Stay up to date with notifications from The Independent

Notifications can be managed in browser preferences.

Liveupdated

The Independent's journalism is supported by our readers. When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn commission. 

Black Friday 2024 live: Best discounts today from Ninja to Nintendo

Top retailers start their Black Friday sales early with offers on PlayStation 5, Kindle and Dyson

Steve Hogarty
Tech writer
Tuesday 26 November 2024 11:52 GMT
Some of our top-rated tech, home and beauty products are cheaper than ever in the sale
Some of our top-rated tech, home and beauty products are cheaper than ever in the sale (The Independent)

We’re still a few days away from Black Friday, but that hasn’t stopped the likes of Argos, Amazon, Currys, Boots and Shark kicking off their sales early. To stay on top of the latest discounts, our IndyBest liveblog will be bringing you the latest and best new deals as they drop.

Whether you’re looking to stock up on beauty essentials, replace your old laptop or invest in a new mattress, the IndyBest team are compiling hundreds of deals in our Black Friday shopping guides. But for real-time updates on discounts and news as it drops, our liveblog has you covered.

Whether you’re after a TV, toys, jewellery or furniture, the biggest price drops aren’t necessarily the most impressive. The best deals are on products that are actually worth your money, so we’ll make sure to bring you offers on items we’ve tested ourselves.

So far, Dyson’s Black Friday sale has discounted the cultairwrap, Sony has discounted the price of the PS5 Slim to an all-time low and Pandora has just launched its sale with up to 30 per cent off jewellery. Elsewhere, you can find bargains at John Lewis, Argos, Lookfantastic and more. It’s shaping up to be one of the biggest Black Friday sales ever.

Read more: Best Black Friday deals to shop, according to a shopping expert

Why is it called Black Friday?

The first use of Black Friday dates back to the Fifties in Philadelphia, where the local police department coined the term to describe the huge traffic jams, overcrowded pavements and mobbed stores in the city on the day after Thanksgiving.

It wasn’t until the 1980s that the phrase caught on in the rest of America, and was used as a marketing ploy to promote the consumer event and encourage sales. It was then deployed as a reference to the financial status of stores, as they went from being “in the red” to “in the black” as profits increased.

It has since become one of the biggest shopping events in the calendar – not just in the United States, but also in the UK and other parts of the world.

While it was once just a one-day sale, it’s now evolved into a four-day bonanza, and in some cases, it spans the entire month of November, with deals on tech, beauty, home appliances, fashion, toys and much more.

Daisy Lester24 November 2024 11:25

The best Black Friday travel deals for 2024

With Black Friday almost here, get prepared to tick iconic destinations off your travel bucket list in 2025 by bagging a bargain on short- and long-haul journeys in the Black Friday sales – whether you’re dreaming of European city breaks or trips to the Caribbean.

The Black Friday weekend is the ideal opportunity to score discounts on hotel stays, flights and all-inclusive package holidays – and this year is no different. Budget travellers will be able to save hundreds on their next trip with travel deals expected from providers such as British Airways, Eurostar, Jet2holidays and Royal Caribbean.

Travel writer Natalie has rounded up everything you need to know about the travel Black Friday sales below:

Black Friday travel deals 2024

Here’s where to shop the best Black Friday 2024 travel deals

Daisy Lester24 November 2024 10:00

My top Black Friday shopping tips to help you get the best deals in the sale

If you’re ever looking to save bundles of cash on tech, fashion, stuff for the home or kitchen gadgets, Black Friday is a date you absolutely need to bookmark. The mammoth sale, which takes place this month, sees all the hottest products plummet in price.

The IndyBest team have been covering and tracking discounts in the Black Friday sales for years now. Trust us, it really is the best time to find a super discount on items for yourself or gifts for Christmas.

For our tips and tricks, check out our Black Friday cheat sheet below:

My Black Friday shopping tips to help you get the best deals

I’ve been covering the Black Friday sales for the past eight years, here’s everything I’ve learned

Daisy Lester24 November 2024 09:00

The Kindle paperwhite is at its lowest ever price

But, as any bookworm will know, Kindles don’t come cheap – until Black Friday that is. For its 2024 event, Amazon has slashed the price of the flagship Kindle by more than 20 per cent, bringing the price down to less than £130.

Kindle paperwhite: Was £159.99, now £124.99, Amazon.co.uk

(Amazon)

Bookworms, you can get the Kindle at its cheapest-ever price right now. Considered the best ereader in our review, The Independent’s tech critic David Phelan praised the device for being “really exceptional (gaining the top spot in this round-up)”. He added: “The front light has also been improved recently, to make it subtler and adjustable in terms of warmth as well as brightness. Like the oasis, the paperwhite is waterproof – it’s able to withstand submersion in 2m of water for up to an hour.”

