Your Complete Price-Matching Guide: Target, Walmart, Best Buy and More

Terence Loose

Few things will bring out your inner Scrooge more this holiday season than the realization that you overpaid for a gift. That’s because, although it is the thought that counts in the end, the price very much counts at the register. And when you discover that simply driving a few extra miles to a different store could have saved you money, it’s hard not to feel at least a little bit less festive.

Fortunately, most major retail outlets offer some sort of price-matching guarantee that will allow you to get another store’s price with them. In some cases, you might even be able to do so retroactively if you spot a better deal after you buy. Here’s a guide to the price-matching policies of some of the biggest department stores so you can be sure to get the best price on everything during your holiday shopping.

1. Walmart Price Match

Walmart.com matches pricing if the item you purchased is still within its return window, adding to the company’s list of great deal offerings. This doesn’t apply to sale items or for purchases on deep discount days like Thanksgiving, Black Friday or Cyber Monday. Walmart.com will also match pricing for select competitors and online retailers. Check your local Walmart for details on its price-match policy.

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2. Target Price Match

Target will price match most items in its stores if you bring proof of the lower price. For retroactive price matching, bring your original receipt within 14 days of the purchase date. If you purchase an item on Target.com and find a cheaper price for the same item elsewhere, you can get an in-store price match.

Like Walmart, Target limits the online competitors it includes in its price-match policy. Online sites you can use for price matching include Amazon.com, Walmart.com, BestBuy.com, BedBathandBeyond.com and Staples.com, among others.

Related: Secrets Real People Use to Save at Target, Whole Foods and More Essential Stores

3. Best Buy Price Match

Best Buy lives up to its name by price matching with all local competitors, as well as these online sites: Amazon.com, BHPhotoVideo.com, Crutchfield.com, Dell.com, HP.com, Newegg.com and TigerDirect.com. Best Buy will also match its own online and in-store prices and refund the difference during the return and exchange period, which is one of the many ways to save money at the store.

Only one price match per item is allowed. Best Buy does not price match:

  • Free items

  • Mispriced items

  • Coupon and clearance offers

  • Bundle deals

  • Offers for Thanksgiving through Cyber Monday

  • Items advertised as limited quantity

4. Kohl’s Price Match

Kohl’s price matches in-store competitor pricing, so you could save money on clothes and many other items. Bring in the competitor’s ad with the current date on it, item information and sale price. Online pricing does not qualify for this offer. The retailer also gives you Kohl’s Cash and Yes2You Rewards on price-matched products. Certain items cannot be purchased with Kohl’s Cash or Yes2You Rewards.

5. JCPenney Price Match

JCPenney offers an impressive price-matching policy. The store matches competitors’ prices and throws in an additional 5 percent, though items price matched with JCPenney.com do not qualify for the added discount. If you already purchased the item, you can get a price match within 14 days of your purchase — just remember to bring in the competitor’s ad.

JCPenney does not price match third-party sellers on marketplaces like Amazon or auction sites like eBay. Certain items do not qualify for the additional 5 percent, such as major appliances, electronics and more.

See: The 50 Best and Worst Store Return Policies

6. Bed Bath & Beyond Price Match

Bed Bath & Beyond price matches direct competitors, even Amazon, as long as the items are identical and the item is sold by Amazon and not a third party. The store will also let you stack a manufacturer coupon on top of a price match.

Bed Bath & Beyond will not match pricing on items that competitors have on clearance, closeout or liquidation. If you see language such as “limited time,” “limited quantity” or “while supplies last,” assume you cannot price match it.

Related: Creative Ways to Save at Bed Bath & Beyond

7. Sears Price Match

Sears price matches identical items on sale at local competitors if you bring the original ad with you at the time of purchase. The retailer will also match online pricing if you bring the order page in — though keep in mind it will consider shipping and handling costs.

Sears’ price-match guarantee does come with hefty exclusions. For instance, a price match is only available the day of your purchase. Also, Sears does not price match internet-only retailers, marketplaces or third-party sellers on competitor websites.

8. The Home Depot Price Match

The Home Depot price matches local retail competitors on identical and in-stock items. For your price match, bring in the ad, printout or photo of the deal. That doesn’t include the volume of wholesale discount pricing, professional services including labor or installation costs or items sold via a third-party or discount site.

