Black Friday TV Deals: How to Spot a Real Bargain
Black Friday TV deals can be brilliant or a fast way to overspend on the wrong model. This guide helps you compare like-for-like, check the price is genuinely lower, and decide if the ‘saving’ is worth the hours of your life it costs.
When people search black friday tv deals, they usually want one of two things:
- A genuinely lower price on a TV they already want.
- A fast way to pick a good TV without getting lost in specs.
This article is built for both. It’s UK-focused, brand-agnostic, and designed to keep you calm while everyone else is rushing.
The simple rule
Key PointStart With Your Non-Negotiables (So You Don’t Buy Twice)
Before you chase discounts, decide what you actually need. The fastest way to waste money is to buy a TV that’s wrong for your room, then pay again to replace it.
1) Screen size
- Measure the space where the TV will sit and the distance from your sofa.
- Decide if you want a “cinema feel” or just a comfortable everyday screen.
- Be honest about furniture: a 65-inch TV can look great, but it can also dominate a small room.
2) What you watch most
- Sport: motion handling matters more than ultra-high brightness claims.
- Films and box sets: contrast and black levels matter.
- Gaming: look for features like HDMI 2.1 (for some consoles/PC setups), low input lag, and variable refresh rate support.
3) Your real budget (including the hidden extras)
TV purchases often quietly pull in extra spending: wall mounts, HDMI cables, soundbars, delivery, and recycling. If your budget is tight, set a “TV plus extras” ceiling and stick to it.
How to Tell if a Black Friday TV Deal Is Real
Black Friday marketing is loud. Your job is to make it boring: verify the price drop, check the model number, and compare like-for-like.
Step A: Match the exact model number
Two TVs can look identical on a listing page but be different models (different panel type, refresh rate, speakers, ports, or processor). If you can’t find the full model number, treat it as a yellow flag.
Step B: Check price history (not just “was £X”)
Some discounts are based on a higher “reference” price that the TV rarely sold for. A quick price-history check helps you avoid paying a normal price with a dramatic label.
Use a tracker and look for:
- Whether the “deal” price has appeared recently
- How often the TV drops to roughly the same level
- Whether the Black Friday price is a genuine low, or just typical
If you want an official UK view on pricing transparency (including tactics like hiding or splitting fees), the Competition and Markets Authority has clear guidance: CMA guidance on clear and accurate prices.
Step C: Compare total cost, not headline price
- Delivery fees (especially for large screens)
- Extended warranties (often optional, sometimes pushed hard)
- Installation or wall-mounting
Reality check
Key PointA Calm Way to Decide: Convert the Deal Into Hours Worked
Quick Check
Is this TV deal worth your time?
Enter the deal price and your take-home hourly pay. If the hours feel too expensive, consider sleeping on it.
That TV costs you
0.0 hours
If you buy it weekly
That’s 0.0 hours of take-home time every week.
This is a personal decision tool. It doesn’t tell you what to do. It simply makes the trade-off clear.
Prices are abstract. Hours aren’t. When you convert a TV into time, the decision becomes more personal:
- If you love films and you’ll use it every day, it may feel worth it.
- If it’s mostly about a discount badge, the hours may feel too expensive.
This is the same idea behind 118M8’s “Clock it” (Wait game): turning prices into hours so you can choose with confidence, without guilt.
Common Black Friday TV Traps (And How to Avoid Them)
Trap 1: The “special” model that isn’t the same as reviews
During major sales periods, it’s common to see model variations that are hard to compare. The listing might highlight the screen size and a brand name, while the model code differs from the well-reviewed version you’ve seen online.
Fix: only compare deals where you can confirm the exact model number. If you can’t, pause.
Trap 2: Paying for features you’ll never use
8K, ultra-high refresh rates, and premium sound can be brilliant, but only if they match your setup. If you mainly watch Freeview and Netflix, a mid-range 4K TV can be excellent.
Trap 3: Buying a TV that’s too big for your room
Huge screens are tempting because they make the “price per inch” look better. But if it forces you to rearrange the room or sit uncomfortably close, it becomes an expensive compromise.
Trap 4: The warranty upsell
Extended warranties can be useful for some people, but in the rush of Black Friday they’re often presented like a necessity. Read what it covers (and what it doesn’t), and compare the price against your own risk tolerance.
Where UK Shoppers Usually Find Black Friday TV Deals
Deal hubs change every year, but UK shoppers often check the big retailers first for TV discounts. If you’re browsing, start with a shortlist and check the exact model number across stores:
These links are here as starting points, not recommendations. The best retailer for you depends on delivery, installation, returns, and support.
Delivery, Setup, and Returns: The “After” Matters as Much as the Deal
A TV deal can become stressful if delivery is delayed or returns are awkward. Before you buy, check:
- Estimated delivery window
- Whether you need to be home (often yes for large items)
- Return method and costs (collection vs drop-off)
- Whether the retailer expects original packaging
If you want a straightforward explanation of your rights when shopping online in the UK (especially around returns and faulty goods), Citizens Advice has clear consumer guidance: Citizens Advice consumer help.
A Quick Checklist Before You Click Buy
- Model number: confirmed and matches what you researched
- Price history: looks like a genuine drop
- Specs: right size, right ports, right features for what you watch
- Total cost: includes delivery and any extras you’ll actually need
- Time cost: you’ve checked the hours worked and it still feels worth it
- Returns: you understand the policy before purchase
How 118M8 Helps You Stay Calm on Black Friday
118M8 is a mobile spending companion built to help you make decisions without judgment.
- Clock it: convert the TV price into hours worked (so you can feel the trade-off)
- Pause it: use “Sleep on it” to get a 24-hour reminder instead of impulse buying
- Spot it: if you’re a 118 118 Money credit card customer, you can see spending trends and categories to keep your bigger budget in view
If you want to see how it works before Black Friday gets loud, you can start here: 118M8 app overview.
Black Friday TV Deals FAQs
Are Black Friday TV deals actually cheaper?
Some are, some aren’t. The safest approach is to check the TV’s price history for at least a few weeks (ideally a few months), then compare the exact model number across retailers.
What’s the biggest mistake people make with Black Friday TV deals?
Buying a TV that looks similar to a well-reviewed model but isn’t the same model number. During sales, retailers sometimes sell ‘special’ versions with fewer features.
Is OLED always better than QLED?
Not always. OLED typically wins for deep blacks and viewing angles, while many LED/QLED models get brighter, which can suit sunny rooms and sports. The best choice depends on your room and what you watch.
When do the best TV deals usually appear in the UK?
Many retailers start early in November and run deals through Black Friday and Cyber Monday. The best ‘deal’ is often the one that matches your shortlist and budget, not the one with the biggest percentage badge.
Can I return a TV bought on Black Friday?
You usually can, but the rules depend on where you bought it and whether it’s faulty or simply unwanted. Check the retailer’s returns policy before you buy, and keep packaging until you’re sure you’re keeping the TV.
Stock images sourced via Unsplash.