So you wanna save money at Cabela’s? Wondering how Cabela’s stacks up against competitors like REI and Dick’s Sporting Goods? Are you on the hunt for Cabela’s sales to score some great deals on hunting, fishing, and camping gear?
We’ve bagged and mounted the best tips out there for shopping at Cabela’s, including the easiest ways to get Cabela’s coupons, which Cabela’s sales are best, and all of the other nitty-gritty details you need to know to save big.
We set up camp at our local Cabela’s, keeping a low profile by blending into the natural vegetation and surviving on jerky and fudge alone.
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1. Cabela’s sales are honored a day before prices go live.
New Cabela’s sales roll out at least monthly. Sometimes the sales even overlap.
Most of the time, Cabela’s sales go live on Fridays — but if you show up the day before, Cabela’s employees say they’ll honor the sale prices.
Ask for an upcoming sales circular at customer service next time you shop to get an early flyer to shop in store.
2. Get a $10 off Cabela’s coupon when you join their email list.
The only way to get a free Cabela’s coupon is to sign up for their email alerts or their text messages. Do that, and Cabela’s will give you $10 off any order of $75 or more.
Plus, joining the email list is the best way to keep track of Cabela’s sales, deals, and promos. Given how rare it is for Cabela’s to give shoppers a coupon, their promotional info is crucial to saving big whenever you shop.
Related: See this week’s best outdoor deals.
3. Save 6% – 13% when you buy discounted Bass Pro or Cabela’s gift cards from Raise.com.
This one’s a no-brainer, especially given how rare it is to get Cabela’s coupons: Buy discounted gift cards from Raise.com and save anywhere from 6% – 13% every time you shop.
Can you use Bass Pro gift cards at Cabela’s?
Cabela’s and Bass Pro Shops are part of the same company, and their gift cards are interchangeable. Over the past few years, I’ve found that Cabela’s and Bass Pro Shops gift cards are anywhere from 6% – 13% off their full price.
I always try Bass Pro’s gift cards first, because Raise often has better deals on Bass Pro gift cards. In December 2022, Bass Pro gift cards were 7.7% off the full price, while Cabela’s gift cards were only 7.56% off.
Related: Here are the easiest ways to save with discount gift cards.
4. If you see a lower price at Dick’s, REI, or even Amazon, use Cabela’s price match at the time of purchase.
Cabela’s price match policy ensures they’ll match a lower advertised price from a competitor with a brick-and-mortar store within 100 miles — and even some online competitors like Dick’s Sporting Goods, L.L. Bean, and REI — at the time you make your purchase. And if you’re a member of their Club loyalty program, they’ll take another 5% off the competitor’s price!
Related: Use our ultimate retailer price match guide to see who will match Amazon’s prices.
5. Use Cabela’s free services to save on grill assembly, fishing line spooling, and more.
Personally, spooling my own fishing line means I’m gonna get all tangled up. Skip that. If you buy your line from Cabela’s, they’ll handle the spooling for you — free of charge.
Line spooling isn’t the only thing Cabela’s will do for free. If you purchase a grill from Cabela’s, they’ll assemble it for you. And if you buy a rifle from Cabela’s, they’ll offer a complimentary scope mounting.
But Cabela’s will also provide a few other free services for gun owners — even if you didn’t make a purchase. I’m talking about free holster fittings and even free gun appraisals.
Related: You can also always get these 31 things for free.
6. Cabela’s free rewards program only earns you 2% cashback.
The free Cabela’s Outdoor Rewards program (complete with a phone number-based membership card) gives you $0.02 back in rewards points for every dollar you spend at Cabela’s or Bass Pro Shops.
That’s not as good as the Dick’s ScoreCard program, which gives you $0.03 back for every dollar you spend. But free stuff is free stuff!
Related: You can get a whole lot more with these other store loyalty programs.
7. Earn Cabela’s Bucks when you buy select items during their February Triple Crown Offers.
Since 2019, Cabela’s has run what they call the Triple Crown Bonus promotion. This promo, which is in stores only, features triple Club points (for Cabela’s credit cardholders), free installation on items worth $649 or more, and up to $100 in Bonus Bucks when you buy fish finders and trolling motors from the following vendors:
- Humminbird
- Garmin
- Lowrance
- Minn Kota
- MotorGuide
The most exciting part to me is the Bonus Bucks — which function exactly like a Cabela’s gift card. That’s because this is the only time I’ve consistently seen Cabela’s offer Bonus Bucks year in and year out.
