Pricing and charges

Helpful information on the advertising rules for the pricing of products and services and additional charges, not including legally required costs such as taxes or VAT.

Our rules state that price statements must relate to the product featured in the ad and not a variation of the make or model, and should not mislead by omission, undue emphasis or distortion. We also advise advertisers to refer to the BIS Pricing Practices Guide when preparing their ads.

Another area of complaint we often see is the recommended retail price (RRP) of a product or service. Ordinarily, even if advertisers can provide documentary evidence that the quoted RRP in the ad was recommended by the manufacturer of the product this might not be enough, and any complaints received may get upheld. We require advertisers to be able to demonstrate the product has actually been sold at the advertised price. If an advertiser is the only seller of a product, and so has set the price themselves, it is unlikely to be acceptable to refer to the price as an RRP.

The advertising rules for the pricing of products also state that advertisers shouldn’t use “from” and “up to” claims to exaggerate the availability of a product at a given price. We apply a rule of thumb that 10% of products or services advertised should be available at the “from” or “up to” price stated in the ad, and we have upheld complaints about companies who were unable to sufficiently prove this.

We have also upheld complaints about ads that don’t make additional charges prominent and clear, such as the price of delivery or processing. If a consumer is able to collect the product themselves, delivery charges are not required in the headline price. Any statements that imply delivery is free including those that say “free delivery on orders over £50” or similar, should be avoided if this offer is not attainable for everyone, i.e. additional charges apply to certain postcodes.

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Latest rulings

Watches of Switzerland Company Ltd t/a Goldsmiths
- Upheld
- Website (own site)
- 17 March 2021
A website post by a jewellery retailer was banned for making misleading savings claims about a pair of earrings.
DSG Retail Ltd t/a Currys PC World
- Upheld
- 10 March 2021
A TV ad for Currys PC World was banned for irresponsibly encouraging excessive spending through the use of credit, particularly in relation to purchasing higher value Christmas gifts with a ‘pay later’ payment method.
I Saw it First Ltd
- Upheld
- 10 March 2021
A website ad for an online clothing retailer was banned for misleadingly implying that discount codes and discounted prices applied to certain products when this was not the case.
Smart Metering Communications Body Ltd t/a Smart Energy GB
- Not upheld
- 10 March 2021
A TV and radio ad for a smart meter which stated that the product could help consumers to save money on their bills was not found to be misleading.

View all rulings

Pricing and charges

Helpful information on the advertising rules for the pricing of products and services and additional charges, not including legally required costs such as taxes or VAT.

Latest news

Make sure the price is right: using reference pricing in ads

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Five New Year Resolutions for January Sales

Watch our new CAP Bitesize series on price promotions

Savings claims and the Ad Rules

Latest rulings

Watches of Switzerland Company Ltd t/a Goldsmiths

DSG Retail Ltd t/a Currys PC World

I Saw it First Ltd

Smart Metering Communications Body Ltd t/a Smart Energy GB

Help getting it right

Popular advice

Prices: Recommended retail prices (RRPs)

Promotional marketing: Free entry routes

Guidance on the use of “free” claims in advertising

Relevant codes