Black Friday returns and refunds: your UK rights

Bought online: 14 days to change your mind

The Consumer Contracts Regulations 2013 give you the right to cancel most online (and phone or mail-order) purchases for any reason:

• When: from the moment you order until 14 days after the goods arrive. You don’t need to give a reason, and it applies to sale items too.
• Sending it back: you then have 14 days to return the goods. You usually pay the return postage if the retailer told you so before you bought; if it didn’t, the retailer pays.
• Your refund: due within 14 days of the retailer getting the goods back, or of you showing proof that you’ve sent them, whichever is sooner. It must include the original delivery charge, up to the cost of the cheapest standard delivery the retailer offered.
• Deductions: the retailer can take money off if you handled the item more than you’d need to in a shop to see what it is and how it works.

What isn’t covered: personalised or made-to-order items, perishable goods, items with a hygiene seal (such as cosmetics) and sealed audio, video or software once you’ve unsealed them, and digital downloads once you’ve agreed to start them.

Bought in a shop: it’s the shop’s policy

The 14-day right only covers buying at a distance. If you bought in a shop and simply changed your mind, you can return it only if the shop’s own returns policy allows it. Many retailers offer longer returns windows over Christmas, but that’s their choice and terms vary, so keep your receipt and check the policy before you buy.

Faulty items: 30 days for a full refund

Under the Consumer Rights Act 2015, goods must be of satisfactory quality, fit for purpose and as described, whether you paid full price or a sale price, online or in a shop:

• Within 30 days of getting the item, you can reject it for a full refund.
• After 30 days, the retailer normally gets one chance to repair or replace it before you can ask for a refund.
• The exception: a fault you were told about before you bought. Check the listing carefully on items sold as seconds, refurbished or ex-display.

The price dropped after you bought it

There’s no legal right to a refund of the difference. You do have two options:

• Ask. Some retailers will refund the difference or price-match if you contact them, under their own policies. It costs nothing to ask.
• Cancel and reorder. If you bought online and you’re still within the 14-day cancellation period, you can cancel, send the item back and buy again at the lower price. It’s more hassle, but it’s your right.

Before you reorder, check the new price really is lower than what you paid. Our Black Friday price checker shows every recorded price change for the retailers in our feeds.

Returns when you’ve stacked discounts

• Cashback: cashback sites normally cancel the cashback on anything you return, so expect it to disappear from your account. Reorder through the cashback site again if you cancel and rebuy.
• Gift cards: a refund for a cancelled online order goes back the same way you paid unless you agree otherwise. Paid with a gift card? Expect the refund on a gift card or store credit, not in your bank account.
• Voucher codes: if you return part of an order, the retailer may recalculate the refund if the rest no longer meets the code’s minimum spend. Check the code’s terms.

Extra protection when you pay by card

• Credit card, £100 to £30,000: under Section 75 of the Consumer Credit Act 1974, your card provider is equally responsible with the retailer if something goes wrong with a purchase in that range, such as goods that never arrive or a retailer that goes bust. The limits apply to the price of a single item, not your whole basket.
• Debit card or a cheaper item: your bank may be able to reverse the payment through the card scheme’s chargeback process. That’s a card-scheme rule rather than a legal right, so ask your bank.

To stretch your budget before you buy, the Black Friday stacking playbook and the guide to spotting fake discounts are the place to start.

How we make money: DealStacker is free. When you click through to a retailer and buy, we may earn a commission. It costs you nothing extra. More on how we make money.

Sources

We checked the facts in this guide against these pages on 24 October 2026. Fees and terms change, so check the company’s own site before you rely on them.

• Consumer Contracts Regulations 2013, reg. 28: goods you can't cancel
• Consumer Contracts Regulations 2013, reg. 30: the cancellation period
• Consumer Contracts Regulations 2013, reg. 34: refunds, delivery costs and deductions
• Consumer Contracts Regulations 2013, reg. 37: digital downloads
• Consumer Rights Act 2015, s. 9: satisfactory quality, and faults pointed out before you buy
• Consumer Rights Act 2015, s. 22: the 30-day right to reject (explanatory notes)
• Consumer Credit Act 1974, s. 75
• Which?: how to cancel an online order

Black Friday returns: FAQ

Can I return something I bought online on Black Friday?

Usually, yes. Under the Consumer Contracts Regulations you can cancel most online orders from the moment you order until 14 days after the goods arrive, for any reason, and you then have 14 days to send them back. Sale items get the same right. Exceptions include personalised items, perishable goods, and sealed hygiene items or sealed software and recordings once you've opened them.

Can I return something I bought in a shop on Black Friday if I change my mind?

Only if the shop's own returns policy allows it. The 14-day right to cancel covers online, phone and other distance purchases, not purchases made in a shop. Faulty goods are different: you have rights under the Consumer Rights Act wherever you bought them.

What if the price drops after I buy?

There's no legal right to the difference. But if you bought online and you're still within the 14-day cancellation period, you can cancel, return the item and reorder at the lower price. Some retailers will refund the difference or price-match if you ask, under their own policies.

Do I get my refund back on a gift card if I paid with one?

Usually. The law says a refund for a cancelled online order goes back the same way you paid unless you agree otherwise, so if you paid with a gift card, expect the refund to go back to a gift card or store credit rather than to your bank.

Is a faulty sale item covered?

Yes. Under the Consumer Rights Act 2015 goods must be of satisfactory quality, fit for purpose and as described, whether or not they were on sale. If an item is faulty you can reject it for a full refund within 30 days. The exception is a fault you were told about before you bought it, which is often the case with items sold as seconds or ex-display.