9. Lowe’s Price Match

Lowe’s offers price matching for an in-stock, identical item sold from a local or online retailer. Simply present a Lowe’s employee with the ad showing the lower price when you visit your local Lowe’s store, or you can price match online either by texting 704-313-1818 or calling 800-445-6937 and talking to a customer care associate.

Restrictions apply, however. Customers cannot price match installation labor, closeout sales, special orders, or clearance, discontinued and damaged items. Price matching is also limited to “reasonable quantities.”

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10. Staples Price Match

Staples will price match virtually any of its products — as long as the items are identical. The office retailer will honor most competitors’ prices, including online retailers like Amazon. The items must be both sold and shipped by the competitor, however. In other words, no third-party sellers qualify.

You can request the price match when you buy. If you discover a lower price within 14 days of your purchase, Staples will refund the difference. Here’s what Staples doesn’t price match: its own or competitors’ special events and timed sales, Staples EasyTech services, gift cards and a few other items.

Save More: 10 Secrets From Savvy Shoppers to Save You Money

11. Office Max and Office Depot Price Match

The home office and business supply chain matches pricing on identical items sold by competitors who operate retail and online stores under the same name. Items sold and shipped by Amazon also qualify, but not third-party sellers. Office Max will also offer price matches on printing jobs at FedEx Office and The UPS Store.

If an item comes with a service plan, its terms must be identical to your Office Max or Office Depot purchase. To receive your price match, bring in a printed ad, receipt, proof of in-store signage or online offer on a mobile device. Purchases made within 14 days also qualify for this offer.

Also Read: Are Product Warranties and Insurance Worth the Cost?

12. Fry’s Electronics Price Match

Fry’s Electronics will price match any authorized local or online competitors. If you buy an item and find a lower price elsewhere within 30 days of purchase, Fry’s will refund 110 percent of the difference — you just need your original receipt and proof of a lower price.

Fry’s price-match policy reserves the right to limit this offer to one of each model. When price matching online competitors, Fry’s will include the cost of shipping. The offer does not include rebates, one-of-a-kind items, educational discounts, coupons or promo codes.

13. Newegg Price Match

Select Newegg.com products qualify for its price-match guarantee, just look for the Price Match Guarantee badge on the product page. If you find a lower price on any major retailer’s site within 14 days of your purchase, Newegg will refund the difference to a Newegg Customer Care card, which is good for purchases on Newegg.com for 90 days.

Some restrictions apply. Newegg offers one price match per customer. Major holiday event prices, such as on Cyber Monday, are excluded.

14. Dick's Sporting Goods Price Match

Dick’s Sporting Goods offers a price match guarantee on items that are an identical match and are available at a qualifying store or website, a list that includes Walmart, Under Armour, Cabela’s, Kohl’s, Target, Foot Locker, direct sales by Amazon and many others.

The price match is available for the first two weeks after your purchase and excludes certain products and pricing like flash sales, custom products and loyalty promotions, among others.

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15. Nordstrom Price Match

Nordstrom will match the price of a “designated national competitor” on an item provided it’s the identical color and size as one offered at their store.

Additionally, if an item is permanently reduced in price, you can get an adjusted sale price for it as long as it’s within 14 days of your original purchase.

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16. Michael's Price Match

Michael’s will not only match a competitor’s price, it’ll beat it by 10 percent as long as you bring the ad, photo or printout to the store with you when you make your purchase or within the next seven days.

That deal applies to any brick-and-mortar retailer but it also extends to a select number of online retailers, which includes Amazon, Walmart.com and Target.com. Unfortunately, using their “Low Price Guarantee” means you can’t stack additional coupons onto that price, though.

17. Petco Price Match

Petco stores offer price matching for items sold at other physical retail locations, but not items sold online. However, that doesn’t mean you’re out of luck if you used Walmart.com or Petsmart.com as it does match prices offered online by selected retailers at Petco.com.

The in-store price match will match both regular and sale prices on Petco.com, but it excludes any pricing based on repeat delivery.

Click through to read more about ways to save even more at Costco.

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Joel Anderson contributed to the reporting for this article.

This article originally appeared on GOBankingRates.com: Your Complete Price-Matching Guide: Target, Walmart, Best Buy and More