When is Cyber Monday?

Cyber Monday is one of the biggest sale days of the year, with an emphasis on online shopping.

Whether you’re snagging major deals on items you’ve been eyeing all year, or looking for holiday gifts for less, here’s what you need to know about the annual sale day.

When is Cyber Monday 2026?

Cyber Monday is a major retail event that happens the Monday after Thanksgiving. In 2026, Cyber Monday is Nov. 30.

When is Cyber Monday 2027?

Cyber Monday 2027 will fall on Nov. 29.

What is Cyber Monday?

In some ways, Cyber Monday is a byproduct of Black Friday, which was once primarily a brick-and-mortar shopping event.

“Black Friday started out as one day. And then with the rise of the internet and online shopping, they've kind of realized, ‘oh, we can capitalize on this. We can have an in-store day, and we can have an online day,’” says Samantha Gordon, a deals editor at Consumer Reports.

The after-Black Friday online sale holiday can be traced to 2005 when the National Retail Federation gave the day an official name, Cyber Monday.

Black Friday vs. Cyber Monday

Black Friday tends to draw more online shoppers: In 2025, 85.7 million people shopped online that day, compared with 75.9 million on Cyber Monday, according to the National Retail Federation.

Shoppers are predicted to spend over $15 billion on Cyber Monday alone, according to Adobe. That’s up 6.2% from last year.

But which day has better deals? It depends on what you’re buying. NerdWallet’s holiday shopping experts have found that Cyber Monday tends to offer better discounts on categories like kitchen gadgets, clothing and electronics.

Compare prices on your wish list during both sales to spot opportunities to save.

2026 Cyber Monday trends

Here’s what you might expect from the shopping day this year:

Shoppers still embracing convenience of shopping online

Online shoppers spent a record $14.25 billion on Cyber Monday in 2025, according to Adobe.

It has not only become the season’s biggest online shopping day — but also the biggest day of the entire year.

The convenience of shopping from the comfort of home has increased the popularity of online shopping days like Cyber Monday. But even Cyber Monday, once reserved for online retailers, has morphed into an event brick-and-mortar retailers participate in too, says Gordon.

“More in-store sales are starting to match what we're seeing online,” Gordon says. “It's becoming more like Black Friday in that way, where retailers are kind of looking for people to come into stores as well,” says Gordon.

You may still get a better price online, though, Gordon says.

Social media linking continues to drive revenue

More shoppers are expected to find things to buy through social media, influencers and cash-back or rewards websites, according to Adobe. The leap from scrolling on social media to making an online purchase is becoming more seamless than ever.

More shoppers will use AI to find gifts

Consumers are more likely to turn to those embedded AI chat bots and other AI tools to do their holiday shopping this year. Adobe predicts a 130% increase in AI traffic to retail sites from last year. Why?

People said they felt more confident in their purchase (77%) and were less likely to return their purchase (69%) when they used AI for online shopping, according to the Adobe survey.

How to prepare for Cyber Monday

Go into Cyber Monday with an idea of what you want, a target price and a spending limit.

1. Set a realistic budget

The combination of sales and holidays can give you a dopamine rush, but remember to use a budget to ground yourself. Consider using a 50/30/20 budget template to avoid taking money from your necessary expenses or cutting into money allocated for paying down debt and saving.

The 50/30/20 method breaks spending into needs, wants and savings. You can also create a specific holiday budget to keep yourself in check.

2. Compare prices

Seeing price slashes on Cyber Monday can create a sense of urgency and distract you from doing your research. Compare prices before shopping to ensure you’re truly saving money on the items you buy. Use tools such as Google Shopping and Yahoo Shopping to quickly consult prices at multiple retailers.

“It takes a few extra seconds, but it can make the difference in your budget of saving here or there, especially shopping online,” Gordon says.

While you’re at it, take some time to review the details of the product and the store. Is it durable? Are the measurements ideal? What do reviews say? Is it a bulky item that’ll be a hassle to repack and costly to return?

3. Pay attention to return policies

You may be buying items for yourself or gifts for others during Cyber Monday sales. Sometimes, returns are inevitable, which is why you should check the return policy before hitting “buy.”

Gordon says save gift receipts for the stuff people send you and keep receipts and email confirmations for what you buy in stores to make returns easy.

4. Use credit cards strategically

Did you just open a new account and need to meet the minimum spend on a credit card to get a bonus? Do you have a card that gives cash back for spending? You might as well shop strategically so you end the year with cash or rewards.

To avoid debt, make sure that if you put Cyber Monday purchases on a card, you pay the balance in full when the bill comes.

Writer Lisa Mulka contributed to this article.