If you shop at any of the Kroger brands — like King Soopers, Fred Meyer, Fry’s, Smith’s, or Ralph’s — you’re likely familiar with Kroger deals . But do you know ALL the Kroger shopping hacks that you can use at any of their stores?
The Kroger family of companies is made up of 19 different grocery chains. This makes it one of the largest grocery retailers in the country, second only to Walmart. Kroger may have many names, but you can save the same way at nearly all of them. And I’m here to show you how.
1. Sign up for your Kroger store’s loyalty card to access the best savings.
Sign up for a loyalty account with your local Kroger store to unlock digital coupons, sale prices, and fuel rewards. You can register online, in their app, or at the customer service desk in-store.
Once you have an account, you can load digital coupons to your account and skip clipping paper coupons. At checkout, just enter your phone number or swipe your card, and all your loaded coupons will be applied to your total automatically.
New to Kroger couponing? Check out our complete beginner's guide.
KCL TIP: Don't want to deal with digital coupons? Just check out at Kroger's customer service desk to get the discounted pricing.
2. Use your digital Kroger coupons on grocery pickup and delivery orders.
Here's the rule of thumb — if you can stack coupons together in-store, you can stack them for your Kroger grocery delivery order too. Digital coupons you've clipped will automatically come off when you pick up your order.
Kroger grocery pickup is always free on orders of $35 or more (and that's calculated before coupons come off, so it's easy to hit the minimum).
Want more pickup and delivery coupon tips? Read our Kroger Couponing Lesson 2 guide.
3. Get up to $1 off per gallon with Kroger fuel rewards.
Every dollar you spend at a Kroger store is normally worth one fuel point. If you buy a gift card for travel, dining, retail, or entertainment through the Kroger website, you'll earn 2x, 3x, or sometimes even 4x the fuel points on that purchase.
There's no limit to how many points you can earn, but keep in mind that points reset every month, and you can only use points for up to 35 gallons of gas at one time. Check the bottom of your receipt or sign in to your account to see how many fuel points you've racked up.
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100 fuel points = $0.10 off per gallon of fuel for one fill-up at participating partner gas stations (like Shell stations) or a Kroger store gas station
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200 fuel points = $0.20 off per gallon of fuel for one fill-up at a Kroger store gas station
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1,000 fuel points = $1 off per gallon of fuel for one fill-up at a Kroger store gas station
Want the full breakdown on maximizing fuel points? See our detailed Kroger Fuel Points guide.
4. Try Kroger brand items risk-free; if you don't like them, exchange for the name brand.
Kroger brands are almost always cheaper than national brands, but if you're hesitant to try them, here's your safety net: If you're not happy with a store-brand purchase, you can return the product within 30 days for a full refund. Or you can even exchange the item for a national brand. Both options just require you to bring your receipt (or show your digital receipt).
This means you can confidently buy the cheaper Kroger option knowing you're not stuck with it if it doesn't work for you.
5. You don’t have to purchase 10 items to get the "10 for $10" discount.
This is one of my favorite Kroger hacks because so many people don't realize it. When you see "10 for $10" deals, you don't actually have to buy 10 items to get the sale price. Each participating item will ring up for $1, even if you only buy one.
So if you just need one jar of peanut butter that's part of the 10 for $10 sale, go ahead and grab it — you'll still pay just $1. No need to stock up on 10 items you don't need just to get the deal.
6. Schedule your Kroger delivery for later to avoid Instacart’s extra costs.
Same-day Kroger delivery is typically done through Instacart, which means a higher delivery fee ($9.95 - $14.95), plus a tip. If you can wait until the next day (or longer) to get your groceries delivered, it's always cheaper to schedule your order through Kroger delivery instead of Instacart.
Scheduling your order ahead of time like this will save you at least $3 in delivery fees, plus the tip.
