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11 savvy ways to save as you spend this Black Friday
With Christmas on the horizon and endless sales tempting you to spend, there's no doubt November is an expensive month for many - but there are steps you can take to lessen the impact on your finances.
Whether you're in the market for a pair of socks or a TV, there are often ways of securing a lower price or earning on your spending.
Here, we outline the savviest ways to pay this Black Friday and Cyber Monday, and how to check if a deal is really worth it.
1. Only buy a Black Friday 'bargain' if you can afford it
It can be hard to resist discounts, especially when your favourite retailers are targeting you with online ads and enticing emails.
However, Which? research has shown year after year that discounted items will almost certainly be available for the same price or less in the weeks and months after Black Friday, so only buy things if you can afford (and genuinely want) them.
We've got an entire guide on how to avoid fake Black Friday deals, and you can also listen to more expert online shopping tips in the podcast below:
2. Earn as you spend with a cashback credit card...
If you're going to pull the trigger on your purchase, there are ways to get cashback on your spending. The most common method is to use a cashback credit card, which rewards you with a set percentage of cashback every time you buy something.
By putting your everyday spending on the card, you could potentially earn hundreds of pounds a year. But it's important to avoid spending more than you can afford to pay back at the end of the month, as the interest charges usually outweigh any rewards.
Which? analysts have named two cashback credit cards from American Express, which pay 5% cashback in the first three months, as Best Buys.
- Find out more: best cashback and reward credit cards November 2023
3. ...Or a cashback site
Cashback sites pay you a cash reward when you follow links from their sites to buy goods or financial products from selected retailers.
Websites such as Quidco and TopCashback offer cashback on a variety of goods and services, from mobile phones and car insurance to bank accounts and broadband.
When we checked we spotted up to 15% back at Currys, 10% with Very and 3% with Amazon on Top Cashback, while Quidco was offering up to 6.6% with John Lewis.
- Find out more: cashback sites explained
4. Check whether your current account pays cashback
Some debit and credit card providers offer their own cashback schemes.
Last week Monzo launched its own cashback scheme, typically offering between 2-10% with certain retailers including H&M, Currys and eBay.
Chase by JP Morgan offers cashback on most debit card spending for the first year after opening the account, capped at £15 per month. This means you won't need to try and keep on top of specific retailer offers that may change and expire each month.
- Find out more: best bank accounts for cashback 2023
5. Spread the cost
If you're in the market for a big-ticket item it might be worth using an interest-free purchase credit card.
These cards don't charge any interest for a set period of between three and 21 months, depending on which product you go for. The longest terms are usually available to those with the best credit scores.
The important caveat here is that you must meet your minimum monthly repayments in order to avoid paying interest.
You also need to have a plan for how you'll pay the full balance, so it's worth paying more than the minimum amount each month to clear the debt before the end of the interest-free period.
For example, if you bought an item for £150 and had a card which offered at least six months interest free, you could clear your debt by making payments of at least £25 every month.
- Find out more: best interest-free credit cards 2023
6. Use 'buy now, pay later' schemes wisely
Buy now, pay later (BNPL) schemes such as Klarna and Clearpay provide a form of short-term credit that has become hugely popular in recent years – especially during the cost of living crisis, as the schemes give you the option to spread the cost of items interest-free over one to three months.
If you do use BNPL, make sure you fully understand it and use it responsibly. This includes setting yourself a spending limit, checking the fees, putting in payment reminders and having a plan for your repayments.
Most BNPL schemes aren’t currently regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA). This means BNPL users have fewer protections if something goes wrong, and BNPL providers don’t have to follow the same rules as other credit providers.
Which? has been calling for urgent regulation of BNPL schemes for some time. The government has committed to regulating the BNPL market, but it was reported in July that plans could be shelved due to concerns some of the biggest providers could leave the UK market.
- Find out more: 'Buy now, pay later' schemes explained
7. Make sure you're paying the lowest available price
Before heading to the checkout, check to see if you can get any extra discounts on top. These days there are countless third-party voucher sites crammed with outdated codes that don't work, but there's one sneaky hack you can try.
Using quotation marks, Google "site:www.example.com discount", inserting the web address of the retailer you're shopping with where we've written example.com, and Google will only crawl the site you've entered in your search query. This means you'll only see results from the retailer website itself, which are much more likely to work than ones that have been posted on third-party sites.
You could also try using Coupert or Pouch, which are free online shopping tools that aim to automatically find and apply discount codes to your basket.
8. Sign up to the retailer's newsletter
Retailers often offer a discount on your first purchase if you sign up to their mailing list.
You can always unsubscribe once you've got the code and made your purchase, or set up an email account or folder specifically for promotional emails that you don't want to read.
You could also try downloading the retailer's app, as they'll sometimes offer app-exclusive discounts separate from those available on the website.
- Find out more: 15 Black Friday shopping tips
9. Try haggling - yes, really
It might sound unlikely but it's worth trying to haggle using online chat.
Some retailers will price-match competitors, so if you find an item cheaper elsewhere but would rather buy from a retailer you trust, you can ask them to match it - or even try for a bigger discount.
When our researchers tried online haggling in the past, one retailer knocked 20% off the item price for them.
- Find out more: how to get the best price when shopping online
10. Save on delivery
You can often save a few pounds by opting for click and collect rather than home delivery. Even if there isn't a branch of the store you're buying from nearby, there might be an option to collect from a local convenience store or pickup locker.
If you do want it delivered to your home but don't need your item in a hurry, make sure the cheapest delivery option is selected as some sites default to pricey next-day services.
And if you're shopping on Amazon, you don't always need to be a Prime member to get free delivery - eligible items will often qualify for free standard delivery if you spend over a certain amount (£10 on books, and £25 or more for other products).
- Find out more: best Amazon Black Friday deals, chosen by Which? experts
11. Know your rights
All credit cards offer Section 75 protection, meaning if you buy something costing between £100 and £30,000 the lender is equally liable if something goes wrong.
That being said, watch out for Section 75 protection traps - for example purchases by the secondary card holders are not protected, so it’s worth the primary holder making any big purchases.
When it comes to returns, surprising as it may seem, you don’t have an automatic right to return non-faulty items bought in-store (although most high street shops have voluntary policies, which may be more generous over Christmas).
If you buy online, you legally have 14 days from receipt to notify the retailer that you'd like to return the item, and another 14 days in which to do so. There are exceptions though, including for personalised items and products bought from some non-UK sites.
For faulty items, you have 30 days in which to claim a refund whether you bought online or in store.
If you're purchasing something as a gift for a loved one and they do want to return it, they'll need proof of purchase - so pop a receipt in the package if possible. Some stores offer gift receipts, which don't state the price.
- Find out more: I want to return my goods, what are my rights?
