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Shopping online for Black Friday or Christmas? Your legal rights to return, refund and claim from your card
Most things you buy online come with a legal 14-day cooling-off period, and faulty goods give you more rights on top. Paying by credit card for an item over £100 adds another layer of protection.
Published 2 November 2026Last checked 2 November 2026UK-wideFrom UK consumer law (Consumer Contracts Regulations 2013, Consumer Rights Act 2015, Consumer Credit Act 1974)
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What's happening
When you buy from a business online, by phone or by mail order, the law usually gives you 14 days after delivery to change your mind and get your money back, even in a sale. If something is faulty, you have separate rights, including a full refund within 30 days. Paying by credit card for a single item costing more than £100 means the card company can be jointly responsible if things go wrong.
The question: What refund and return rights do you have when you buy online in the Black Friday and Christmas sales, and how does paying by card help?
This applies to you if…
- You bought from a business, not a private person
- You bought online, by phone, by mail order or away from the trader's premises (for the 14-day cooling-off right)
- Or the item is faulty, not as described or not fit for purpose (for the faulty goods rights, wherever you bought it)
Not for you if…
- Items bought from private individuals, such as on some marketplace listings
- Personalised or made-to-measure items, unless they're faulty
- Food, flowers and other things that go off quickly
- Sealed CDs, DVDs or software, or items with a hygiene seal such as earrings, once the seal is broken
- Changing your mind about something bought in a shop, where returns depend on the shop's own policy
What it's worth
Consumer Contracts Regulations 2013 for changing your mind on distance purchases; Consumer Rights Act 2015 for faulty goods; Consumer Credit Act 1974 section 75 for credit card purchases of a single item over £100 and up to £30,000
How to do it
- 1
Keep proof of your order
Save order confirmation emails, the delivery date and screenshots of the product description and price.
- 2
If you change your mind, tell the seller within 14 days
Your 14 days start the day after the item arrives. Tell the seller clearly that you're cancelling, ideally in writing, then send the item back within 14 days of telling them.
- 3
If it's faulty, act within 30 days for a full refund
Tell the seller the item is faulty and that you want to reject it. After 30 days, you can usually ask for a repair or replacement first.
- 4
If the seller won't help, go to your card provider
For a credit card purchase of a single item over £100 and up to £30,000, make a section 75 claim. For debit cards, or smaller amounts, ask about chargeback. PayPal has its own disputes process with a 180-day limit.
- 5
Get free help
Call the Citizens Advice consumer helpline on 0808 223 1133.
Deadline
Black Friday — 27 November 2026 (in 25 days)
Your rights depend on when you receive the goods and when you report a problem, not on the sale date.
The catches
Shop returns policies are extra
Many shops offer 14 or 30 days to return items bought in store. That's their choice, not a legal right, and sale items can have different rules.
Section 75 is per item
The £100 limit applies to one item, not the whole order. Citizens Advice gives the example of a £105 order made up of an £80 item, a £20 item and £5 delivery, which doesn't qualify.
Buy directly from the trader
You usually can't use section 75 if you didn't pay the trader directly, for example through some payment services.
Chargeback isn't guaranteed
It's a card scheme process, not a law. Your bank might not agree to it, and the trader can challenge it.
Return postage may be on you
When you change your mind, the seller must refund standard delivery, but you may have to pay to send the item back if the seller told you so before you bought.
Illustrative example
Sam's Black Friday coat and headphones
Sam orders a £60 coat and £150 headphones online in the Black Friday sale, paying by credit card. Both arrive on 2 December.
- The coat doesn't suit him. He tells the seller on 10 December that he's cancelling, which is within 14 days of delivery.
- He sends it back and gets £60 plus the standard delivery charge back within 14 days.
- The headphones stop working after 3 weeks. He rejects them as faulty, inside 30 days.
- The seller doesn't reply, so he makes a section 75 claim to his credit card company, because the headphones cost over £100.
Sam can get his money back for both items, using different rights for each.
Illustrative example.
Common misreadings
You might hear: Sale items can't be returned.
