Is it a real discount? How to check a deal in two minutes
“Was £199, now £99” only means something if people were actually paying £199. Here’s how to check a deal quickly, and what the rules say a shop is allowed to claim.
The short version
Look up the price history, check two other shops for the same model number, and add on delivery. If it’s still cheaper than usual, it’s a real deal.
The five checks
- Price history. This is the single best check.
- CamelCamelCamel charts Amazon UK prices over months or years.
- PriceSpy and PriceRunner cover most big UK shops.
- The “was” price. Ask when it was last that price, and for how long. A “was” price from a short burst months ago, or a “save £100 off RRP” on something nobody sells at RRP, is a red flag.
- The exact model number. Search the full model code at two other shops. Sale-only versions of TVs, laptops and appliances sometimes have different specs, which makes them hard to compare.
- The total cost. Add delivery, installation, removal of an old appliance, and any “optional” extras that are ticked for you. A discount that disappears at checkout isn’t a discount.
- The pressure. Countdown timers, “3 people are looking at this” and “last few left” are there to stop you doing checks 1 to 4. A good deal survives five minutes of thinking.
Red flags
- The “was” price is only ever shown during sales.
- The discount is huge (60% or more) on something that’s rarely discounted.
- The seller on a marketplace is new, has few reviews, or ships from overseas while claiming to be UK stock.
- Other shops sell the same model for the “sale” price every day.
- Delivery or a booking fee only appears at the last step.
What the rules say
UK law bans misleading prices, and the official guidance for shops, the Pricing Practices Guide, sets out what makes a “was” price fair:
- It should be the most recent price the item was sold at, not an older, higher one.
- It shouldn’t be old. A price from more than a couple of months before the sale is less likely to be fair.
- The shop should have actually sold a meaningful number at that price.
- The sale price generally shouldn’t run longer than the higher price did.
The old “28-day rule” you may have heard of was dropped in 2016. Shops now have to judge whether a comparison is fair, which is why some still push their luck.
Enforcement got tougher in April 2025. Under the Digital Markets, Competition and Consumers Act, the Competition and Markets Authority can now fine businesses directly, up to 10% of their global turnover. Its first fine, in April 2026, was £4.2 million for a booking fee that only appeared at checkout. It is also investigating misleading time-limited offers.
How Jammy Deals checks deals
- Every deal is re-checked hourly, and expired or junk listings are removed.
- Community deals show their vote score from the community they came from, so you can see what other bargain hunters thought.
- Amazon price drops come from CamelCamelCamel’s price history, and link straight to the price chart.
- We never accept payment to change which deals appear. Sponsored slots are always labelled.
Still, prices change by the minute, so do check 1 before you pay. Browse today’s deals.
If you think a price was misleading
- Tell the shop first, and quote the advert.
- In Scotland, report it to Consumer Advice Scotland, which passes reports to Trading Standards. In England and Wales, contact the Citizens Advice consumer helpline.
- If you paid by card, ask your card provider about a chargeback or a Section 75 claim. Our Black Friday guide explains both.
Common questions
Is RRP the same as a “was” price?
No. RRP is the price the maker recommends. If nobody actually sells at RRP, a “save £50 on RRP” is a much weaker claim than a genuine price drop.
Are price trackers accurate?
They’re a guide, not a guarantee. They check prices at intervals, so they can miss very short flash sales. Use them to see the pattern, then check the live price on the shop’s site.