On The Beach's 'identical holiday for £592 less' — identical only in the email

On 20 August 2025 On The Beach sent an email with the subject line 'Found: your identical holiday for £592 less.' The body read 'We compared. We conquered […] Deal of the Week We're £592 cheaper. We're £592 cheaper than easyJet holidays for this jolly departing on 16th September 2025. Reveal this deal'. Small print said the comparison was made on 18 August 2025 at 10:02 for two adults, seven nights from Luton to Muthu Clube Praia da Oura, Portugal — flights provided by Ryanair, not easyJet.

easyJet holidays complained that the comparison was misleading and did not let consumers verify it. On The Beach said the packages were materially the same: Ryanair was a comparable low-cost carrier on the same route, the 20kg versus 23kg hold bag difference was minor, and the competitor's £100 promotional discount was excluded because promo codes carry eligibility restrictions. Prices were captured at 10:02 on 18 August and re-checked on 20 August.

On 11 February 2026 the ASA upheld both issues. The packages were not identical — different airline, different baggage allowance, and a genuine, generally available £100 saving excluded. When a consumer clicked 'Reveal this deal' on 21 August, the easyJet package was £1,802 while On The Beach's landing page showed £1,983 — over £900 above the £1,022.94 used at comparison time. The email also failed to state the two prices, how the £592 was calculated, or where the underlying data could be checked. The ad breached CAP rules 3.1, 3.17, 3.32, 3.34, 3.38 and 3.39 and must not appear again.