Daisy Lester24 November 2024 08:00

Save £150 on Sage’s barista express coffee machine

Our tester named this fancy Sage barista the best bean-to-cup coffee machine in their review. Now, you can snap it up in John Lewis’s Black Friday sale with a discount just shy of £130.

Barista express bean-to-cup coffee machine: Was £629.99, now £495, Johnlewis.com

(Sage)

“You can tinker with the settings to your heart’s content, including the grind size of the bean and the volume of coffee, plus, of course, creating microfoam, using the steam wand”, our reviewer noted. “We found we made dreamy cups of coffee with little fuss right from the get-go”, they added. What more could you want when making your morning brew?

Daisy Lester24 November 2024 06:00

This teeth whitening powder is on sale

There are so many products on the market right now, from teeth whitening strips and gel pens to toothpaste and LED devices – all designed to remove those stubborn yellow stains from your teeth, and with minimal expense at that.

A product that avoids ingredients such as fluoride and hydrogen peroxide, tester Amira loves MySweetSmile’s teeth whitening powder – and now it’s on sale for Black Friday.

MySweetSmile teeth whitening powder: Was £24.99, now £18.17, Amazon.co.uk

(MySweetSmile)

Taking the top spot in our review of the best teeth whitening kits, it was found to be “pleasant to use, with no issues of sensitivity – thanks to the inclusion of strontium chloride”, with our beauty tester nothing that she had a “naturally upgraded white smile after just a couple of weeks’ use”.

Daisy Lester24 November 2024 04:00

My favourite budget mascara is on sale

Proving that you don’t need to spend a fortune on excellent make-up, Maybelline mascaras are a cult favourite for good reason. The brand’s sky high mascara had a big viral moment on TikTok a few years ago – and is the ultimate for natural yet impressive-looking lashes.

Maybelline New York lash sensational sky high mascara: Was £12.99, now £8.84, Amazon.co.uk

(Boots/The Independent)

Maybelline’s New York sensational sky high mascara boasts a uniquely designed brush that’s long, thin and densely packed with tiny little plastic bristles. This makes it ideal for getting to hard-to-reach areas and easy to manoeuvre from all angles with minimal mess. In Sarah’s in-depth review of the mascara, she raved about the tiny bristles that line the wand, which she found “helped comb through each and every lash – yes, even those pesky ones right in the corner”. You can pick it up for nearly half price right now.

Daisy Lester24 November 2024 02:00

The best deals in the Boots Black Friday 2024 sale

Boots kicked off its Black Friday 2024 sale an entire month early, and I can confirm it’s mega.

With offers on everything from haircare and make-up to anti-ageing skincare and more, it’s time to start browsing your favourite products (be it Clinique’s black honey almost lipstick or the Huda beauty setting powder).

The full Black Friday sale doesn’t officially kick off until the final Friday of November, after Thanksgiving, and the reductions will continue throughout the weekend, finishing on Cyber Monday (2 December).

If you want to get ahead of the action, Boots has reduced the price of more than 22,000 products across premium beauty, fragrance, electrical beauty, and much more. Our beauty writer, Lucy, has rounded up her favourite deals below.

Daisy Lester24 November 2024 01:00

Save £100 on the Oura gen3 ring this Black Friday

“If you’re looking for a sleep tracker, activity tracker or just want to know as much as you can about your body, then the gen 3 Oura ring will tick a lot of your boxes, in one tiny package,” Kat said in her review of the fitness device. With six different coloured rings available (from silver to gold), it’s a more stylish choice than a Fitbit or Garmin.

Oura gen3 horizon smart ring: Was £349, now £249, Amazon.co.uk

(Oura)

When Kat tested the device out, she was impressed with its battery life and sleep insights, as well as fertility and period tracking. Right now, you can save nearly 30 per cent thanks to Amazon and John Lewis (Johnlewis.com), which have both reduced the ring down to its lowest ever price.

The Oura ring 3 is my favourite wearable – and it’s never been cheaper

This Black Friday deal means there’s never been a better time to buy the health monitor

Daisy Lester23 November 2024 23:00

Ninja has slashed its price on air fryers for Black Friday

Ninja’s Black Friday sale has officially launched, and with it comes some sizzling savings on air fryer. Case in point: this copper model, which is a new and improved version of the AF400UK, and featured in our round-up of the best air fryers.

Ninja deluxe foodi dual-zone air fryer AF451UKDBCP: Was £269.99, now £189.99, Ninja.co.uk

(ninja)

This new model includes the same generous capacity and six pre-set functions but also claims to cook food up to 75 per cent faster than a regular oven while using 75 per cent less fat than traditional frying. This discounted bundle includes silicone tongs, an apron, two non-stick drawers, two non-stick crisper plates, a digital cooking probe and a recipe guide.

Daisy Lester23 November 2024 22:00

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in