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. Use a manufacturer coupon worth more than your item costs and get cash back at Walmart.
That’s right! This might be our favorite Walmart couponing tip. If you’ve got a manufacturer (MFR) $1.00/1 coupon to use on a $0.95 item, that $0.05 difference won’t go to waste. According to the Walmart coupon policy, any overage is first applied to your transaction total and then they’ll give you what’s left.
Overall, score one for Walmart, since Target doesn’t do any overages whatsoever. (Oh, by the way, at Krazy Coupon Lady, we call these “moneymakers” because that sounds way more fun than “overage.”)
One of the best ways to grab manufacturer coupons for your Walmart trip is by keeping an eye on the KCL coupons page to see all available printable coupons.
RELATED: 9 Tips to Find & Print the Best Free Printable Coupons
2. 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.
3. Walmart digital coupons don’t exist. Paper only.
Walmart doesn’t accept mobile digital coupons, only paper or printed internet coupons.
4. Coupon in Walmart clearance or the travel section for freebies and moneymakers.
If you’re an expert at Walmart couponing, you can even score some freebies and moneymakers 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. You’ll receive money back if the coupon value exceeds the item price. Just be aware of the fine print — it may exclude trial/travel-size items.
- Combining (stacking) coupons with clearance items is another great way to find moneymakers. For example, we saw a deal for a hand soap that was on clearance for $0.75 and with a $1.00/1 coupon, it became a $0.25 moneymaker.
- 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.
5. 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.
6. 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 page on your smartphone so you can reference it quickly.
7. With the weekly ad coupon matchup, Walmart will PAY YOU for shopping.
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 freebies and moneymakers.
In a 2021 Walmart couponing haul, we found $70 in savings, including Irish Spring Body Wash for 57% off and $1.13 in moneymakers just for buying stuff, like two bottles of Kaboom bathroom cleaner. That’s right — we figure out how to make Walmart pay you for walking out of the store with free products.
Want to take advantage of our Walmart couponing expertise? You can favorite Walmart in the KCL app or sign up for our email newsletter.
8. 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.
9. 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.
In June 2021, Walmart announced a partnership with Ibotta that adds rebates directly into your account. Just link your Ibotta account to your Walmart app for instant savings.
RELATED: How Does Ibotta Work? It’s Easier Than You Think
10. 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.
Here’s a moneymaker we saw for Violife vegan cheese:
And 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
11. 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
12. 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 Deals for Days for the entire month of November.
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.
13. Split your Walmart purchase into four payments with a ghost card from Klarna.
We found the simplest workaround for Walmart not having a layaway option. You can use a “ghost card” from Klarna to pay for your holiday stuff in four payments spread out over six weeks. You pay 25% of the total due at checkout, then make a payment of 25% every two weeks after that.
The good news: Klarna won’t hurt your credit score and doesn’t charge interest or any fees whatsoever.
The semi-bad news: You can only use Klarna at Walmart.com, not in the physical store.
To use Klarna, first download the mobile app or Chrome browser extension and create an account, which includes adding a debit or credit card that’ll be used for your four payments. The app will automatically give you an estimated spending amount, up to a max of $1,000, based on a soft credit check (which doesn’t affect your credit score). Each ghost card you create will take away from your available spending amount.
14. Walmart clearance is marked down within the first five days 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.
15. 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.
16. 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.
17. 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.
Prefer to shop online? The items just have to be the exact same (down to the color), in stock, and sold and shipped by Walmart. To do a price match online, use the Walmart customer service chat or call customer care at (800) 925-6278, provide proof of the lower price, and they’ll adjust your order as you check out.
Here are the stores that Walmart.com will price match with:
- Academy.com
- Amazon.com
- Autozone.com
- BassPro.com
- BedBathAndBeyond.com
- BestBuy.com
- Cabelas.com
- Chewy.com
- DicksSportingGoods.com
- DollarGeneral.com
- FamilyDollar.com
- Homedepot.com
- Jcpenny.com
- Kmart.com
- Kohls.com
- Lowes.com
- Michaels.com
- Newegg.com
- Officedepot.com
- OreillyAuto.com
- PepBoys.com
- Petco.com
- PetSmart.com
- Sears.com
- Staples.com
- Target.com
- Walgreens.com
18. Pick up your groceries at Walmart for free.
You don’t have to pay for grocery pickup or meet a spend minimum. Shop Walmart groceries online, then select a time that’s convenient for you to pick them up. A Walmart employee will even load them into your car for you — no tip required.
Unfortunately, coupons don’t work with Walmart grocery pickup.
19. Get $10 off your first Walmart Grocery pickup and $10 more for referring friends.
When you make your first Walmart pickup grocery order, use the promo code WOWFRESH at checkout. You’ll get $10 off your first order of $50 or more.
Plus, you can refer a friend to Walmart Grocery pickup and they’ll get $10 off their first order, and you’ll get a $10-off promo code. There’s no limit to the number of promo codes you can send out, so it’s time to start spamming that link to your Facebook friends.
20. 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 order 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 – $517.40 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.
21. Use Walmart Text to Shop to easily add things to your cart.
New in December 2022, you can add things to your Walmart shopping cart just by sending a text with the items you need. It’s free and simple to sign up.
Once you sign in with your Walmart account and link it to your phone, you’ll see a new conversation thread pop up in your text messaging app with the contact name “Walmart Text to Shop.” It’s just a bot, not a real person, but it’s pretty darn handy. As the bot will tell you, you can send it a message like “2 Great Value oatmeals” and it’ll add the items to your cart.
22. 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.
23. 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.
24. 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. Walmart’s also announced their own ReliOn Novolog insulin, which saves customers 58% – 75% on their insulin needs.
25. Get cheap pet prescriptions at Walmart.
Walmart PetRx offers competitive prices for pet prescriptions, especially if you choose to AutoShip, since you’ll get 30% off your first order.
26. 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.
27. Walmart Couponing 101: Get a free deluxe-size sample at Walmart Freeosks.
With over 1,300 Freeosk locations nationwide — and most of them located in Walmart stores and Sam’s Club warehouses — you are sure to find one near you.
Download the Freeosk app, scan your phone, and enter the unique code at the kiosk to get freebies.
Here are some of the samples we’ve seen so far:
- Trolli Sour Brite Crawlers
- Tabasco Hot Sauce
- Cuties Mandarin Oranges
- Full-sized Clif Bars
- Full-sized Rice Krispies Treats
- Colgate Optic White Toothpaste
Which of these Walmart couponing tricks has saved you on a recent shopping trip? Let the KCL community know in the comments below!
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