Black Friday and Cyber Monday 2026, without the guesswork.

The dates

Many stores start their sales well before Black Friday and run them past Cyber Monday, so there is more time to compare than the headlines suggest.

• Thursday, November 26: Thanksgiving.
• Friday, November 27: Black Friday.
• Saturday, November 28: Small Business Saturday.
• Monday, November 30: Cyber Monday.

Tell a real price drop from a relabelled one

A percentage off only means something if the starting price is one the store really charged. The Federal Trade Commission's pricing guides say a regular price should be a price at which the item was genuinely offered, but not every crossed-out price meets that standard.

Look the item up at two or three other sellers, note the size, color and model, and use a price-history tool if the item has one. If the sale price is the price it has had for months, it is not a Black Friday deal.

Before you check out

• Read the return policy. Some stores extend return windows for holiday orders, others mark sale items final sale.
• Add up shipping and import charges. A free-shipping threshold or a duty bill can cancel a saving.
• Check the exact model. Doorbusters are sometimes cheaper versions of the product you looked at.
• Check the delivery date. If it is a gift, count back from the day you need it.

Stay safe while you shop

The biggest risks are fake stores, phishing messages that look like order alerts and reused passwords. Type the store's address yourself instead of following an unexpected message, use a different strong password for every account, and pay by credit card where you can, since card disputes are usually easier than debit disputes.

A VPN helps on public Wi-Fi, but it does nothing about phishing or weak passwords, which is why a password manager does more for most people. Our online privacy page explains the difference.

How Shopwise24 fits in

We do not sell anything and we do not publish prices that go out of date. We check the stores, say what each is good for and what to watch for, and link you to the store. If you buy through some of our links we may earn a commission, at no extra cost to you. Read our affiliate disclosure.

Browse the stores we have checked, then compare before you buy.