Which? has suggested that "holidays may be one area where Black Friday does deliver genuine savings."
The consumer advice company recorded the prices of 140 holidays and flights on Black Friday 2023 from 14 different companies, before checking those prices again two weeks later, and once more in early January, to see if the Black Friday discounts remained genuinely the best over time.
Which? found that just over seven in 10 deals (73 per cent) were cheaper on Black Friday 2023 than after the event had passed – slightly less than the previous year (i.e. Black Friday 2022), when it found nine in ten deals (88 per cent) were cheapest on Black Friday.
A spokesperson said: "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 on Black Friday."
According to Which?, in terms of package holidays specifically, Tui and Jet2 Black Friday deals "provide the best chances of securing a holiday saving" that is genuine.
As for flight bookings, British Airways and Ryanair could provide genuine Black Friday deals, said Which?.
Which? pointed to the example (from the study of 2023's Black Friday and ensuing dates) of a British Airways flight to Oslo that was half price (£69) in the Black Friday sales that year compared to booking in January (of 2024), when the same flight was £135.
The findings come in contrast to Black Friday shopping more widely (separately to holidays), where Which? research found nine in ten (92 per cent) of Black Friday deals were "duds."
Those findings were based on a comparison of 2023 Black Friday prices to pricing history six months before and six months after the day itself.
That research is available to read about at https://www.which.co.uk/news/article/black-friday-deals-exposed-as-duds-aoK6u3j2suyu
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