Price glitches: what UK law really says

That £799 telly showing as £79.90. A baby buggy reduced to the price of a coffee. A supermarket multibuy that pays you to take the items away. If you’ve ever spotted one of these, you’ve probably had the same thought: “Is this actually allowed… and do they have to give it to me?”

The short version is that price glitches aren’t illegal, but whether you get the item at the glitched price depends on where you saw it, what you did next, and whether a contract was actually formed. The longer version (the one that saves you time, stress, and awkward chats with customer services) is below.

Price glitches UK law: the bit most people miss

When people talk about “price glitches UK law”, they often assume there’s a single rule that forces retailers to honour any advertised price. In reality, UK consumer law and contract law work together, and the key question is usually this:

Was there a contract to sell you the item at that price?

A displayed price is often treated as an “invitation to treat” (basically: an invitation for you to make an offer), not a firm offer the shop must accept. That’s why a retailer can usually refuse a sale if the price is clearly wrong, even if it’s printed on a shelf label or shown online.

But “usually” isn’t “always”. The moment a retailer accepts your offer (which can happen at different points depending on the buying process), things change.

Online vs in-store: where shoppers get tripped up

In-store glitches: the till is the decision point

In a physical shop, the shelf-edge label is normally not the binding price. You’re effectively making an offer to buy when you bring the item to the till. The shop accepts (or rejects) that offer when they process the transaction.

So if the assistant spots the error before payment and refuses the sale at that price, they can generally do that.

If you’ve already paid and the transaction is completed, the retailer may still try to unwind it if it’s an obvious pricing mistake, but it becomes more of a dispute. Practically, a lot of shops will refund rather than hand over the item at the wrong price, and they may argue the price was an “obvious error”.

Online glitches: acceptance is usually later than you think

Online shopping feels instant, but contract formation usually isn’t.

Many retailers’ terms say your order confirmation email is just an acknowledgement, and acceptance happens when they dispatch (or sometimes when they explicitly email to say the order is accepted). This is why you’ll sometimes see a bargain order sit there for hours, then get cancelled with “pricing error” as the reason.

So, if you’ve got an order confirmation but no dispatch confirmation, in many cases the retailer hasn’t accepted your offer yet.

That doesn’t mean you should ignore it and move on straight away—sometimes orders do ship. It just means you’ll save yourself frustration if you treat “order confirmed” as “in the queue”, not “guaranteed”.

Do retailers have to honour a price glitch?

Sometimes they do. Often they don’t. Here’s the real-world way to think about it.

1) If there’s no contract yet, they can usually cancel

If the retailer hasn’t accepted your order (common online), they can typically cancel and refund. Annoying, but usually lawful.

2) If a contract was formed, it’s stronger—but “obvious error” matters

If the retailer has accepted (for example, dispatched the item, or you’ve paid in-store and walked away with proof of purchase), you’re in a stronger position.

However, a retailer may still argue that the pricing was a genuine and obvious mistake—something no reasonable person could believe was intended. Think: a new iPhone priced at £9.99. The more extreme the error, the easier it is for them to argue it wasn’t a true meeting of minds.

3) If the price is misleading rather than a genuine glitch, different rules kick in

If a retailer advertises a price in a way that’s misleading (for example, a “sale” price that isn’t really a reduction, or unclear multibuy mechanics), that can cross into consumer protection territory. That’s not about forcing them to sell you a specific item at a specific price every time, but it can support a complaint and push them to put things right.

What about “bait advertising” and unfair practices?

There’s a difference between:

• a one-off error (a typo, system bug, mis-synced feed), and
• a pattern of misleading pricing that nudges people into spending more.

If you’re seeing confusing or inconsistent pricing—especially where the headline price doesn’t match what’s charged at checkout—document it. Screenshots (with date/time), your basket page, delivery page, and the final checkout page can be useful.

Even when a retailer can legally cancel a mistaken price, they should handle it fairly: clear communication, prompt refunds, and not making you jump through hoops.

