Guides · Price checks

How to spot a misleading was-price

A practical checklist for testing whether a crossed-out “was” price is the real usual price.

Updated 13 October 2026 · 4 min read · General information, not legal or financial advice.

A crossed-out price is one of the most persuasive things a shop can show you. It turns “£299” into “£299, save £150”, and suddenly the question changes from “do I want this?” to “can I afford to miss this?”. Most was-prices are probably honest. But some are not, and UK regulators and consumer groups have found plenty of examples where the higher price was barely charged, charged a long time ago, or never charged at all. This guide gives you a simple checklist you can use on any product page.

What a was-price is supposed to mean

When a retailer shows “was £X, now £Y”, most shoppers assume £X was the normal price immediately before the sale. That is also broadly what UK guidance expects. The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) says a reference price should be a genuine selling price, offered immediately before the discount for a sufficient period, and that compliance is more likely if that period is at least 30 days. The Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) says reference prices must represent a genuine, established usual selling price. We explain the detail in our guide to UK pricing rules.

Which? has shown why this matters. In consumer research reported in its Black Friday guide, when it showed people an example of a was/now deal, 31% assumed the higher price had been offered right before the promotion. Separately, in its Black Friday price research, it found some was-prices dating from as far back as 11 months earlier.

The five-minute checklist

1. Look up the price history

This is the single most useful step. Free tools such as CamelCamelCamel (for Amazon), PriceSpy and PriceRunner show how a product’s price has moved over weeks and months. Our price history guide explains how to use them. You are looking for one thing: how long was the product actually sold at the was-price before the discount?

2. Check for a short spike before the sale

A common pattern is a price that sits at one level for months, jumps up for a week or two, then “drops” back to roughly where it was, now with a was-price attached. If the higher price only lasted a few days, the saving is not what it appears.

3. Notice how long the “sale” has been running

If a product has been “on offer” for months, the sale price is effectively its normal price. The ASA has ruled against advertisers where the promotional period lasted far longer than the period the reference price was available.

4. Be careful with RRP and “compare at” prices

An RRP (recommended retail price) is not the same as a was-price. It is the manufacturer’s suggestion, and the product may rarely or never have sold at that price anywhere. Which? has reported examples of retailers setting a Black Friday price against an RRP the product had not been sold at in the previous 12 months. Treat a saving against RRP as a marketing figure, not a measure of value.

5. Compare with other retailers

A genuine reduction at one shop can still be more expensive than the everyday price at another. Check two or three other major retailers, and compare the exact model number. Manufacturers sometimes sell near-identical products under different codes at different retailers, which makes direct comparison harder.

Red flags at a glance

  • The was-price appears in tiny text or without saying where or when it applied.
  • The percentage saving is huge but the product type rarely sees big discounts.
  • The same item is “reduced” at the same price almost every time you look.
  • The discount is paired with a countdown timer or “only 2 left” message. See our guide to fake urgency.
  • Phrases like “up to 70% off” where only a handful of items reach that figure.

What a good deal looks like

A strong deal usually has three features: the product was sold at the higher price for a sustained period immediately beforehand, the new price is at or near the lowest it has been for several months, and other retailers are not routinely selling it for less. This is essentially how our own scoring method works, using the prices we track.

If you think a was-price is misleading

You can report advertising you believe is misleading to the ASA, and you can report traders to Citizens Advice, which passes reports to Trading Standards. Keep a screenshot of the page with the date visible, because prices change quickly.

None of this means you should avoid sales. It means you should judge the price in front of you, not the number crossed out above it. If the product is something you need and the price is the lowest it has been for months, it is a good buy whatever the was-price says.

Sources

Related guides

Found an error? Email wasitreal@mail.grokbot.com. This guide contains no affiliate links.