Earlier this week, the consumer champion warned that many retailers use dodgy sales tactics to lure consumers into making Black Friday purchases. But the group’s research found that one area where Black Friday does deliver genuine savings is holidays.
Which? researchers found seven in 10 deals were more expensive after the shopping event last year.
Which? tracked the prices of 140 flights and holidays (10 holidays and flights with 14 providers) on Black Friday 2023 (25 November), two weeks later on 15 December 2023, and again on 4 January 2024.
The companies Which? checked included Booking.com, British Airways, British Airways holidays, EasyJet, EasyJet holidays, Jet2, Jet2 holidays, Loveholidays, Ryanair, Tui Airways, Tui Holidays, Virgin Atlantic and Wizz Air.
The study found that just over seven in 10 (73%) deals were cheaper on Black Friday than after the event had passed. However, this was slightly less than the previous year, when it found nine in 10 (88%) deals were cheapest on Black Friday.
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While consumers should exercise caution – past performance offers no guarantee of finding genuine deals this year – the results are encouraging to those hoping to snap up a bargain in tomorrow’s (29 November) Black Friday event.
Where to find the best holiday deals
Which? found the best chances of securing a holiday saving were with Tui and Jet2 – last year, 100% of Tui holiday deals it checked were cheaper on Black Friday compared to in December and at the beginning of January, as were nine in 10 Jet2 holiday deals.
One of the best holiday savings Which? found was a discount of almost £300 on a Tui holiday to Tenerife. The holiday for two people, departing in August, could be snapped up for just £1,768 (£884 per person) on Black Friday, but the price had risen to £2,045 (£1,023 each) when Which? checked two weeks later, before dropping slightly to £1,889 (£950 per person) in early January.
Holidaymakers could also save more than £200 on an all-inclusive Jet2 break to Fuerteventura. The August break for two people was just £1,704 (£852 per person) on Black Friday, but rose to £1,938 (£969 each) two weeks later, before falling to £1,880 (£940 per person) in January.
Black Friday flight deals
For flight bookings, Black Friday was the best time to book a flight with British Airways of the dates Which? checked, and 70% of Ryanair flights were cheapest then too.
A British Airways flight to Oslo was half price in the Black Friday sales compared to booking in January. The flight, departing from Heathrow in March, was just £69 to book on Black Friday, before rising to £104 two weeks later, and climbing again to £135 in January.
Meanwhile, Ryanair flights for two from Stansted to Zagreb over Valentine’s Day (10-17 February) were more than £140 cheaper on Black Friday. The fare was just £181 (£91 per person) on Black Friday, before rising to £298 (£149 per person) two weeks later, and it rose again to £324 (£162 per person) in January.
It was a mixed bag with EasyJet and Jet2 flights, and in each case, approximately half the flights Which? checked were cheapest on Black Friday, and the other half were cheapest in January.
Rory Boland, editor of Which? Travel, said: “While last year’s data suggests holidaymakers had a fair chance of making a saving on Black Friday, don’t feel pressured to book in the sale this year. When it comes to travel, it can be difficult to tell a deal from a dud – flight prices can fluctuate for all manner of reasons, as can holiday costs, and there’s no guarantee the savings we spotted last year will be repeated.
“What we do know from tracking thousands of holiday prices is that booking as far ahead as possible will generally beat booking last minute.
“Scammers are out in force this time of year, so if a deal looks too good to be true, think twice. Be particularly wary of deals advertised on social media, offers from unfamiliar companies, and accommodation listings urging payment by bank transfer.”
