How to tell if a Black Friday phone discount is real
A shop that announces a price cut in the EU has to show, as the "before" price, the lowest price it charged during a period of at least 30 days before the reduction. That one rule is the quickest way to check a Black Friday deal.
The rule
Article 6a of the Price Indication Directive 98/6/EC, added by Directive (EU) 2019/2161 (the "Omnibus" directive), applies in every EU country since 28 May 2022. It says:
- Any announcement of a price reduction must show the prior price the shop applied before the reduction.
- The prior price is the lowest price the shop applied during a period of at least 30 days before the reduction.
In 2024 the EU Court of Justice confirmed that the announced reduction, for example a percentage, has to be worked out from that 30-day lowest price, and that the sale price must actually be below it (case C-330/23, Aldi Süd, 26 September 2024). The European Commission explains the rule in its 2021 guidance on Article 6a.
In Greece the rule is in Article 15(2a) of Law 4177/2013, added by Law 4933/2022. Two national details: for a product on the market for less than 30 days, the prior price is the lowest price of the previous 10 days; and when a reduction grows step by step during a sale, the prior price is the price before the first reduction.
What the rule stops
- Raise, then "cut". A shop puts the price up for a week or two before Black Friday and then announces a big reduction. Under the rule, the "before" price is still the lowest price of the previous 30 days, so the raise does not count.
- A "was" price nobody paid. The struck-through price has to be a price the shop actually applied in the last 30 days, not a list price from launch day.
- Percentages from the wrong base. "-30%" must be measured from the 30-day lowest price.
A comparison with a manufacturer's recommended retail price is a different kind of claim from a shop announcing that it has cut its own price. Treat it with care: it says nothing about what that shop charged last week.
Five checks before you buy a phone
- Find the 30-day lowest price. The shop should show it next to the offer. If it does not, or it equals the sale price, the "discount" is not one.
- Same phone, same version. Storage size, and for refurbished phones the condition grade, change the price. Compare like with like.
- Look at the price history, not the label. A price that went up in October and came back down in November is not a Black Friday saving.
- Count the years of updates left. A cheaper older model can stop getting security updates years earlier. Divide the price by the years left and compare the cost per year.
- Check the official battery price. A battery wears out before most phones do. Where the maker publishes part prices, we list them on each phone page.
How FixIndex checks each offer
We record each shop's price for each phone every day from the shop's official product feed, separately for every shop, storage size and condition. On the sale day we compare the offer's price with its own lowest price in the previous 30 days:
- Real discount: at least 5% below that 30-day low, and not above the offer's 90-day low.
- Not a real discount: the same as or above the 30-day low, or below it by less than 5%. We also flag a "before" price above our recorded low, and prices raised in the weeks before the sale.
- Not enough history: fewer than 21 recorded days in the 30-day window. We make no claim.
For a result on 20 Nov 2026, the first day of Black Friday week, daily prices have to start by 30 Oct 2026. Full details are in the methodology. Some affiliate links are active (Public.gr (via Linkwise); Kotsovolos (via Linkwise); Anker (via Linkwise)). A commission does not change a result (affiliate disclosure).
If a discount looks wrong
In Greece you can report it to the consumer protection service of the Ministry of Development on 1520 or at kataggelies.mindev.gov.gr. For a shop in another EU country, the European Consumer Centre Greece can help.
This page explains the law in general terms and is not legal advice. Sources checked on 19 October 2026.