Cyber Monday vs Black Friday: Which UK 2024 sale has better deals?
Cyber Monday is here, but how does it differ from Black Friday?
Well so long, farewell Black Friday and hello, welcome Cyber Monday!
As they say, one door closes and a new sales window opens, so how about we dive straight into this holiday?
Over the years, Black Friday and Cyber Monday have gone from two very distinct days to one big confusing mess with many people asking what's the difference?
Evidently, many shoppers still use Cyber Monday as the day to scoop up some new tech – and with payday just gone we don't blame you.
On average US consumers spend around $12.4 billion on Cyber Monday each year, and last year online shopping activity increased by 512% on Cyber Monday compared to the average day (as reported by Exploding Topics).
Below, we've outlined exactly what you can expect from this year's Cyber Monday and how it differs from all the Black Friday sales just gone. Plus, a list of our top retailers so far.
Take a look at the Xbox Cyber Monday deals and the full list of Cyber Monday start and end dates.
Jump to:
- What is the difference between Cyber Monday and Black Friday?
- When do Black Friday deals end and Cyber Monday deals start?
- Which UK retailers have the best Cyber Monday deals live?
What is the difference between Cyber Monday and Black Friday UK 2024 sales?
Historically, Black Friday was almost entirely in person while Cyber Monday was centred around shopping online. The holiday was invented in 2005 after the National Retail Federation realised the Monday after Thanksgiving saw a huge increase in e-commerce traffic.
Cyber Monday was also designed to focus on technology deals, i.e. computers and gaming, while Black Friday was all about those big-ticket purchases like sofas and white goods.
Nowadays, it’s a very different ball game. With technology deals and discounts lasting throughout the whole of November, Cyber Monday is now seen more as the end of Black Friday rather than its own event.
However, that doesn’t mean there won’t be new deals to find. According to Queue-it, in 2023 electronics accounted for 53% of online shopping searches. Within that the biggest categories were mobile devices (57%), desktop (33%), and tablets (1%) – so you can be sure retailers will take advantage of this with their offerings.
So far, we've seen some excellent mobile savings from the likes of Very and Currys, with even the iPhone 16 going on sale. Plus, gaming devices like the Nintendo Switch and PS5 Pro are now discounted.
Cyber Monday has also become a moment in the spotlight for beauty and fashion retailers. High-end brands like Charlotte Tilbury and Michael Kors use this day to put out some of their best deals yet, as do the more mid-range options like H&M or Regatta.
By entering your details, you are agreeing to our terms and conditions and privacy policy. You can unsubscribe at any time.
When do Black Friday deals end and Cyber Monday deals start?
Cyber Monday officially started on Monday 2nd December, bringing an end to Black Friday weekend.
However, for most retailers, the Black Friday/Cyber Monday saga blends into one with all deals closing at midnight tonight.
That being said, some retailers will always keep their deals running for a while longer, so make sure you check to see if there any deals left hanging around.
Which UK retailers have the best Cyber Monday deals live?
Currys guarantees lowest prices for Cyber Monday
To combat the rise in cynicism around Black Friday and Cyber Monday in recent years, Currys has guaranteed that none of their deals have been cheaper at any point in the last six months. The retailer is calling on this to be a new "minimum standard" of Cyber Monday sales after their survey found that 65% of Brits believed it was a con.
Some of their best offers include £20 off the iPhone 16 plus a free VOXI SIM, £35 off the Xbox Series X and EA Sports FC bundle, £600 off the LG OLED TV and (just for fun) £32 off the Ember Smart Mug.
Samsung offers over £200 off premium smartphones
In Samsung's Cyber Monday sale, you can get £200 off the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 6 and £250 off the Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra – AKA their biggest and best phones of 2024. Plus savings on their flagship tablets, smartwatches, TVs and more. The Samsung sale ends on 3rd December so you have a bit longer to shop around.
Shop Samsung Cyber Monday sale
Get Apple AirPods from £99
We've seen plenty of enticing AirPods offers at John Lewis, Currys and more. From the AirPods 3rd generation reduced to £99, to 10% off the brand-new AirPods 4, plus we've even found a discount on the AirPods 2 Pro. More of this in our AirPods Cyber Monday guide.
- Buy Apple AirPods (3rd generation) for
£139£99 (save £40 or 28%) at Currys - Buy Apple AirPods (4th generation) for
£129£116.10 (save £12.90 or 10%) at John Lewis - Buy Apple AirPods Pro (2nd generation) for
£229£179 (save £50 or 21%) at Very
Get the PS5 Slim for its lowest-ever price
PlayStation's Cyber Monday sale reduced the PS5 Slim by £65, but we've found an even better £80 deal on the device, which takes it down to its lowest ever price. The Disc version is now on sale for £399.99 and the Digital for £309.99.
- Buy the PS5 Disc for
£479.99£399.99 (save £79 or 17%) at John Lewis - Buy the PS5 Digital for
£389.99£309.99 (save £80 or 21%) at John Lewis
Get up to 40% off Pandora
Pandora's Cyber Monday sale ends at midnight tonight and includes up to 40% off jewellery like the Knotted Heart ring and viral Firefly charm.
Shop Pandora Cyber Monday sale
Save 15% on Hotel Chocolat
At Hotel Chocolat, you can get 15% off when you use the code 'BLACKFRIDAY24.' This applies to gift sets and viral products like the Hot Chocolate Velvetiser.
Shop Hotel Chocolat Cyber Monday sale
Get books for half price at Waterstones
As we flagged in our Waterstones Black Friday article, the bookseller has up to 50% off this Cyber Monday. Highlights include We Solve Murders by Richard Osman, You Are Here by David Nicholls and Tackle! by Jilly Cooper from the Rivals Disney Plus series.
Shop Waterstones Cyber Monday deals
Up to £70 off Ninja appliances
Ninja is on sale this Cyber Monday, from their much-loved Double Stack Airfryer to the immensely popular Ninja Creami.
LEGO launches Cyber Monday sale with up to 40% off
LEGO's Cyber Monday sale includes up to 40% off Christmas sets like the Christmas Wreath and Table Decoration, plus the iconic Marvel and Disney sets like this LEGO Wolverine. They have also just released the new LEGO Mona Lisa, more of this in the LEGO Black Friday guide.
Nintendo Switch sits at the lowest price of 2024
Not only has Nintendo launched its own Cyber Monday sale with many deals and bundles, but you can also find top savings on the Nintendo Switch, Switch Lite and Switch OLED across different retailers. You can check out our full guide to the Nintendo Switch Cyber Monday deals.
- Nintendo Switch for
£259.99£249.99 (save £10 or 3%) at John Lewis - Nintendo Switch Lite for
£199.99£185 (save £14.99 or 7%) at Amazon - Nintendo Switch OLED for
£309.99£279.99 (save £30 or 9%) at Amazon
Tonies now with 20% off discount
The beloved children's audio player, the Toniebox, has gone on sale for 20% off, as have many of its choose-your-own bundles.
You can also find the PS5 Controller Cyber Monday deals, iPad Cyber Monday deals and Meta Quest 3 Cyber Monday deals.
