Black Friday 2026: date, Black Week calendar and how to spot real deals

Black Friday 2026 is on Friday, November 27, 2026, and Cyber Monday is on Monday, November 30, 2026. Many retailers don't wait for Friday: they often kick off a "Black Week" from Monday, November 23, and some start even earlier. The weekend of November 28–29 usually keeps the deals running in between.

Below you'll find the exact calendar, the dates for the next few years, which products tend to drop (and which don't), the European rule on "was" prices, and a four-week plan so you're ready when the sales start.

Black Friday and Cyber Monday 2026 calendar

Only Black Friday and Cyber Monday are fixed dates. How long Black Week or Cyber Week lasts is up to each retailer.

Date	Event	Good to know
Monday, November 23, 2026	Common start of Black Week	A frequent starting point, though some stores begin sooner
Thursday, November 26, 2026	US Thanksgiving	The holiday that sets the Black Friday date
Friday, November 27, 2026	Black Friday	Peak of the deals, in store and online
Saturday–Sunday, November 28–29, 2026	Black Friday weekend	Offers are usually extended
Monday, November 30, 2026	Cyber Monday	The last big day, traditionally focused on online shopping and tech

For everything about the final day, see our Cyber Monday 2026 guide.

Why is Black Friday on November 27 this year?

Black Friday is the day after US Thanksgiving, which is always the fourth Thursday of November. In 2026, Thanksgiving is Thursday, November 26, so Black Friday lands on Friday, November 27. Cyber Monday always follows three days later.

That means Black Friday can never fall earlier than November 23 or later than November 29. The date moves each year, but it's easy to work out in advance.

Black Friday dates for 2027 and 2028

Year	Thanksgiving	Black Friday	Cyber Monday
2026	Thursday, November 26	Friday, November 27	Monday, November 30
2027	Thursday, November 25	Friday, November 26	Monday, November 29
2028	Thursday, November 23	Friday, November 24	Monday, November 27

Black Week 2026: when do the sales really start?

Black Friday has gradually stretched well beyond a single day. Many retailers now run a full week of offers, or several waves of deals throughout November. There is no official start date: each store sets its own schedule.

• Monday, November 23 is a common kick-off for Black Week.
• Some retailers go earlier, with "early access" or members-only deals.
• Offers can change daily: a product that isn't discounted on Monday may be on Friday, and vice versa.

Also worth keeping an eye on: Singles Day on November 11, which sometimes opens the season's first promotions.

What actually gets cheaper on Black Friday?

There's no reliable "average discount" to count on: it depends on the product, the retailer and what the price was in the preceding weeks. That said, some general patterns come up year after year.

Products that often drop

• Mainstream tech: TVs, headphones and earbuds, smartwatches, tablets.
• Big platforms' own-brand devices (smart speakers, e-readers, streaming sticks), which are regularly featured.
• Small appliances: robot vacuums, air fryers, coffee machines.
• Previous-generation models that retailers want to clear.

Products that rarely drop much

• Brand-new releases, whose price often holds steady for months.
• High-demand or short-supply items.
• Products with a "permanent sale": a crossed-out price shown all year round isn't a real discount.

Wondering whether the event is worth it at all? Read our take on whether Black Friday is really cheaper.

Fake discounts: the inflated price trick and the 30-day rule

The best-known tactic is to raise the price a few weeks before the event, then advertise a big discount that simply brings the product back to its usual price. The percentage looks impressive; the actual saving is zero.

What the EU Omnibus rule says

Since May 28, 2022, the EU "Omnibus" Directive has required that any announced price reduction shows the prior price, defined as the lowest price the seller charged during at least the 30 days before the reduction. In France, where UniverTrack is based, this is written into article L112-1-1 of the Consumer Code with a 30-day window. In practice, a price bumped up a week before Black Friday cannot legally be used as the "was" price for shoppers in the EU. Other countries, including the UK and the US, have their own rules on reference pricing.

We explain how it works, and its exceptions, in our guide to the Omnibus 30-day price rule.

Where the protection falls short

• An older price hike (more than 30 days before) isn't caught by the rule.
• Successive reductions are measured from the price before the first cut, which can make labels harder to read.
• Comparisons with other sellers' prices are not price-reduction announcements under the French article.
• Not every retailer complies: French shoppers can report a suspicious practice on SignalConso, the consumer authority's platform.

So the only dependable check is the product's price history over several months. Our fake Black Friday deals guide lists the red flags.

How to prepare for Black Friday 2026: a four-week plan

The best deal is prepared before Black Week, not during it. Here's a simple schedule based on the November 2026 calendar.

1. Week of November 2: make your list. Stick to products you actually need, with the exact model (reference, storage size, color). Set a maximum budget for each item.
2. Week of November 9: record reference prices. Look at each product's price history over several months and note the lowest price seen. That's your real benchmark, not the crossed-out price.
3. Week of November 16: watch for suspicious increases. A product that gets pricier just before the event is a warning sign. Set a target price for each item and turn on a price drop alert.
4. Week of November 23: buy at the right moment. Only buy if the price reaches or gets close to your target. If it hasn't by Friday, November 27, wait for Cyber Monday on November 30 before deciding.

Black Friday or Cyber Monday: which is better?

There's no universal answer. Black Friday usually has the largest number of offers, while Cyber Monday has traditionally been linked to online shopping and tech. In reality the line has blurred: many deals run from Friday through Monday, and others appear or vanish along the way.

The smarter approach is to compare today's price with the product's history, not with the day of the week. If something hits its all-time low on Tuesday, November 24, there's no reason to wait for Friday.

Checklist before you check out

• Is it exactly the right model? Some products come in near-identical versions with different references.
• Is the price below the lowest of recent months, not just below the crossed-out price?
• Is the seller trustworthy? On marketplaces, check who sells and who ships.
• Have you included delivery fees and add-ons in your comparison?
• Are the return terms clear? In the EU, most online purchases come with a 14-day withdrawal period as a general rule.
• Does it fit your budget, or is the countdown timer making the decision?

Tracking prices without spending your evenings on store websites

Checking prices by hand for a dozen products quickly gets tedious. UniverTrack can save you that time: paste a product link (Amazon, Cdiscount, and other retailer sites depending on the page), and it checks the price automatically on a regular schedule, keeps a dated price history and emails you when your target price is reached.

During Black Week, UniverTrack's "good time to buy" indicator helps you decide quickly, and fake-discount detection (Malin plan and up) flags reductions calculated from an inflated price. The 14-day free trial, with no commitment, comfortably covers Black Friday if you start in early November.