Boxing Day sales: Best deals you can't afford to miss, Martin Lewis' shopping tips, more

The annual Boxing Day sales are in full swing, with huge discounts available on must-have gadgets, kitchenware, long-haul flights, clothing, household goods, and much more.

If you missed out on the best Black Friday deals last month, the Boxing Day sales are a superb opportunity to snag a bargain. While high street retailers had to wait until the early hours of December 26th to throw open their doors, a number of stores kickstarted the Boxing Day sales early online.

Before Black Friday became a worldwide phenomenon, shoppers in the UK would wait for the Boxing Day sales with bated breath for months. These once-a-year sales would see huge discounts as retailers tried to shift the stock filling their warehouses ready to start the next year with a clean slate.

For those who received some money under the Christmas tree, the Boxing Day sales are a great opportunity to secure some brilliant bargains.

Short on time? We’ve rounded up our top picks for the best deals in the Boxing Day sales that you cannot afford to miss below.

Scroll down for more information to help you become a bargain maestro, including timings for the sales, tips from bargain-hunting experts, advice from money-saving expert Martin Lewis, and more. Find our complete guide to the Boxing Day sales below, or use the links to jump to a relevant section. Happy shopping!

The vast number of discounts launched during the Boxing Day sales can be a little overwhelming. And honestly, not every deal will be worth your time.

To make things easier, we’ve sorted the wheat from the chaff.

Below, you’ll find the lowest prices and promotions on some of the most sought-after products as well as essentials like home broadband, flights and package holidays, pay monthly phones, Sky TV bundles, and much more. We’ll keep this guide updated as more Boxing Day sales are announced, so keep checking back.

Don’t want to miss a single Boxing Day sale? Don’t worry, we’ve rounded up a complete list of every online retailer taking part in the Boxing Day sales.

• Amazon: Discounts on thousands of items, available up to December 31st

• Boots: Get up to 50% off electricals, cosmetics, mothercare and baby

• SIMBA Sleep: Get up to 60% off premium hybrid mattresses, bedframes, bedding

• Oodie: Get 50% off everything site-wide

• Argos: Thousands of items discounted online and in-store

• ASOS: Get 20% off almost everything site-wide

• Pretty Little Thing: Get up to 70% off women’s clothing

• Ninja: £50 off air fryers and food processors, with free delivery nationwide

• Very: Discounts on electricals, gadgets, furniture, and homeware

• Superdrug: Discounts on skincare, perfumes, and haircare

• Samsung: Get £1,000 off Neo QLED TVs, plus up to £600 off with trade-in

• Virgin Media: Save £522 on full-fibre broadband in latest sale

• AO.com: Discounts on appliances, gadgets and electricals

• Easyjet: Get 20% off 700,000 flights around mainland Europe and beyond

• British Airways: Discounts on long-haul flights and package holidays

Don’t worry – it’s not just you, the Boxing Day sales really do start earlier and earlier each year.

Before online shopping became the most popular way to browse the sales, the Boxing Day sales were limited to December 26th. With high street shops shuttered on Christmas Day (December 25th), there was no way to access the discounts and deals until the following morning.

To compensate for this, many retailers would bring forward their opening times – often allowing the first bargain-hunters through the door at around 5am. Long queues would force hours before the doors opened, so shoppers could snag the best discounts and get the biggest choice of available stock.

These “doorbuster” sales share a lot in common with Black Friday sales in the United States, where retailers would slash prices to record lows to increase footfall in their stores and supercharge profits. To maximise their chances to secure the best deals, shoppers would queue outside of the shops for hours.

With the ubiquity of online shopping, retailers are no longer restricted to kickstarting their sales at 5am on Boxing Day itself. As such, most online stores launch their Boxing Day savings on Christmas Day – with splashy advertising campaigns in the commercial breaks on December 25th to show-off the best deals.

For those who don’t want to play another game of Monopoly (or speak to their loved ones), shopping from the sofa on a phone, iPad or laptop is a stress-free way to browse the best deals. It also means you don’t need to queue outside for hours with other sleep-deprived bargain-hunters.

This year, some online retailers have kickstarted their Boxing Day sales before Christmas Day – dramatically extending the lifespan of their biggest deals. It’s worth noting these deals are restricted to online shops. For example, Boots has launched its annual Boxing Day sales online …but everything remains at full price in-store until December 26th.

Most people associate Boxing Day with Christmas dinner leftovers, outdoor walks, and queuing outside shops waiting for the doors to open for the sales. But why?

Traditionally, Boxing Day, also known as St Stephen’s Day, was most associated with charity. After the gifts of Christmas Day, families would put together charitable boxes and hand them in at their local church to be distributed to those in need.

By the 18th century, Boxing Day became tied to outdoor activities. While Christmas Day was designed for families to stay cooped up indoors, opening presents, playing games, and gorging on food… Boxing Day became associated with getting back outside and away from the house. Aristocratic sports – hunting, horse-racing, shooting – became intrinsically tied to the day after Christmas.

