We love talking about Walmart couponing. When you combine Walmart’s low prices with coupons and the right rebate apps, magic happens — the savings can be phenomenal! While Walmart might not have standard store coupons, you can still shop smart to grab freebies, take advantage of grocery promos, and master Walmart clearance.
And don’t even get us started on Black Friday at Walmart! If you’re shopping for toys, Apple products, or video games, Walmart is your jam.
Read on, and we’ll show you exactly how to coupon and shop at Walmart.
Make sure you bookmark the best Walmart deals and download the KCL app so you never miss a savings opportunity.
1. Walmart Couponing 101: You can’t use coupons online at Walmart.com.
If you’re ordering from Walmart.com, you can’t use MFR coupons at all. Plus, Walmart never offers store coupons online or in store. Here are a few other things you gotta know about the Walmart coupon policy before you get to shopping:
Coupons have to read “Manufacturer Coupon” across the top, have an expiration date, and include a scannable barcode.
You can’t use competitor coupons at Walmart.
2. Walmart doesn't accept digital coupons. Paper only.
Walmart doesn’t accept mobile digital coupons, only paper or printed internet coupons.
3. Coupon in Walmart clearance section for freebies.
If you’re an expert at Walmart couponing, you can even score some freebies inside the store! Here’s how:
The $1 trial-size section at Walmart is a great place to score free products if you’ve got a manufacturer coupon. Just be aware of the fine print — it may exclude trial/travel-size items.
Combine (stacking) coupons with clearance items.
We haven’t seen name brands at the Walmart Dollar Shop yet, but since they have stuff as cheap as a buck, you can expect some freebies once they do carry name brands.
Bookmark the KCL freebies and moneymaker pages to easily find stellar deals at Walmart, or tap on “Freebies” at the top of your Krazy Coupon Lady app.
TIP: We also found ways you can get free (or almost free) makeup samples from all kinds of companies.
4. You can use BOGO coupons at Walmart, but not if there’s a percentage involved.
Walmart accepts BOGO (buy 1 get 1) manufacturer coupons, but they do have a few rules:
Walmart won’t accept a BOGO coupon with a percentage off.
You can’t use two BOGO coupons on two items to make them both free.
Walmart won’t let you use a coupon on the second item from a BOGO coupon to get an overage.
5. Keep the Walmart coupon policy handy, since it comes down to the manager’s discretion.
It’s kinda annoying, but Walmart managers get the final say on whether or not a coupon is accepted.
This means that while one Walmart store may allow you to use 10 of the same coupon in the same transaction, another may not.
Best way to avoid issues at the register? Bookmark the Walmart coupon policy on your smartphone so you can reference it quickly.
6. With KCL's Walmart weekly ad coupon matchup, you can grab deep discounts and freebies.
Don’t worry; you don’t have to play detective for this tip. We comb through the Walmart ad each week and match it up with MFR coupons, peelies, cash-back apps, and every single angle we can think of in our Walmart weekly coupon deals. Some of the items are even Walmart freebies.
Want to take advantage of our Walmart couponing expertise? You can favorite Walmart in the KCL app or sign up for our email newsletter.
7. Make your life easier with the Walmart app for pickup, delivery, and Scan & Go.
The Walmart app (iOS / Android) is useful for two main reasons:
Mobile shopping for pickup and delivery (anyone can use the app for this)
Scan & Go (only Walmart + subscribers can use the app for this)
If you subscribe to Walmart+, their subscription program for grocery pickup and delivery, you can use the Scan & Go feature, which will save you some time. But we like Scan & Go mainly for this reason: when you shop in store, the Walmart app keeps a running total of every item you scan and put in your cart. This is super helpful if you tend to impulse buy or if you’re on a tight budget.
Another reason we like Scan & Go? When you get to the self-checkout line, you scan the barcode in your app and it automatically charges your account (as long as you’ve linked the app to your debit or credit card). No unloading, bagging, swiping, chipping, tapping, or touching of any kind needed. All you do is show your e-receipt to the self-checkout monitor and leave the store.
Yes, you’ll still have to wait in the self-checkout line — and that can get long. But again, the running total and no touching thing is awesome.
8. Use Ibotta to get rebates during your Walmart shopping spree.
Ibotta is one of our favorite cash-back apps, and Walmart consistently has more Ibotta offers than most other grocery stores. So while they don’t accept digital coupons, this is a nice alternative. Just link your Ibotta account to your Walmart app for instant savings.
9. Stack manufacturer coupons with Ibotta rebates for moneymakers.
One of our favorite ways to coupon at Walmart is by stacking manufacturer coupons with Ibotta rebates. This can result in a freebie or even add a little cash to your Ibotta account.
Note: In May 2023, Ibotta changed their coupon policy. Some offers now have restrictions that prevent stacking an Ibotta rebate with manufacturer coupons, paper coupons, digital coupon codes, or digital retailer rewards.
So, before you try to combine coupons with Ibotta rebates check the fine print of the offer. If it says, “May not be used with other coupons or promotions” you're out of luck.
