10 JCPenney Shopping Hacks: Right Now You Can Get a Free $10 Rewards Coupon

I’m going to level with you. JCPenney shopping has never been my favorite. For me, it’s always been the place my grandma goes with her friends. Not really on my radar.

Well, I decided to give JCPenney shopping another shot, and what did I find? A lot of sales, coupons, and JCPenney deals. Between their clearance section and Mystery sales, they always seem to have something going on to help you save a little bit extra.

With a little know-how and a push in the right direction, I’ve mastered the art of shopping at JCPenney.

Download The Krazy Coupon Lady app or text HACKS to 57299 for the latest money-saving tips, deals, and coupons.

Limited-Time Deal: Get a free $10 JCP coupon by signing up for JCP Rewards.

Right now if you sign up for JCP Rewards (the retailer's loyalty program), you'll receive a $10 CashPass Reward to use on your next JCPenney purchase. The program is completely free to join and allows you to rack up rewards points (1 point per $1 spent), ultimately culminating in a $10 CashPass Reward when you hit 200 rewards points. No word on how long JCPenney will keep this free $10 voucher for a Rewards signup in play, so jump on the deal now.

1. JCPenney inflates prices by up to 30% to make sales more appealing.

JCPenney is known for over-inflating prices to promote sales when, in reality, “sale” prices are often near regular retail.

I found a JanSport Superbreak backpack at JCPenney with a regular price of $48, on sale for $35.99. The same one is regularly priced at $36 on Jansport.com and $35.99 on Macys.com. So maybe price compare before assuming something is a stellar deal.

2. JCPenney will price match local brick and mortar competitors and online retailers.

See an item you want for a lower price somewhere else? Price match. JCP will even price match Amazon, as long as it isn't a listing from a third party seller on Amazon.

JCPenney’s price match policy allows matching for 14 days after purchase.

If you buy an item and see it advertised for a lower price somewhere else that week or the next, JCPenney will give you money back to match the price. Just bring in the local competitor ad, and a customer service representative will help you out.

On that same note, if you notice the price of an item drop while you’re at JCPenney shopping within that 14-day window, you can request an adjustment.

KCL TIP: JCPenney price matches during Black Friday. So if you find something within two weeks of Black Friday and you don't want to wait, buy it. If the price drops within two weeks, you can go back to get the difference.

3. Pink stickers indicate final clearance prices.

Be on the lookout for pink price tags. This indicates a final clearance price. As I mentioned above, most items at JCPenney are on sale, so there are plenty of these tags to be found.

Throw a couple of coupon offers on top of one of these items, and you’ll have yourself a deal.

KCL TIP: Tags indicating 80% off can end in a 0, 7, or a 9. JCPenney clearance items are marked down until they hit 80% off. From there, it’s solely up to the discretion of the store manager or pricing team to determine the price of the item.

4. Online orders over $25 ship to a JCPenney store for free.

Placing an online order but don’t have enough to hit the $75 minimum free shipping threshold?

Don’t worry — as long as the order is over $25, you can ship everything to your nearest JCPenney store for free. If your order costs less than $25, it'll cost $3.95 to have it shipped to a store.

Out-of-stock items always ship to the store for free.

Don’t see what you want in stock? Have an employee order and ship it to the store for free. Just pick it up next time you’re at out shopping.

5. The first and third Friday of each month are the best days to find new markdowns.

Schedule your JCPenney shopping trips for the end of the week. The stores roll out new markdowns on the first and third Friday of every month.

You’ll notice the biggest sales tend to start right before the weekend. That’s when you’ll see Super Saturday sales and doorbusters. Combine these sales with a $10 off $10 coupon to get the best deals.

6. JCPenney sale alerts are now sent via text.

One of the best ways to keep up to date on sales and coupons is via JCPenney text alerts. You’ll receive up to eight messages per month. I typically get them on Thursdays. Think coupons, sale alerts, and updates on store holiday hours. You’ll also receive a 20% off coupon for signing up.

Text JOIN to 527365 to get started.

7. JCPenney.com may have better prices than in-store.

JCPenney.com and in-store prices are typically the same.

However, sometimes you’ll find online-only or in-store-only sales. If you’re shopping JCPenney for something in particular, make sure to check the site before going in-store to see if you’re missing out on an online exclusive.

If an item is cheaper online and isn’t part of an exclusive sale, ask a store associate if they'll match the price in-store.

8. Yellow tags tell employees where new merchandise will go, most likely to a clearance area.

Notice yellow or green tags sticking out of store signage?

This is simply a way for stockroom associates to keep track of new shipments coming in. A green tag indicates an item needs new signage.

To make room for new shipments, a product with a yellow strip will most likely be relocated to a clearance area, where it has a better chance of being marked down even lower.

9. The JCPenney credit card isn't worth it.

As far as a JCPenney credit card review goes, you have to consider whether the perks outweigh the liabilities. With the JCPenney credit card, members save more as they reach specific tiers (standard, gold and platinum), which are based on spending habits.

To reach the highest level (platinum), you’ll need to spend $1,000 or more in a calendar year. The benefits? A few extra coupons and savings opportunities throughout the year. Not really worth it.

Instead of the JCPenney credit card, consider purchasing discounted JCPenney gift cards from GCX.com. At a discount of 10%, you’ll save more without getting locked into a new credit card.

10. Get a $10 CashPass Reward on every $200 you spend with JCPenney Rewards.

When you join JCPenney’s free rewards program, simply called JCPenney Rewards, you'll receive a $10 CashPass Reward just for signing up. Then when you shop at JCP, you'll get 1 CashPass point for every $1 spent. Every time you hit 200 CashPass points, you earn another $10 CashPass Reward — that's a 5% return.

In addition, as a rewards member, you'll receive exclusive coupons and another $10 CashPass Reward on your birthday. And if you happen to be a JCPenney credit cardholder, you'll earn 1.5 CashPass points per $1 spent, so you'll only have to hit a $133 spend to grab that $10 CashPass Reward.

JCPenney allows you to use up to 10 CashPass Rewards coupons per transaction.

There are three types of coupons you can use while shopping JCPenney:

• CashPass Rewards coupons — These coupons are available for JCPenney rewards members or cardholders, like a $10 reward for every $200 you spend.

• Free shipping coupons — Sometimes, JCPenney will release coupons for free shipping at a certain purchase threshold. Free shipping is typically only available on orders over $75.

• Discount coupons — These are your typical dollar or percentage savings coupons available to everyone. Think 20% off your purchase, or $10 off a purchase of $10 or more.

Coupons will be applied in this order: discount → reward → free shipping.

Note that some stores won't allow a discount with a free shipping coupon. But you can always stack in these combinations so long as the discount doesn’t exceed the purchase price:

• Discount + $10 Reward (up to 9)

• (10) $10 Rewards

• (9) $10 Rewards + Free shipping coupon

Related Reading:

• JCPenney Power Penney Days

• JCPenney Black Friday