This year's best Black Friday deals

Black Friday is just around the corner. The unofficial start of the Christmas rush for retailers, Black Friday serves to tempt customers in with enticing deals just before the festive season, and to clear stock for the upcoming rush. 

Coupled with its less well-known brother Cyber Monday, Black Friday had its start in the United States before migrating over to European shores in recent years. Which is good news for savvy customers looking to bag a deal and get their Christmas shopping done early, especially in the wake of rampant inflation. 

Falling on November 25th this year, there are a number of attractive deals across the board. So, without further ado, here’s our roundup of the best deals people can snag. 

Sky

Sky is usually a heavy-hitter on Black Friday, and this year is no different.

Off the back of its successful Sky Glass systems, which features a 4K TV loaded with Sky software to cut down on boxes and wires, Sky once again has a number of attractive deals for those looking to move supplier or upgrade their current offering. 

What’s on offer?

Sky’s marquee offer this Black Friday will appeal to consumers who are looking to switch up their current TV and broadband setups. 

For Black Friday, Sky is offering six months of free broadband with any TV and broadband bundle.

New customers can get Ultrafast Max broadband and a Sky Ultimate subscription for just €30 a month for six months.

Ultrafast Max broadband utilises fibre-to-the-home (FTTH) connectivity, which can reach speeds of up to 1GB/s, while Sky Ultimate features a free Netflix account on top of a TV subscription.

There’s also a few other extras with Sky that can swing the pendulum a bit, such as Sky GO. 

The app is an invaluable, relatively new feature customers will have access to which allows you to stream on the go on a phone, tablet, or computer - especially useful if someone is hogging the TV! The Sky GO app isn’t Chromecast compatible, however, which is a downside.

Are there any downsides to this deal? Well, on the culmination of the six months of free broadband, the price will increase to €100 a month, and after a year it will increase to €121. So, you will have to decide whether the savings are worth it for the price after the deal. 

Also, as discussed before, this deal is only available to new customers. 

Your address also has to be able to offer full-fibre packages - some addresses will be limited to the Ultrafast broadband, which only reaches 500mb/s but is cheaper after the deal has elapsed.

But, do you want to see how this compares with the competition? Compare broadband and TV deals on bonkers.ie with our price comparison tool. 

Virgin Media 

Virgin Media might call its Black Friday ‘Red Friday’, but the savings are all still there for the customer.

Starting earlier on in the month and ending on 1st December, Virgin Media has announced a number of great offers and free gifts across its broadband, phone and TV bundles.

And while there are plenty of tempting offers to choose from, there’s one deal in particular that caught our eye here at bonkers.ie…

What’s on offer?

Virgin’s flagship sim-only mobile deal is back again this year - just €10 a month for unlimited calls, texts and data for a whole year. 

This deal is one of the best value sim deals in the country, with a yearly saving of €180 on the full price. After 12 months the price increases to €25, which is still one of the cheapest all-in packages. 

It has an added flexibility bonus of being a 30-day contract - perfect for those just out of a bill-pay arrangement and looking for extra wiggle room with their mobile bills. 

You can order this deal directly through bonkers.ie by following this link. 

Of course there’s always a few T&C’s involved – you are limited to 10,000 voice call minutes or 10,000 text messages in a month, but good luck exceeding that! The data is unlimited, but only 9.1GB can be used when roaming in the EU. 

And if sim-only isn't your thing, Virgin is also offering the 128GB iPhone 13 for just €29 upfront. It's on a 24-month contact for just €50 a month for the first 12 months and then €65 a month after that, which includes all calls, texts and data. Or you can get the 128GB Samsung Galaxy for free on a 24-month contract, starting at €45 a month for the first 12 months, then rising to €60 a month after that. Both phone deals also come with a free JBL Flip Essential 2 speaker worth €99.

Vodafone 

Vodafone has been busy finding new ways of introducing freebies as part of its Black Friday deals, and with more offers to be announced, there are two very attractive deals already on the table. 

What’s on offer?

Vodafone is offering a free Smart Home Starter Pack worth €99 with any new signup to a broadband bundle. 

The Smart Home pack consists of a TP Link Smart lightbulb and TP Link Smart Plug, which allows you to control the colour of your room and turn connected devices off and on when you’re not at home. 

Entry-level broadband packages come in at €35 per month, while you can get 1Gbps fibre broadband for €45 a month - which is already a €360 discount on the normal price for new customers. 

But that’s not all – if you add in a TV package with your broadband, you can avail of a free Google Nest Audio worth €100, meaning potential free gifts worth €199. 

And with 500Mbps broadband, home TV and unlimited calls to Irish landlines for €55 a month, it’s not hard to imagine yourself with €200 of free gifts ahead of Christmas.

There are ways of sprucing this up also - you can add in Sky Sports for just an extra €10 a month, bringing your savings up even further to €840 a year, and over €1000 if you include the free gifts.

But hurry - the offer is only valid until 29th November. 

Revolut

This Black Friday, Revolut, which now has more than 25 million customers worldwide, is helping its customers unlock their money’s potential with a one-off 41% discount to its annual subscription to a Metal plan.

With a Black Friday price of €80 a year instead of the usual €135, customers can invest in an upgrade that will bring benefits throughout the next year.

The offer is available to all new and existing customers who are on Standard, Plus or Premium plan and is active only for a short period of time from 15th November until 28th November for new Revolut customers and from18th to 20th of November for existing customers.

Revolut Metal allows users to maximise their money all year round by including:

• Cashback on your purchases

• Exclusive travel benefits, like unlimited no-fee foreign exchange in a great number of currencies Mon-Fri, increased cashback on Stays, free travel medical insurance, and discounted lounge access in airports

• Reduced fees for investment products and a higher ATM withdrawal allowance

• Customisable Metal debit cards made from reinforced steel metal, in black, gold, lavender, silver or space grey

Other Black Friday deals

Of course, there are other places that customers can save away from their broadband or phone bills. Those looking for a technological treat or some-cut price Christmas presents for relatives can find a huge amount of retailers offering discounts for Black Friday. 

Below are some of the top shops that have already started their Black Friday sales, so you don’t have to wait until the 27th to bag yourself a bargain:

• Boots - A stalwart of the main street with over 80 shops nationwide, the health and beauty retailer has some great deals for stocking fillers or main presents, like €50 off for Paco Rabanne 1 Million, a MAC 5-piece gift set at over 60% off and up to 50% off selected advent calendars.

• DID Electrical - Irish-owned DID has loudly proclaimed this to be its ‘biggest ever Black Friday sale’, and by the looks of it it isn’t wrong. Featuring free click-and-collect in any of its 24 stores across the country, you can get deals like €1,100 off a 4K QLED Samsung TV, with a 120hz refresh rate for smooth gaming.  

• Easons - For those looking for a quality read or buying a gift for someone who always has their nose in a book, Eason’s Black Friday sees 50% off a range of bestsellers, such as Jamie Oliver’s One, for easy one-pan meals. Eason’s offer runs until the 28th of November. 

• Harvey Norman - From a new bed to a laptop, every sector of Harvey Norman has some great Black Friday deals, such as an Irish-made Briody Presidential mattress coming in with a €960 discount.

• Game Stop - Beginning on 18th November, Game Stop’s Black Friday sale should see some best sellers or old gems go up for grabs, as some parents rush to get the new FIFA or Call of Duty for their children. However there’s a few gems before the official start, with Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 1 & 2 for the Nintendo Switch featuring a €20 discount at €29.99.

Get in touch

What do you think of these Black Friday deals? Have you come across any other noteworthy bargains? We’d love to hear from you!

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