In 2022, Cabela’s sold this Humminbird Helix 9 GPS fish finder (reg. $1,499.99) for $1,199.97. Cabela’s offered $100 in Bonus Bucks to anyone who spent more than $1,000, which brought the entire savings on this fish finder to 27%!
When you check out, simply tell the cashier how you’d like to receive your Cabela’s Bonus Bucks (paper coupons or via email). Your Bonus Bucks will have an expiration date on the email or actual coupon (in 2022, Bonus Bucks expired on March 24).
8. Redeem your Cabela’s Club reward points on anything (even hunting and fishing licenses).
If you’re buying it at Cabela’s, you can pay for it with Outdoor Rewards points by entering your phone number at the register. That’s pretty awesome because it’s rare to find discounts on government-required licenses like hunting and fishing licenses.
9. The easiest way to shop Cabela’s clearance is online in the Bargain Cave.
Shopping for Cabela’s sales on clearance items in stores has been a nightmare ever since Bass Pro Shops took over the store. Instead of the clearance items all being in one place (the Bargain Cave, as longtime Cabela’s fans might recall), in-store clearance is scattered all over the place.
Instead of wasting a bunch of time sifting through each rack, shop Cabela’s clearance on the Bargain Cave page on their website. Just select the department you want and filter by “Current Offers — Clearance.”
I tracked the clearance savings across departments from Oct. 2021 through April 2022, and here are some of the savings I found:
- Fishing: 20% – 50% off fishing lures and clothing
- Guns: 15% – 30% off handguns and bolt-action rifles; 40% – 55% off eyewear
- Hunting Gear: 25% – 70% off Cabela’s store-brand pants, jackets, bibs, and boots
- Camping: 25% – 20% off Camelbak insulated bottles; 25% – 35% off Hydroflask bottles; and 25% off Nalgene bottles
Related: Be sure to use our ultimate clearance guide for the best year-round clearance tips.
10. Find the best selection of Cabela’s clearance items after Christmas and in August.
Cabela’s sales employees agree: End of season is the best time to shop for clearance items — August for summer and after Christmas for winter gear.
Each year, Cabela’s runs a two-week-long sale in August and another that starts right after Christmas and runs through January.
I’ll be honest, it isn’t so much that we see the highest clearance discounts during these times, but rather that the overall selection is greater.
Shop these Cabela’s clearance deals now:
11. Look for Cabela’s clearance on racks scattered throughout each department.
Like I said above, most Cabela’s stores keep their in-store clearance items scattered across all of their departments. At my store, Cabela’s clearance clothes hang on big, round racks with a yellow “Clearance” sign in the middle.
Of course, each store’s different. Ask your store associates when you walk in, and they’ll tell you where to go.
12. Cabela’s Black Friday sale is the best time to buy flannels, guns, and hunting gear.
via KFSM
Ever since 2020, Cabela’s has kicked off their Black Friday sale the Monday before Thanksgiving. The best deals, though, are still on Black Friday itself, starting at 5 a.m.
Look out for rebates that you can stack on top of sale prices. Here are some of the best deals we saw in 2022:
- Logo Hoodies, as low as $15 (reg. $19.99)
- Flannels, as low as $19.98 (reg. $29.99)
- Dry Storage Box Set, $19.99 (reg. $39.99)
- Christmas Inflatables, $49.98 (reg. $69.99)
Related: If you feel the need to shop around during the holiday season for more outdoorsy gifts, then you gotta hit Dick’s Sporting Goods Black Friday.
13. Shop around Father’s Day for 65% – 70% off hunting knives and 30% off bows.
While Black Friday specials are pretty legendary, the Cabela’s Father’s Day sale, which starts about two weeks before Father’s Day (in stores and online) is one of their best for hunting knives, archery equipment, and fishing equipment like rods and storage. During the 2022 Cabela’s Father’s Day sale, they also offered 10% off Bass Pro and Cabela’s gift cards for use on or after June 18.