If you don’t see that fine print, you can use your coupons at checkout, upload your receipt afterward to receive the full rebate value — even if it’s greater than the price you actually paid for the item. Here's a past moneymaker for Violife vegan cheese:
Use one $2.00/1 – Violife Just Like Cheese peelie coupon (the MFR coupon you find hanging off the product that is oddly satisfying to peel off) Submit one $3.00/1 – Violife Just Like Cheese, Ibotta Rebate (Ibotta.com) Pay $2.98, submit for $3 Ibotta credit Final Price: $0.02 Moneymaker in your Ibotta account
10. Plus, there are plenty of other cash-back and rebate apps to use at Walmart.
Just because Ibotta and Walmart are buddying up doesn’t mean there aren’t other cash-back and rebate apps to check out. And guess what? You can stack all of these with Ibotta! Here are a few cash-back and rebate apps you can use with your Walmart couponing:
Checkout 51
Fetch Rewards
Coupons.com
Rakuten
11. Skip the Walmart Black Friday chaos in store and shop almost all Walmart deals online.
Whether you’re shopping Walmart Black Friday online or in store, expect to see 40% off hot holiday items, like TVs and toys.
If you want to brave the stores on Black Friday to find those “Special Buy” doorbusters (manufacturer discounts that Walmart passes on to the shopper), use the color coded maps in the Walmart app to find your way. We’ve seen hot deals, like a Roku SE for $17 (regularly $50) or Nintendo Switch bundle for $299 (regularly $399).
You can also shop these deals online and take advantage of free shipping on orders over $35, or opt for free store pickup. And better yet, these deals aren’t just on Black Friday. Walmart runs Black Friday Days twice in November. In 2023, the first event began on Wednesday, Nov. 8 (online) and in stores (Nov. 10). The second event started Wednesday, Nov. 22 (online) and in stores Nov. 24.
Walmart+ members had early access from 12 p.m. ET to 3 p.m. ET on Nov 8 and 22.
TIP: Walmart no longer offers holiday layaway and wants you to use Affirm, a buy now pay later service that you should avoid because it can cost you up to 30% interest.
12. Most Walmart clearance is marked down within the first week of the month.
Walmart stuff might be marked down throughout the entire month, but always check the clearance items at the beginning of the month for the best selection.
The location of clearance items in any given Walmart is never the same. For the most part, clearance stuff will be located in their own aisles, but sometimes — specifically when Walmart marks down holiday products — they’ll reserve a couple aisles for clearance.
And always check the endcaps.
13. Walmart Couponing 101: Grab big discounts on produce, meat, and bakery items before the “best by” date.
Produce, meat, and bakery items are all typically marked down at 8 p.m. on the day prior to their “best by” date.
If it’s one day before the “best by” date and it hasn’t been marked down yet, you can find a Walmart employee and have them mark it down for you.
14. Walmart clearance prices will never go back up — but Rollbacks can.
Once an item is marked as clearance at Walmart, it can still drop in price, but it’ll never go back to its original price.
Rollbacks, on the other hand, are temporary price reductions that’ll last four to 10 weeks before going back to the original. Check the date each rollback began to get an idea of how long the price drop may remain.
15. Use Walmart price match to get Amazon’s prices, but only for items on Walmart.com.
Walmart does allow their in-store shoppers to price match, but only to the prices you see on Walmart.com. If Walmart.com’s online and in-store items are identical, you can ask the cashier to do a price match at checkout. Depending on the item, you might have to get manager approval.
16. Sign up for Walmart+ to save hundreds on grocery delivery.
It might sound like we’re overhyping this, but we’ve done the math. If you have a Walmart+ subscription ($98 a year or $12.95 a month), all your same-day grocery deliveries over $35 are free.
If you make one - two orders a week, here’s what you’ll pay with Walmart+ compared to regular Walmart grocery delivery:
With a Walmart+ subscription: $98 – $155.40 per year
Without a subscription: $413.40 – $826.80 per year
You can get quite a few other perks, like free next-day and 2-day shipping without a minimum, discounted prescriptions, and a free subscription to the Paramount+ Essential Plan. We recommend at least trying out the Walmart+ free trial.
17. Walmart’s NextDay delivery program is 100% free!
Walmart NextDay delivery isn’t available everywhere, but it’s definitely worth it if you can get it. If your ZIP code qualifies, you can get your order the next day as long as it’s placed before the cutoff time (usually before 2 p.m.) on Monday through Saturday.
Everything in your cart has to be marked “NextDay eligible” on its product page.
You won’t be paying more for your diaper stock-up or last-minute laundry purchase, but you won’t get any special deals either — at least not yet.
You do have to spend at least $35 to get your free NextDay delivery. Otherwise, you’ll be charged an extra $5.99.
18. Walmart Couponing 101: Don’t look too deep into Walmart price tags.
We hear a good amount of Walmart price tag myths going around, like that prices ending in “1” means the item won’t get marked down again, or clearance prices always end in “00.” Don’t believe it.
One of the few true myths is that you can see the most recent price date change on the price tag, but since there’s no set markdown schedule, it’s not going to do you much good.
19. Pick up $4 generic prescriptions from Walmart pharmacy — no insurance needed.
Next time you need to, ask your doctor to send your prescription to your local Walmart Pharmacy, and verify that you’re able to get a generic version. You can then check Walmart’s $4 generic list to see if your prescription is included.
If it’s on the list, you’ll pay $4 for a 30-day supply, or $10 for a 90-day supply.
Walmart+ also gives you an average 85% savings on prescriptions, with some medications discounted enough to be free.
20. Change your mind about something? Return (almost) everything within 90 days.
The Walmart return policy lets you return pretty much everything within 90 days. This includes damaged and defective items and nonperishable foods. You’ve got 60 days to return prescription glasses and 30 days to return electronics.
But there are a few things you can’t bring back at all, like prescription drugs, gas-powered items, and BB guns.
If you make a return that involved a coupon, you only get back what you paid for the item. Walmart won’t credit you for that coupon. Womp.
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