In the 19th century, the sport most closely associated with Boxing Day was professional football – a link that endures to this day.

The link between December 26th and sales is believed to originate with employers giving their workers a “Christmas box” filled with gifts and bonuses on the day after Christmas.

Over time, this tradition evolved into the modern concept of Boxing Day sales, where retailers offer discounts and promotions to attract shoppers looking for post-Christmas deals. In the United Kingdom, Boxing Day has become one of the busiest shopping days of the year, with many retailers offering significant discounts on a wide range of products, from clothing and electronics to home goods and appliances.

It wasn’t until 1974 that December 26th was recognised as an additional bank holiday, although it wasn’t common for people to work on that date for many years. People would often take off Boxing Day to watch football and spend more time with family, its status as a bank holiday just meant that workers could bank an extra day of annual leave.

In the 1990s, Prime Minister John Major changed the Sunday trading laws to allow retailers to stay open throughout the weekend. Until then, Sunday – the designated day of rest for those in the Christian faith – had forced all shops to close in the UK. By amending the law in 1994, Major opened the door to retailers to open their doors on bank holidays too.

As well as the UK, Boxing Day is closely associated with sales in Canada, Australia, Trinidad and Tobago, and New Zealand.

Martin Lewis – who regularly tops surveys as the most trusted man in Britain – has some very memorable advice for anyone shopping in the sales.

Lewis, who launched the MoneySavingExpert blog back in 2003 to help Britons discover the best savings accounts, credit card perks, mortgage deals and more, is taking time off until early January so hasn’t specifically addressed the Boxing Day sales. However, the ITV pundit issued some brilliant advice around Black Friday just a few weeks ago that still applies to the Boxing Day sales too.

The 50-year-old campaigner says: “If you were going to buy it anyway and it’s half price, you’ve saved 50%. If you weren’t going to buy it, but do because it’s half price you’ve wasted 100%.”

In other words: if you know exactly what you need to buy in the Boxing Day sales – you can enjoy some incredible savings, but if you don’t need anything, it might be worth passing on the bargains no matter the discount.

In the last few months, Martin Lewis has been in serious demand, hosting a number of special editions of The Martin Lewis Show on ITV to help Britons save money on bills during the current cost-of-living crisis. Lewis also hosts a radio show, which is repackaged as a podcast, on BBC Five Live. Using both of these platforms, Martin Lewis has explained the impact of the latest Autumn Statement on households across the country.

In a recent appearance, MoneySavingExpert Martin Lewis recommended using an electric blanket as a way to stay warm during the cold winter months, since using central heating costs are spiralling compared to previous years. In his guide, Lewis revealed that most electric blankets only cost as little as 3p per hour to power. Unsurprisingly, the advice saw Google searches for heated blankets have shot up by 750 percent this year, while searches for electric blankets were up by 566 percent.

Whether you’re looking for a particular product, or simply want to make sure you can spot the record-breaking deals from the duds, we’ve rounded up the best tips and tricks to help you become a Boxing Day sales master.

The easiest way to guarantee that you get everything you wanted in the Boxing Day sales is to know exactly what you’re looking for. Sounds obvious, right?

But as that credit card starts to burn a hole in your pocket as you see the thousands of discounted items calling to you… it can be difficult to stick strictly to your list.

First, Boxing Day sales shoppers need to figure out exactly what they’re looking for. Have you just moved house and need garden, kitchen gadgets, and homeware? Or do you want to upgrade to a brand-new 4K TV for those winter movie nights or to see the difference with your brand-new PS5 or Xbox Series X? Whatever it is, start by writing out a list of some must-have items and then figure out what budget you would like to spend.

This helps to prevent you from buying products you don’t actually want or need.

If you’re unsure of what product you want but know the type of item i.e an air fryer, it’s a good idea to do research ahead of the day on the top reviewed models out there.

That way you can look out for discounts on the items and you won’t blindly spend on an air fryer that’s subpar in performance. Thankfully, we’ve got you covered with a number of in-depth reviews and guides to help you find the perfect product for you. Check out some of our guides below…

If you want to get the best deals available in Amazon’s Boxing Day sale, you’ll need to be a Prime member.

For those who don’t know, Amazon Prime is a membership scheme that unlocks a slew of benefits for those who shop on Amazon UK. Prime members enjoy exclusive 30-minute early access to all Lightning Deals (time-limited discounts that roll-out throughout the Black Friday deals) so you can get ahead of the crowds and secure these deals before stock runs out.

Not only that, but Prime members enjoy next-day delivery at no extra cost (and same-day delivery in some parts of the country) so you’ll get your hands on your new item before anyone else too! If you’re thinking of shopping in the sales, you really need to be a Prime member.

Prime membership costs £8.99 per month, although Amazon offers a free 30-day trial that unlocks all of the benefits listed above. Even if you’ve taken advantage of a Prime trial in the past, it’s worth checking whether your account is eligible for the free trial again as Amazon allows customers to test its Prime service roughly once-a-year or so.

You can check whether you’re eligible for a free trial of Prime membership by clicking here.

