Tips & Tricks

Happy Black Friday!

Let's make it a good one

By Gabrielle on November 24, 2022

Black Friday hero image

Overflowing inboxes with flashing banners, targeted ads in every corner of your social feeds, the lead up to Black Friday seems to start earlier every year with seductive sales and discounts. But with shopping scams on the rise and the current financial climate, this year requires a little more vigilance. Nothing the Monese community can’t handle, though!

The good news is that it’s a perfect opportunity for early Christmas shopping, especially if you have any tech-lovers in your life, as this is where the best deals and reductions are. Comparing sale prices on the higher priced items and sticking to a pre-planned budget is always sensible. You could even make a Monese Pot to put aside exactly what you’re working with (if you’ve already done this, you have permission to be smug) plus, it makes it harder to give in to the dopamine chase of an impulse buy. Our rewards platform has some brilliant offers on SIM cards and home Broadband, so you could be upgraded whilst paying less.

Be wary of items that don’t offer value or might even have an increased original price to make the discount seem better. There’s lots of commentators giving advice on what’s truly a deal or not, and the consumer testing and review company Which? offers trusted insight.

Black Friday Dos & Don'ts

Unfortunately, a lot of people are in financial difficulty and may turn to scamming as a way to make money quickly. There’s been a 14% rise in purchase scams over the past year; goods are advertised on Facebook Marketplace or Instagram and people send money to scammers directly by bank transfer, only for the items to never show up. Always buy from trusted retailers and if it seems too good to be true, it probably is!

Be careful of texts and emails asking you to click on links, especially from what seems like a parcel delivery company, even if the sender has the same name. If you’re expecting a delivery, you should have tracking information through a verified email address -which could be checked by a quick Google search. It all may seem obvious, but it’s good to be aware and to pass on advice to family members that might not be as confident.

Citizen’s Advice Bureau have a handy tool to check for scams and don’t forget to take a look at our top tips for staying fraud aware.

Finally, have fun!

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