Price History Tips: How to Check If a Price Is Really Low

What price history shows you

A price history chart lists the price of a product on a store across days and weeks. It lets you answer three questions: what is the lowest price it has reached, what price it usually sells at, and whether today's price is part of a pattern. Online stores do not usually display this themselves, so people use independent price tracker tools and browser add-ons.

How to read a chart

• Find the lowest point. If today's price is at or very near it, the deal is strong.
• Find the usual level. The price where the line spends most of its time is the real price. A 'discount' back to this line is not exciting.
• Watch for spikes. Some listings climb briefly just before a sale and then drop to the old price, to make the discount look bigger.
• Check the date range. Look at a few months, not just a week. Seasonal products behave differently across a year.
• Note where the data comes from. Trackers may miss quick price changes, so use them as a guide and not as proof.

Match the exact variant

Colour, storage, size and bundle options often have different prices. A chart for one variant may not apply to another. Confirm that the chart's product page is the same listing you plan to buy, and watch out for 'renewed' or 'open box' listings that can sit under a similar name.

Use price alerts

Most price trackers let you set a target price and send you a message when it is reached. Pick a target based on the history, such as a little above the all-time low, and wait. Patience is the easiest way to save. If something is not urgent, an alert beats checking a product every day.

Compare across stores

One store's low price may be another store's regular price. Open the same product on two or three stores and compare the final payable amount including delivery and offers. We cover this in how to compare prices across stores.

Things price history cannot tell you

• Whether the product is good. Always read recent reviews and the specs.
• Whether the seller is reliable. Check who is selling it and the return policy.
• Whether a price will fall further. Nobody can predict this, so decide whether the price already suits your budget.
• Whether card offers exist. Those are separate from the listed price and are explained in our bank card offers guide.

A routine you can copy

Before buying anything above a small amount, spend two minutes. Open the product page, check the price tracker chart, note the lowest price, open one other store, and look at the newest reviews. If the price is near the low and the reviews are fine, buy. If not, set an alert and wait for the next sale or a fresh drop.

How we use price history

When we post a deal, we compare the current price with recent price history and the MRP. If it is the lowest we have tracked, we say that in the note on the card. You can see those notes on our loot deals page. Even so, prices change every day, so confirm the final amount on the store page.