“But the shelf said…”: your best move in the moment

If you’re in-store and the shelf label is lower than the till price, don’t go in all guns blazing. The fastest route to a win is calm and specific:

Explain that you picked it up because of the displayed price, ask them to check the label, and see if they’ll honour it as goodwill. Many retailers will match the shelf label for smaller differences because it’s not worth the argument.

If they won’t, ask for the item to be removed from your shopping and decide if you still want it at the higher price.

If it’s a big-ticket item and the difference is large, expect them to refuse more often than not.

If your online glitch gets cancelled: what you can do

Cancellations happen most with online “too good to be true” deals. If it happens to you, here’s a sensible approach.

Check what emails you received

If you only have an acknowledgement and then a cancellation, it’s harder to push. If you have a dispatch confirmation or delivery notification, your position improves.

Check whether they’ve taken payment

Some retailers take payment immediately, others only pre-authorise then capture on dispatch. If money has left your account, you’re entitled to a refund if they cancel. If it’s just pending, it may drop off.

Ask for a remedy that’s realistic

If the price was wildly wrong, demanding they honour it can be a dead end. A more practical ask is:

A refund (if not already processed) plus a goodwill voucher or a price match to a reasonable discount. You won’t always get it, but it’s more likely than getting a £900 item for £90.

Keep it tidy and factual

Customer services respond better to: order number, timeline, screenshots, and a clear request. Angry messages tend to get a copy-paste policy response.

When a price glitch can land you in hot water

Most bargain hunters are just quick on the checkout button. That’s normal.

Where people get into dodgy territory is when they start manipulating systems—creating multiple accounts to bypass limits, using bots, exploiting voucher stacking in ways that clearly breach terms, or attempting to resell at scale when the retailer has stated “one per customer”.

The legal risk for an ordinary shopper is usually low, but the practical risk is high: cancelled orders, account bans, and refunds taking longer.

A good rule: if you had to “game” something (not just spot it), expect it to be reversed.

The difference between a “glitch” and a “deal” (and why it matters)

A genuine deal is deliberate and usually stable: a promotion, a clearance reduction, a timed price drop.

A glitch tends to look like one of these:

• the price is out of line with every other retailer by an absurd amount
• the discount appears only in one part of the journey (search results vs product page vs basket)
• multibuy logic creates a negative or near-zero total
• the price changes when you switch delivery options or colours/sizes

If you’re learning to spot the difference so you waste less time, our community-style breakdown in Finding Price Glitches in the UK: A Smart Shopper’s Guide is a handy read.

Practical glitch-hunting that keeps you on the right side of things

If your aim is real savings (not endless cancellations), focus on habits that work with the way retailers operate.

Move quickly, but don’t spam. Place one clean order, don’t create five versions “just in case”. Take screenshots at key steps. Use normal payment methods you can easily trace. And if it’s a high-demand item, expect stock to be tight even if the price is correct.

Also, don’t underestimate the power of boring savings. Coupons, cashback, and legitimate stacked promos often beat the hit-and-miss nature of true glitches. If you want the reliable stuff alongside the exciting finds, Top 7 Online Coupon Sites for UK Shoppers is a strong starting point.

A quick word on supermarkets and “glitch” pricing

Supermarket glitches often come from multibuys, loyalty pricing, or reductions that don’t apply cleanly across stores.

If the shelf ticket is unclear or the offer doesn’t apply as stated, raise it at customer services with your receipt. Many supermarkets will refund the difference or offer goodwill—especially if the promotion was genuinely misleading. But if it’s clearly a misprint (like a decimal point error), don’t be shocked if they refuse.

Where Price Glitches UK fits in

If you enjoy deal-hunting but hate wasting time on dead ends, the easiest way is to follow a source that’s constantly checking what’s live and what’s not. That’s exactly why we built Price Glitches UK: to share offers, discounts, and the occasional genuine glitch while the window is still open.

The most useful mindset to keep is this: treat price glitches as a bonus, not a budget plan. If you go in expecting every “£500 for £50” moment to stick, you’ll end up frustrated. If you go in ready to move fast, keep proof, and accept the occasional cancellation, you’ll bank the wins—and keep your shopping stress low.