Actually: Your legal rights apply in sales too. If you buy online from a business, you still get the 14-day cooling-off period, and faulty goods rights always apply.
You might hear: You only have 14 days from ordering.
Actually: For goods, the 14 days start the day after the item arrives. If the seller didn't tell you about your right to cancel, it can stretch to 12 months and 14 days.
You might hear: The total order must be over £100 for section 75.
Actually: It's the price of a single item that must be over £100. You only need to have paid part of it on the credit card.
Where the UK nations differ
- UK-wide
- The cooling-off rules, faulty goods rights and section 75 apply across England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. Citizens Advice has separate advice pages for each nation.
What you could do
are buying something costing over £100 in the sales
change your mind about something bought online
By 14 days after delivery
receive something faulty
Reject it within 30 days for a full refund. If the seller won't help, contact your card provider.
By 30 days after delivery
Timeline
27 November 2026
Black Friday
30 November 2026
Cyber Monday
The detail
The rules
- Cooling-off: for distance purchases of goods, you can cancel without giving a reason until 14 days after the goods arrive (Consumer Contracts Regulations 2013, regulations 29 and 30).
- If the trader didn't give cancellation information, the period can extend up to 12 months (regulation 31).
- Refund on cancellation: within 14 days, including standard delivery (regulation 34).
- Exceptions include personalised goods, goods that deteriorate quickly, and sealed hygiene items, audio, video or software once unsealed (regulation 28).
- Faulty goods: 30-day short-term right to reject (Consumer Rights Act 2015, section 22), then repair or replacement (section 23), then a price reduction or final right to reject (section 24).
- A fault that appears within 6 months of delivery is presumed to have been there at delivery, unless the trader shows otherwise (section 19).
- Refund for rejected goods within 14 days of the trader agreeing, by the same payment method, with no fee (section 20).
- Section 75: the credit card company is jointly liable with the seller for a single item priced over £100 and up to £30,000 (Consumer Credit Act 1974, section 75).
References
- Consumer Contracts Regulations 2013: 14-day cancellation for online, phone and mail order goods
- Consumer Rights Act 2015: Faulty goods: reject, repair or replace, refund
- Consumer Credit Act 1974, section 75: Credit card company jointly liable for items over £100
Words explained
- Cooling-off period
- Time after buying when you can cancel and get a refund without giving a reason.
- Short-term right to reject
- Your right to return faulty goods for a full refund within 30 days.
- Section 75
- A law that makes your credit card company equally responsible with the seller for items over £100 and up to £30,000.
- Chargeback
- A way to ask your bank to reverse a card payment. It's a card scheme rule, not a law.
- Distance purchase
- Something bought without meeting the seller face to face, such as online, by phone or by mail order.
In short
If you buy from a business online in the sales, you usually have 14 days after delivery to change your mind and get a full refund. Faulty items can be rejected for a refund within 30 days. Paying by credit card for an item over £100 means the card company is also responsible if the seller lets you down.
Related dates
- 18 Nov Car finance 'not owed' letters due (agreements from April 2014)Deadline · in 16 days
- 27 Nov Black Friday: know your refund rightsChange · in 25 days
- 18 Jan Car finance 'not owed' letters due (agreements before April 2014)Deadline · in 77 days
- 16 Feb Car finance compensation scheme legal challenge hearingDecision · in 106 days
Sources
- Consumer Contracts (Information, Cancellation and Additional Charges) Regulations 2013, legislation.gov.uk (2026-11-02)
- Consumer Rights Act 2015, legislation.gov.uk (2026-11-02)
- Consumer Credit Act 1974, section 75, legislation.gov.uk (2026-11-02)
- Changing your mind about something you've bought, Citizens Advice (2026-11-02)
- Getting your money back if you paid by card or PayPal, Citizens Advice (2026-11-02)
- Return faulty goods, Citizens Advice (2026-11-02)
This is guidance, not regulated financial advice. Check figures against the linked official source before you act. Written with AI assistance and checked against primary sources. How Kitty works. For free, impartial help, try MoneyHelper or Citizens Advice.