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A “was £X, now £Y” badge is a retailer’s comparison claim, not proof that the higher price was the product’s usual price. To judge whether a sale is genuinely good, compare the exact item’s price history and checkout total with current offers for the same variant, then look for signs that the claimed former price was a real selling price.
What a “was/now” discount actually tells you
A price-reduction claim compares a sale or special-offer price with a higher reference price. The badge itself does not show how long the item was available at that higher price, whether customers bought it at that price, or whether the comparison gives you a genuine saving. The UK Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) describes this kind of discount claim in its online discount and urgency guidance, dated 29 March 2023.
For example, if a product is shown as “£25, now £20,” the arithmetic says the reduction from £25 is 20%. It does not establish that £25 was the product’s usual price. A short-lived higher price followed by a discount back to an earlier level may make the saving less meaningful, but judging a particular retailer’s claim requires evidence about that item and its pricing.
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How to check whether a sale price is genuinely good
- Match the exact product. Check model or part number, capacity, size, colour, included accessories, seller, and whether a bundle or subscription changes the offer. A price history for a different variant is not a sound comparison.
- Compare the checkout total. Include delivery and any other unavoidable charge. The CMA says mandatory charges should normally be included in the total price and shown clearly and promptly. Its price-transparency summary, updated 7 January 2026, says prices must be clear, complete and accurate.
- Inspect more than yesterday’s price. If a price-history graph is available for the exact product and seller, examine the full visible timeline. Look for repeated rises and drops, brief “full price” periods, and promotions that return under new labels. A graph can help expose patterns, but coverage may be incomplete and there is no single shopper lookback period established by the guidance below.
- Compare current offers for the same variant. Check other sellers’ prices, delivery costs, and relevant terms. A lower competing offer may show that the sale price is not especially competitive; it does not by itself prove that the retailer’s own “was” price is false.
- Assess whether the reference price looks like a real selling price. Ask how long it was available, whether sales occurred at that price if evidence is available, and whether it was offered through the same sales channel as the promotion. These are useful evidence questions, not a universal legal formula for shoppers.
- Be wary of moving deadlines. Treat countdowns and “last chance” messages as separate claims. If a timer reaches zero, resets, and the offer continues, the urgency claim may mislead; the CMA gives this kind of example in its online discount guidance.
What makes a former price a persuasive comparison?
A higher price is more convincing as a reference when the product was offered at it for a meaningful period and customers actually bought it at that price. The CMA’s guidance for online mattress sellers identifies the duration of the higher price and significant sales at that price as relevant considerations. It says sales used to support a “was/now” comparison should be on the same website and immediately before the discount begins. Those are mattress-sector principles, so use them as helpful evidence questions rather than assuming they are a rule for every retailer and product.
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The Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) also considers recent pricing history, price fluctuations, time spent at different prices, sales data, whether the higher price was realistic, and the sales channel used. Its promotional savings advice says advertisers are expected to provide at least three months of pricing history when substantiating a usual selling price. That is an evidentiary expectation for advertisers—not a statutory lookback period for every shopper, nor a guarantee that a particular tracker’s history is complete.
Why repeated “full price” periods matter
In a 2021 mattress adjudication discussed in its advice, the ASA considered a product whose price alternated monthly. It was at the higher price for 49.85% of the year and at the lower price for 50.14%; the ASA did not consider the higher price established as the usual selling price. Those percentages describe that case, not a general cutoff. The practical lesson is to look at the pattern over time rather than treating one higher-price interval as conclusive.
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How to describe a deal when the evidence is incomplete
Price histories can be missing periods, omit sellers, or track a different variant or sales channel. If you cannot verify the history, say the discount is “hard to verify” or “not clearly demonstrated” rather than accusing a retailer of fraud. A tracker’s graph is evidence to weigh, not a complete record by definition.
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