Here’s some of what we saw in 2022:
- Kershaw Knives, as low as $19.97 (reg. $24.99)
- Invader X4 Crossbow Package, $399.99 (reg. $569.99)
- Fishing Rod Racks, as low as $19.99 (reg. $24.99+)
- Garmin Striker Cast Castable Sonar, $99.97 (reg. $129.99)
- Buy One, Get One 50% Off Yard Games (starting at $19.99)
And hey, why not keep the Father’s Day celebrations going with these 25 Father’s Day restaurant deals.
14. The best thing to buy at Cabela’s is Cabela’s brand clothing — on the clearance rack.
If you can find the Cabela’s brand version in the clearance section (or in the Bargain Cave online), then there’s a great chance those clothes will be the best value currently available from Cabela’s.
In April 2022, I found these waterproof work boots for $74.77 — that’s 33% off the regular price of $109.99. And that was 55% cheaper than comparable Carhartt boots (reg. $164.99) from Amazon.
I always have a ton of luck shopping for men’s base layers on clearance, too. Here’s another deal I found on Cabela’s store-brand clothes:
Buy 1 Cabela’s MTP Base Layer Bottoms for Men
(reg. $24.99), $11.97 clearance priceFree store pickup
Final Price: $11.97
15. Skip Cabela’s camping gear; instead, rent what you need from REI.
via REI
REI charges non-members a $100 deposit for any rental they take out. Don’t do that. Instead, pay a one-time $30 fee for a lifetime REI membership that’ll earn you discounted prices on all REI rentals.
The camping kit REI offers includes:
- One 4-person tent
- Two Adult sleeping bags
- Two self-inflating sleeping mats
- Two headlamps
- One lantern
- One cooler
- Two chairs
- One camp table
- One 2-burner camp stove (fuel sold separately)
- One set of pots and pans
The cost for all that, including your one-time REI membership fee, for four days: $225. That’s about 55% cheaper than what it would cost to buy that equipment from Cabela’s (reg. $484 total).
Be sure to check out all of our best tips for savings money at REI.
16. You have 60 days to make your Cabela’s return for a full refund (with receipt).
Keep your Cabela’s receipts! Cabela’s is a little stingy when it comes to refunds on their returns. Not only will every returned item be inspected before they decide to offer a refund, they won’t even consider full refunds without a receipt.
If you don’t have a receipt, the best you’ll get is a refund for the lowest sale price from the time of your purchase.
Related: Don’t miss our guide to the best store return policies.
17. Get Cabela’s free shipping by spending $50 or by using Ship to Store.
Who pays for shipping anymore? Spend $50 minimum at Cabela’s or Bass Pro Shops online and qualify for free two-day delivery.
Or if you’re spending less than that, simply have your online order shipped to the store and shipping is free. Curbside pickup, of course, is also free.
18. Cabela’s white price tags indicate full-price items, which is most of the store…
In most cases, prices on the white tag items (which means full price) can be beaten elsewhere.
19. While Cabela’s red “Sale” tags indicate price drops of 10% – 40% off regular price.
Temporary prices during Cabela’s sales are usually marked with a red sale tag. But don’t be fooled by these discounts; many of them just bring the cost of the products into the same ballpark as Amazon and other retailers (rather than being much higher).
20. Cabela’s will give you cash or store credit when you trade in your old firearm.
Cabela’s will either give you cash for your firearm or give you store credit with the TradeUp program, as they’re always selling used firearms. From what I’ve read, Cabela’s is a convenient way to get some money for your old gun, but because they don’t negotiate, you might not get as much as you would if you sold it on your own.
Oh, and you’ll get slightly more money for your trade-in if you opt for in-store credit.
Just make sure you follow the rules when you bring your gun into the store.
21. Shop Cabela’s online through Ibotta and get 3% back.
If you haven’t used it before, Ibotta is a cashback app that gives you a bunch of “rebate” offers to help you save on just about anything you buy from participating stores. And for Cabela’s, you’ll get as much as 3% cashback on your purchases.
Although there aren’t always specific offers available, if you simply go to Ibotta.com, create an account, and search Cabela’s from their website, you’ll be able to start getting cashback on your purchases. If cashback sounds like your jam, then you definitely need to check out our guide to using Ibotta.
22. Download manufacturers’ rebates from Cabela’s online.
If you’re looking to buy a new firearm or simply need some equipment for your next hunting/fishing trip (like walkie-talkies or a new bow mount), then you’ve got to take a look at Cabela’s.
