Cyber Monday is the Monday after Thanksgiving, the day US retailers roll out their biggest online deals of the year. The next Cyber Monday is Monday, November 30, 2026, and this countdown runs to midnight Eastern Time, when many sales go live. That gives you 33 days to build a wish list, compare prices and set a budget before the rush.
How the date is determined
Cyber Monday follows Thanksgiving, which in the US is always the fourth Thursday of November. Count four days forward and you reach Cyber Monday. Because Thanksgiving can fall anywhere from November 22 to November 28, Cyber Monday always lands between November 26 and December 2. The full sequence of the long shopping weekend looks like this:
- Thanksgiving: fourth Thursday of November.
- Black Friday: the day after Thanksgiving, traditionally focused on in-store deals.
- Small Business Saturday: a push to shop at local independent stores, started by American Express in 2010.
- Cyber Monday: online deals, often starting at midnight and running through the day or the whole week.
- Giving Tuesday: a day of charitable giving that follows right after.
Where the name came from
The term was coined by Ellen Davis of the National Retail Federation’s online division, Shop.org, in a press release in late November 2005. Retailers had noticed a spike in online sales on the Monday after Thanksgiving. At the time, many people had faster internet connections at work than at home, so they came back from the long weekend and finished their shopping from the office.
The idea spread quickly. Retailers in Canada, the UK, Germany, Japan and many other countries now run their own Cyber Monday sales. In the US it has become one of the biggest online shopping days of the year.
Smart shopping tips
- Make a list before the deals hit: decide what you need and your budget, so a flashy discount does not decide for you.
- Track prices in advance: knowing what an item cost in October helps you spot a real discount.
- Save carts and log in early: update addresses and payment methods ahead of time to check out quickly on limited-quantity deals.
- Read the return policy: holiday return windows vary widely between stores.
- Watch for scams: type store addresses yourself instead of clicking links in unexpected texts or emails, and be wary of prices that look impossibly low.
- Check shipping cutoffs: if a gift needs to arrive by a certain date, confirm delivery estimates before you pay.
Is Cyber Monday still worth waiting for?
Many stores now start their holiday sales weeks earlier and extend Cyber Monday into a full “Cyber Week.” Some of the best prices appear before the day itself, while others are true one-day deals. The safest strategy is to know your target prices and buy whenever a deal meets them, whether that is Black Friday, Cyber Monday or the days in between.
Keep the date in sight
Add Cyber Monday to your calendar from this page or share the countdown with family members who are coordinating gifts. Running an online shop? You can embed this countdown on your site to build anticipation for your own sale.