When is the NEXT sale?

Next’s biggest clearance event of the year is the Boxing Day sale, and it’s expected to start in-store on 27 December (with the sale typically launching online on 26 December).​

This page is updated with the key dates, how VIP/early access works, and the fastest ways to find the best reductions before popular sizes sell out.

In a world of seemingly never ending sales the Next sale stands head and shoulders above the rest. As a young adult I remember queuing up at 4am to be one of the first to get access to Next’s famous boxing day sale. My prize that day was navy blue single-breasted suit at 70% off, perfect for an upcoming interview in London.

That was nearly 20 years ago. These days you don’t need to be a sleep deprived student or early riser to get the best deals.  Instead, the best way to pick up the items you want is by booking a VIP slot to the Next sale. I’ll show you how in a moment, but first a little background on the Next sale.

When is the Next sale 2025?

The Next Boxing Day sale typically starts online on 26 December and in-store on 27 December, before rolling into January sale pricing.​

Online start: Typically 26 December.​

In-store start: Typically 27 December.​

Typical discount level: Up to 50% off has been seen in previous Next Boxing Day sales coverage.​

Best prep (do this now): Create/log in to your Next account, save items to favourites, and set delivery/collection preferences before the sale opens.

What is the Next Sale and Why is it Popular?

Next holds multiple sales throughout the year, typically coinciding with the changing seasons. These sales are well-known for their massive discounts, with savings of up to 70% off the regular retail price.

There are four main events a year as the seasons change, so there’s one in Spring, Summer, Autumn, and Winter. Added to that there is often a Black Friday even as the sale seems to have successfully stuck on this side of the Atlantic too.

What items are included in the Next sales?

Typically items from all departments are included in the sales but there’s a heavy learning towards womenswear and kids clothing. During the boxing day sale more homeware items and accessories tend to get added compared to the Spring and Summer sales.

Generally, sale items will be current stock and previous seasons items from departments such as:

• Menswear
• Womenswear
• Children’s clothing
• Homeware and furniture
• Some branded items

How to find sale items before the sale

There used to be a trick to find out if an item was going to be included in an upcoming sale. A day or two before a sale staff would pen markings on the tags of certain items, these items would then usually end up in the sale the next day.

The markings consisted of a letter followed by a number e.g., G16 with the number allegedly being that the item would be discounted to.

This Next sale trick was first revealed in Wales Online in 2019 I don’t know if this is still a thing, if a Next insider cares to reach out anonymously I’d love to hear from you.

Next Sale Dates: 2025 & 2026 Predictions

Next usually runs four big seasonal sales (spring, summer, autumn, winter/Boxing Day). VIP/early access slots can vary by customer, so treat the 2026 dates as a guide rather than a promise.

Next announces sales in its official help centre, but if you want be certain you don’t miss a sale, sign up to our newsletter we’ll send you an email when the next sale starts.

It’s worth noting that these dates were for the start of the main in store sale. The VIP sale (see further down for more details) usually starts one week earlier.

When is the Next Black Friday Event?

In addition to the traditional Next sales, Next also holds a Black Friday event. This takes place on the Friday after American Thanksgiving (note there’s also a Thanksgiving in Canada with different dates, so don’t get them mixed up).

This year Black Friday is on Friday 28 November followed by Cyber Monday on 1 December.

What is the Next VIP sale slots and previews?

Before its sales Next hands out a certain amount of VIP sales slots, and sales previews. These are typically sent via email with a link to a ‘Next Sale Preview’ which allows you to see which items are going to be included in the sale.

Typically, you need to book a preview slot, there are a limited number so it’s worth taking the first slot you can as they are on a first come first served basis. Be careful though as if you miss your slot whilst I’ve found I could still access the sale, it supposedly reduces your chance of being selected for the next sale event.

How to Get a VIP Slot

Those eligible for a VIP will receive an email invitation to book a slot. This is often sent a few days before a sale begins.

To be eligible for a VIP slot, customers must:

• Have a NextPay credit account
• Made a recent order (last 180 days)
• Have at least £250 available credit available in their Next account
• Selected to receive promotional emails from Next
• You must also have returned less than two thirds of the items ordered.

As mentioned above, it’s best to take the first slot you can. Also due to the limited nature of slots, if you haven’t added anything to your basket within 20 mins, it’s possible that you’ll lose your slot, so I recommend just adding an item so you have longer to browse. If it’s not something you actually want to buy, be sure to remove it before checking out.

If you aren’t a Nextpay account holder and want to sign up you can do so on the Next website. Bear in mind that the Nextpay account is a credit account and carries a high interest rate of over 23%. If you do use it be sure to pay it off in full otherwise the discounted items you bought may end up costing you more than you actually saved.

Next in-store sale tips

If you can’t get a VIP slot or just prefer to shop in store, there a few tips and tricks that can make your sale experience a fruitful one.

Firstly, the ultra-bargain hunters go first thing in the morning as the store opens, or even queue (as I did) before the store opens. Yet by mid-morning, the queues have died down and many bargains are still available.

Just because you find an item doesn’t mean it’s not available. During the morning scrambles stores look more like a jumble sale, with clothes slung everywhere. It’s entirely possible items have been moved by customers or put on the reject rack in the changing rooms.

Additionally, during some sales the changing rooms are closed. These leads to people buying items trying them on at home and returning those they don’t like. That means items that appear to be out of stock could be back in stock again at some point during the sale.

Womenswear and children’s clothes sell out the fastest so are best bought early. Whereas Furniture usually gets again later in the sale so it best ignored during the initial frenzy.

Use Nextunlimited for free home delivery

If you frequently make smaller purchases from Next, or buy larger items such as furniture, then you might want to consider Nextulimited. This is a paid service costing £20 a year, but entitles you to unlimited free home delivery across Next and Laura Ashley.

Typically standard home delivery on clothing and other items would be £4.50, and delivery of large furniture items starts at £10. Nextunlimited removes these fees but also removes the £2.50 courier collection fee on returns.

Can I return Next sale items?

Sale items are covered by the same returns policy as other items. You have 28 days to return items for any reason. This applied to both online and in store items. This is sometimes extended during busy times such as over the winter sale period, as often stores are busy, and returns are limited.

Next clearance items

As with most stores Next also has a clearance section. These items are available at discount prices outside of normal sale times. Just like sale items the clearance products often have 50% off the usual retail price.

The main difference between clearance and the larger sales is the sheer number of items discounted and sizes available. Nevertheless, it’s still a good place to bag a bargain.

Get cashback on Next sale items

Next doesn’t participate on cashback website such as Quidco or Topcashback, but use the right plastic and you could still enjoy cashback on your purchases from Next.

With Chase now restricting its 1% cashback to food and transport, Trading 212’s debit card has become our faviorute. Not only do you get 0.5% cashback on purchases, but also 3.8% AER on all deposits.

Blue Light Card discounts at Next

We contacted Next to ask about its participation in the Blue Light Card scheme. The Blue Light Card is a paid discount card for ‘Key Workers’ such as those in the NHS, Police force etc.. Unfortunately Next has said it doesn’t offer any discounts to these workers. Still if you’re a Blue Light Card holder, you can enjoy fabulous discounts elsewhere including online fashion retailer ASOS. See our Blue Light Card overview for more details.