brows, add shine to cheeks, soothe dry hands, cuticles, nails and more. An IndyBest-approved brand when it comes to skincare.
Apple iPad, 9th generation, 2021: Was £369, now £279, Very.co.uk
The 10.2in 9th-generation iPad was launched in 2021, and is a fast, powerful tablet with a great screen and full-sounding stereo speakers. It works with the Apple pencil and the smart keyboard, too, unlocking extra functionality for anyone who wants to stay productive while on the move. With a £90 discount, this is a pretty good saving on the entry-level iPad.
Ninja Foodi Max dualzone air fryer: Was £239, now £159, Amazon.co.uk
Save £80 on Ninja’s coveted two-drawer air fryer at Amazon. When Lauren put this air fryer to the test, it left her thoroughly impressed, scoring a full five stars out of five. “It has six settings, so it can roast, air fry, bake, crisp, reheat and dehydrate all in one device, and you can set each drawer to do a different thing – very handy when cooking a whole meal,” she said. “You can even sync the drawers to be ready at the same time. It’s easy to use with simple press buttons on the top and you can tailor the temperature and time for each drawer,” she added.
Ring video doorbell (2024 release): Was £99.99, now £59.99, Amazon.co.uk
The newest version of IndyBest’s favourite tried and tested video doorbell is now 40 per cent off at Amazon thanks to its Black Friday sale. Our tester, Zoe, found the second-generation Ring doorbell to be the best overall in her review, and now the newest model can be all yours for less than £60. Zoe praised the device for being easy to install and loved the efficiency of the Ring app in alerting her to parcels, something we’re all going to need during Black Friday.
Shark corded stick vacuum cleaner: Was £179.99, now £138.99, Amazon.co.uk
This Shark corded vacuum is a steal with more than 20 per cent off. Earning a spot in Zoe’s guide to the best corded vacuum cleaners, she said: “This nifty corded stick vacuum made cleaning a pleasure (well, almost) due to its slim, lightweight design, plus Shark’s flexology technology, which means a flexible wand bends at the touch of a button to reach underneath low-lying beds, sofas and coffee tables with no need to lift them or bend down.” Thanks to Amazon, there’s no better time to invest.
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