7. Sign up for a Boost membership and get free Kroger delivery on every order over $35.
For $99 a year, you can sign up for a Boost membership and get free Kroger delivery on all orders of $35 or more, including deliveries done by Instacart. (The tip for your Instacart driver is still on you, though.)
We did the math to figure out if Boost is worth it, and determined you'd need to order nine Kroger deliveries in a year to make up for the $99 annual fee. Plus, with Boost you earn two fuel points for every $1 spent, and you get access to additional coupons.
KCL TIP: If you can wait to join, look for 50% off Boost membership offers to pop up in May and July (valid for new members only, and only on your first year).
8. Stack coupons with Mega Sale items to save big.
Mega Savings Events (aka their mix and match sales) are typically listed in the Kroger weekly ad or on shelf tags as the following: "Buy 5+, Save $1 per Item," "Buy 3+, Save $2 per Item," or "Buy 10+, Save $0.50 per Item." Pair printable, newspaper, or digital coupons with items you buy in this promo, and you'll save even more on your total grocery bill.
Want to master the Mega Sale? Get all our pro tips in our Kroger Lesson 2: How to Save Big.
9. Look for Catalina coupons at the registers — they're not junk!
Catalina machines spit out long, receipt-like coupons and are typically located next to the registers at Kroger stores (both the regular registers and self-checkout kiosks).
Catalina coupons may include store or manufacturer coupons. Sometimes they're a dollar-amount off your next transaction, and sometimes they're a coupon for a specific product.
KCL TIP: Try the self-checkout lanes and look around for coupons and Catalinas that other shoppers have left behind. Since Catalinas often look like junk or an ad, we've found Catalinas for free items or even for $2 or $3 off our next shopping trip.
10. Meat or produce item approaching its expiration date? Ask for a discount.
Most items that are approaching their expiration date, like meat, will already be labeled with a yellow and red manager's special tag, but sometimes items get missed.
If you see a product that'll soon be expired — or even a piece of produce that looks uneven or not as fresh as the others — ask for a discount. We do it all the time at these stores that mark down items near their best-by date.
11. Scan the shelves in search of closeout tags.
Keep your eyes peeled for items with "reduced" stickers — these are closeout deals that can save you a ton. You can usually find these discounted items in carts in the middle of aisles, on endcaps, or near the door of the stock room.
For produce and dairy closeout items, you'll have to look a little harder since they're located in the same area as the regular-priced stuff. But trust us, it's worth scanning those shelves to see what you can find.
12. Sign up for a Kroger credit card for 2% cash back and a free Boost membership.
If you're a frequent Kroger shopper, the Kroger credit card could be worth looking into. You'll earn 2% cash back when you use it at Kroger stores (excluding Kroger fuel centers) and 1% cash back everywhere else.
When you sign up and get approved, you'll also get a free Boost Essential membership, which normally costs $69 per year. Plus, you'll earn 2x fuel points, and if you use Kroger Pay or other mobile wallet options, you can get up to 5% cash back.
13. Use rebate apps like Ibotta to save even more.
You can get a traditional receipt when you shop in-store at Kroger, so you shouldn't have any problem using the same receipt for all of these cash-back rebate apps:
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Ibotta: Best for grocery rebates
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Fetch Rewards: Best for earning on any receipt
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Shopkick: Best for lowest cash-out minimum of $2
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Checkout 51: Best for redeeming offers up to five times
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Swagbucks: Best for earning by completing surveys and tasks
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Aisle: Best for text-based cash-back offers
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Brandclub: Best for syncing with popular retailers (Amazon, Target, Walmart, Kroger, Chewy, and more)
14. Get 20% off fruits and vegetables if you're enrolled in government assistance programs.
If you're enrolled in government assistance programs like SNAP, WIC, or Medicaid, you can get 20% off fruits and vegetables at Kroger stores through their Verified Savings Program. You'll just need to verify your status through SheerID to unlock this benefit.
Once you're enrolled, you'll also be qualified for 50% off a Boost membership.
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