Here’s where you can view all of Cabela’s existing rebates. Once you click on an item you want, you should see an option to “Print Rebate Form” right above the item description. Click on that link, and boom! You have your rebate (it might look like this).
23. Text CABELAS to 247365 to get weekly updates on online discounts.
There’s no instant coupon like there used to be, but you will be up to speed on additions to the online Bargain Cave and other deals.
Cabela’s runs a ton of text updates specifically tailored to each section. Text the following words to the number 247365 to get text updates from various departments:
- Bargain Cave
- Turkey
- Camping
- Fishing
- Deer
- Cooking
- Waterfowl
24. Earn $50 in Cabela’s rewards when you sign up for the Cabela’s Club Visa card.
Once you’re approved for the Cabela’s Club Visa credit card, you get $50 instantly in Cabela’s Club rewards to use online or in stores, which will come in handy between Black Friday and Father’s Day sales.
Cardholders also earn 2% in Cabela’s Rewards points when using the card at Cabela’s or Bass Pro Shops. All other purchases earn 1% in points.
Related: Be sure to check out the best store credit cards we could find.
25. Cabela’s military discount gives personnel and veterans a 5% off Cabela’s coupon every day.
All military personnel and veterans are eligible for a 5% discount at all Cabela’s/Bass Pro Shops store locations every day.
Just bring your military ID (active or expired) for the daily discount — which can be applied alongside any Cabela’s Bucks rebate or Cabela’s sales that are happening. You can also verify your military status on their website if you prefer to do your shopping there.
Related: Here are more than 100 other store military discounts you can use.
26. First responders get a 5% off Cabela’s coupon to use on firearms and ammunition during Veterans Day.
Police officers, firefighters, EMS, and other first responders get to enjoy employee pricing (up to 25% off) at Cabela’s hometown heroes events, which since 2020, have taken place over 2 – 3 days on Veterans Day.
27. Attend a free Cabela’s event or class — and score some swag.
Bass Pro Shops are starting to host free events throughout the year once again — such as the Fall Hunting Classic — with workshops for women hunters, anglers, crossbow enthusiasts, and activities for the kids.
Even after Bass Pro bought Cabela’s, Bass Pro has continued to host some events at Cabela’s locations. Go here to check where (and when) your next free Cabela’s event will be held.
They usually give free stuff to the first people who show up — so get there early!
TIP: Starting the Saturday before Easter, you can get free photos with Cabela’s Easter bunny in stores. If you’re not near a Cabela’s, the Bass Pro Easter bunny offers the same experience.
28. Cabela’s has an app, but you might want to skip it.
The Cabela’s app (iOS / Android) has been dogged with universally bad reviews. It has push notifications for Cabela’s sales info, but if you’re doing text updates, you’re already covered.
29. Get free samples of fudge at Cabela’s General Store.
This is John. He’s a friggin sweetheart, and he will load you up on fudge samples. Some of his favorite things are pralines and cream fudge and long talks about couponing. They hide him in the back of the store like the dairy case at the supermarket, in hopes you’ll spend a bunch of money before you ever find him.
My advice? Make John your first stop. He’s like the Keebler elf of Cabela’s.
There’s no purchase necessary for fudge samples. But if you want to buy . . .
30. And get two more free squares of fudge if you buy four.
What? You’re not buying your fudge from Cabela’s? You’re missing out.
While folks are shelling out at least $13.25 a pound for fudge at Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory, you’re buying 4 quarter-pound pieces and getting two more free — for $15.
That ends up being about $10 a pound. Delicious.
31. Keep your kids entertained with Cabela’s aquarium & wildlife displays.
Need to keep the little ones distracted while you ponder that purchase of a new camping cot? Get them up close with a polar bear.
Cabela’s has pretty impressive displays of real stuffed (as in, taxidermy) animals throughout the store. There’s also an aquarium. Free babysitting while you eat fudge!
32. Use Cabela’s as a free overnight rest stop for your RV or semitruck.
- Step 1: Fudge.
- Step 2: Hey kids — look at that polar bear!
- Step 3: Nap time.
(Some locations even offer free RV dump stations.)
That’s it, folks. These are your fearless leaders (two serious businesswomen) signing off.
Tell us what you think