Back in September 2023, we were replaying all our top Walmart couponing moments from the previous six years like a highlight reel. Why? Because they introduced three new Walmart coupon policy updates that month — and they weren’t great news for extreme couponers like us.
Walmart quietly added new language in their coupon policy fine print on Sept. 24, 2023. This was actually the first time Walmart had changed their coupon policy since November 2017.
While you’re still able to score Walmart freebies using coupons under the updated coupon policy, you can no longer coupon your way to Walmart moneymakers (where you end up with extra money in your pocket). Plus, a couple other changes impose new coupon limitations and stricter rules about which coupons will and won't be accepted at Walmart.
We dug through the Walmart coupon policy fine print and pulled out the three major coupon policy changes you need to know about, plus a few tips for shopping and saving at Walmart under these new terms and conditions.
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1. Say goodbye to Walmart moneymakers — the new policy excludes coupon overages and cash back.
For more than a half a decade, taking advantage of Walmart coupons and deals to score moneymakers (where you get money back from the transaction) was one of the best ways to save at Walmart. We had a blast walking out of the store with more money than we walked in with. But sadly, earning cash on coupon overages at Walmart is now a thing of the past.
According to the updated Walmart coupon policy, Walmart no longer pays overages or gives cash back if the value of your coupon is more than the price of the item. So now, the lowest Walmart price you can get with coupons is $0.
The Fine Print (emphasis my own): "Walmart does not give cash back nor will any overages apply to the remaining items in the transaction if the value of a coupon is greater than the purchase value of the item, including WIC and SNAP. The value of a coupon will be applied up to the price of the item and any excess value will not be applied to the transaction total."
2. You're now limited to four identical coupons per day at Walmart.
Walmart used to honor whatever limitations were printed on the coupon itself, regardless of how many identical coupons they allowed. Now Walmart has a limit of four identical coupons per household, per day — unless a lower limit is stated on the coupon.
So even if a specific coupon has a limit of six identical coupons, you'll get a hard decline at the Walmart register if you try to use more than four.
However, if the manufacturer coupon states a limit of two identical coupons per household per day, Walmart will only accept two identical coupons. Basically, they'll roll with the individual coupon limits unless more than four identical coupons are allowed.
The Fine Print: “Limit of 4 identical coupons per household, per day (unless otherwise noted on coupon).”
The upside? There's still no limit to the variety of coupons you can use in a single Walmart transaction. So as long as you're not using more than four of the same coupon, you can use as many different coupons as you'd like.
Related: We can help you learn how to understand all the confusing fine print on coupons.
3. If the register declines your coupon, a Walmart employee may not be able to override it.
Walmart's policy has long required your items to match the coupon description (same brand, size, quantity, color, flavor, etc.). In the past, they've always stated that unmatched coupons would simply be denied. But the addition of one word in the September 2023 update — "systematically" — has a huge impact.
Now Walmart's policy says that unmatched coupons will be systematically denied, meaning that it's the register system that now decides whether the coupon is accepted or not. If the coupon isn't accepted by the register, an employee may not actually be able to override it to accept your coupon.
Previously, you could expect a certain level of flexibility if a legitimate coupon was declined at the register. If you made your case, a store manager could override the system and honor the manufacturer coupon anyway. Now Walmart is seriously cracking down on this rule to prevent coupon abuse and fraud.
The Fine Print: "Items purchased must match the coupon description (brand, size, quantity, color, flavor, etc.). Acceptance of unmatched coupons is against policy and will be systematically denied."
Tips for Shopping With the New Walmart Coupon Policy
You can still get Walmart moneymakers with Ibotta.
You may not be able to score Walmart moneymakers with manufacturer coupons alone, but you can still use the Ibotta app at Walmart to bring prices down below $0.
In our experience, Walmart has more Ibotta offers available than any other retailer at any given time. So if there's a manufacturer coupon for $1 off Dove body wash, plus an Ibotta offer for $2 cash back at Walmart, you can stack both offers to save $3 total.
This can easily result in Walmart freebies and moneymakers without violating Walmart's new coupon policy.
KCL TIP: Just remember that you can’t redeem Ibotta Walmart offers and Walmart Cash rebate offers in the same transaction. That’s a no-no since Walmart Cash rebate offers are technically Ibotta offers behind the scenes.
Look for Aisle rebate deals that you can redeem for freebies at Walmart.
We frequently share Aisle rebate deals in our Walmart freebies roundup that result in totally free things like Stur water enhancers ($3.28 value), Pop & Bottle oat milk lattes ($2.98 value), and LOVO chocolate bars ($5.41 value).
Since you redeem these rebates on your own (and not through Walmart), you’re not limited by their coupon policy at the time you make the purchase.
Use coupons on Walmart clearance items to bring the price as close to $0 as possible.
The key to scoring Walmart freebies is to use coupons on items with already low prices. One of the best places to look for deals like these is on Walmart clearance finds (which are sometimes even cheaper than the printed Walmart price tags say).
We once saw a Walmart clearance deal on hand soap for $1. With a paper manufacturer coupon for $1 off, the price became $0!
Ask a Walmart store manager if they can override a coupon — they still have the final say.
Despite these not-so-great coupon updates, one part of Walmart's policy remains the same — store managers have the final say.
But wait, didn't I say that store managers won't be able to override the system when a coupon is denied? While it's true that the register will no longer prompt the employee to override the system, this fine print still appears at the end of the Walmart coupon policy:
The Fine Print: "Store Management has the final decision in taking care of the customer."
So even though Walmart has cracked down on coupon limitations, whether or not your coupon gets accepted is still left up to the manager. If you have a legitimate coupon that the register declines, speak to a manager and kindly ask if they'll honor your coupon anyway. Being friendly and understanding can go a long way.
Check the Walmart.com price to see if it's any lower (and ask for a price match at the register).
While the Walmart price matching policy is a shell of its former self, you can still request a price match at the register if you see a lower price on Walmart.com for the exact same item. It’ll just need to be in stock and sold by Walmart (not a third-party marketplace seller), and you can only claim one price match per day.
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