Prime isn’t just about speedy delivery and early access to deals, there’s a dizzying number of other perks, including free PC games, exclusive TV shows and movies via Prime Video, ad-free podcasts, unlimited photo backup, an upgrade for your Deliveroo account, and much, much more. You can find the full list of Prime benefits here.

Amazon Warehouse is a little-known section of the online store where Amazon sells returned items for a discount. It also offers products that have seen their packaging damaged in shipping – these items are still new but most look as if they’ve been sat on in transit.

Of course, all of the same money-back guarantees and hardware warranties are brand-new items apply to Amazon Warehouse purchase, so if anything is actually broken you’ll be able to get a full refund. And since these items are all fulfilled by Amazon, Prime members can expect to receive their package the following day at no extra cost – just like buying new!

So why would you want to buy an item with torn packaging? Or an unwanted gift that someone has returned?

The simple answer is that Amazon Warehouse items are much cheaper than their brand-new counterparts. For a limited time, the already-discounted items will be slashed by an extra 20% for record-low price tags! Even items that have been heavily discounted in the Boxing Day sales can be beaten by Warehouse promotions!

It’s possible to combine the savings offered by some retailers in their Boxing Day sales with cashback offers from other websites – doubling the discounts!

Seasoned bargain-hunters will likely be familiar with TopCashback.

For those who don’t know, TopCashback partners with thousands of retailers to direct its users to these online stores, and receives a commission for doing so. The website generously shares this commission with its users, which helps them receive money off their purchases. By heading to TopCashback before you make your purchase …you can get an extra percentage off the total cost of everything in your shopping basket.

This can be claimed via a bank transfer (this will take a little longer to process), transferring to a PayPal account or topping up a gift card to spend online.

For a limited time, new TopCashback members can unlock a £15 discount that can be applied to hundreds of items discounted in the Boxing Day sales!

There seems to be some confusion online about whether Boxing Day sales and Black Friday are synonyms. With the surging popularity of Black Friday in recent years, it’s easy to get a little muddled, so we’ll clear things up for you – no, Boxing Day is not the same as Black Friday.

Boxing Day is a public holiday that is traditionally celebrated on December 26th in countries such as the United Kingdom, Canada, and Australia. Traditionally, it’s a day off that people spend time with family and friends, or participate in outdoor activities after a slovenly Christmas, watching Premier League fixtures, or going shopping for discounts.

Black Friday, on the other hand, is a shopping event that takes place on the day after Thanksgiving in the United States. It is known for being one of the busiest and most chaotic shopping days of the year, with retailers offering deep discounts on a wide range of products.

While both Boxing Day and Black Friday are popular shopping events, they are held on different days and have very different histories and traditions.

At one time, there was no competition between these two sales – with the Boxing Day sales, which then fold into the January sales, seeing blockbuster discounts on must-have gadgets, kitchenware, furniture, clothing, and more that you wouldn’t find at any other point in the year. However, times have changed.

In recent years, Black Friday has slowly become a worldwide phenomenon – spreading from the United States, where the sales event started, to be embraced in the UK, mainland Europe, and Australia, to name just a few places.

Black Friday, which is traditionally held on the first Friday after the Thanksgiving holidays in the USA, takes place a few weeks before Christmas – making it a great chance to snag some presents at a discount. As such, the blockbuster sales event has become one of the biggest events in the calendar for bargain-hunters.

Boxing Day sales are still a big deal, and often see retailers replicate the same discounts and promotions unleashed during Black Friday. That makes it a brilliant second-chance to secure some of the discounts and deals you might’ve missed first time around. And for those who received cash from relatives underneath the tree, it can be a great chance to get much more for your money.

When shopping online, it’s always important to be cautious and protect yourself from scams. Express.co.uk has rounded up some key tips to help you avoid being scammed –

1. Use a secure payment method: If you’re not familiar with the website, check that it offers secure payment options, such as credit cards, PayPal, Apple Pay or Google Pay. Apple and Google Pay keep your card details hidden from the retailer, with a unique token for the transaction generated instead. Even if the website has poor security practices, your debit or credit card details can not be stored by the retailer, which is a relief

2. Have you heard of the website before?: It’s easy to get caught-up in the excitement of bargain-hunting, but if you’ve never heard of the online retailer you’ve stumbled across …that could be a cause for concern. An easy rule of thumb is – would you recommend a close family member shop on this website? If there’s anything about the website that gives you pause, then it might be worth thinking twice about putting your own card details into the site – even if it has a significantly cheaper price tag!

3. Research the seller: Look for reviews and ratings from other customers, and be wary of sellers with a low rating or no history. If the seller is offering a product at a significantly lower price than other retailers, that could be a red flag

4. Check the website’s security: Make sure the website you’re shopping on has a secure connection by looking for “https” in the URL and a lock icon in the address bar

5. Use a credit card: If you do end up being scammed, using a credit card gives you more protection than using a debit card. Credit card companies are more likely to help you get your money back in the event of a scam.

By following these tips, you can help protect yourself from scams and have a safer online shopping experience.