Curbside pickup exploded in popularity during 2020 as a safe shopping alternative, and customers loved the convenience.
However, most stores don't accept paper coupons for curbside orders these days — only Kroger does. The good news? You don't have to choose between savings and convenience. Many retailers now offer digital coupons and mobile manufacturer coupons through their apps, which you can use for curbside pickup orders. Which is great, since as of May 2025, 87% of stores have a buy online, pick up in-store option.
Here's a breakdown of stores (like Target, Walmart, Walgreens, Kroger, and more), and their digital (and paper) couponing policies for curbside pickup orders.
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Kroger Curbside (and their affiliate stores) will take both digital and paper coupons.
Kroger grocery pickup (formerly known as Kroger ClickList) allows you to link your Kroger loyalty card during online checkout. Any Kroger digital coupons you’ve added to your account will automatically apply to your order.
Keep in mind that any digital coupons you clipped won’t show up when you check out online. Instead, the coupon discounts come off the total when you actually pick up your order.
You can also present any paper coupons when a Kroger team member brings groceries to your car. You can only use one coupon per item, though, per the Kroger coupon policy. So if you have a digital coupon, you can’t stack it with a paper coupon.
This is also the policy for Kroger affiliate stores:
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King Soopers
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Fred Meyer
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Fry's
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Ralphs
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Dillons
Walmart Pickup applies digital coupons, coupon codes, and Walmart Cash at checkout.
Walmart pickup doesn’t take paper coupons at curbside pickup at all. But that doesn’t mean you can’t still save on groceries at Walmart. They make it easy to apply Walmart coupons and earn or spend Walmart Cash in the Walmart app before you check out.
KCL TIP: Send in your curbside pickup e-receipt to Fetch to get a cash-back rebate.
Target coupons (including manufacturer coupons) are now in the Target Circle app.
No paper coupons here. Everything you need to save at Target can be found in the Target Circle app. In fact, as of April 2024, all Target Circle promotions are automatically applied to your order, so after a quick scan of available digital coupons, you've scored the max savings with digital-only offers.
And don't forget — save an extra 5% on every purchase when you pay with your Target Circle Card.
Walgreens has clippable coupons AND curbside-exclusive promo codes.
Walgreens has adapted to a more digital-first coupon policy, so you're no longer missing out on deals by doing store pickup (or even home delivery). Just browse all of Walgreens' clippable coupons (which include mobile manufacturer coupons), and add them directly to your order online or in the app before checking out.
Plus, Walgreens frequently offers extra discounts exclusively for pickup orders.
KCL TIP: If you're a drugstore couponer, shop in-store at CVS. They don't do curbside pickup at all.
Safeway and Albertsons allow digital coupons for pickup, but not physical offers.
Albertsons grocery pickup orders can be placed either online at Albertsons.com or with the Albertsons Deal & Delivery app. When placing your Albertsons curbside order, you can save with Just for U coupon codes during checkout.
If your physical manufacturer coupon has a promo code listed in the fine print, you can use that when you’re checking out digitally. But as far as handing your paper coupon to someone when you pull up — that won’t fly.
Publix uses Instacart, so digital coupons you clip in your Publix account aren't accepted for any pickup orders.
Although Publix has digital coupons on their website, these particular coupons won’t link to your curbside orders, since those orders are only available through Instacart. The digital coupons you see on Publix.com and in the Publix app are for in-store use only.
You’ll place Publix pickup orders either through Instacart or on the Publix Delivery site or Publix app, which is powered by Instacart too. And while Instacart does offer its own coupons, you need to keep Instacart markups in mind. The base prices are usually higher on Instacart orders than if you shopped in-store (we usually see markups of between 5% and 25% on Instacart, depending on the product).
Sam’s Club doesn’t take coupons ever, but you can get Instant Savings on curbside orders.
Coupons aren’t a thing at Sam’s Club, even if you go inside. But as long as the item is listed as an eligible “Pick Up” item, all Instant Savings deals will automatically apply whether you shop in-person or via a Sam’s Club curbside order.
You'll also see a $4 fee added to your curbside total unless you spend over $50 (which isn't hard to do at Sam's, let's be real) or if you've got a Sam's Club Plus Membership.
When in doubt, clip digital coupons or shop in-store.
Nearly every major retailer has shifted to digital-only savings when it comes to curbside pickup, and most offer easy ways to link coupons directly through their apps or loyalty programs. If you're not willing to sacrifice convenience to shop inside the store, get the apps and use the digital offers.
That said, if you’ve got a stack of paper coupons you’re eager to use, shopping inside the store is your best option.
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