Hello, Kohl's Cash! How to Use Kohl's Free Money

Kohl’s Cash is one of the best things about shopping at Kohl’s. Why? Because it’s free money. It’s less like a Kohl’s coupon and more like a Kohl’s gift card, because Kohl’s Cash is usable on nearly everything Kohl’s offers.

But the best part is that earning Kohl’s Cash isn’t limited to special promotions anymore. Kohl’s Rewards members earn cash back on every purchase, and shoppers who use curbside pickup or make Amazon returns at Kohl’s are walking out with free Kohl’s Cash to boot.

Read on for a step-by-step breakdown of everything you need to know about Kohl’s Cash, and how to game this system for maximum savings.

Oh, and don’t forget to download the Krazy Coupon Lady app (and favorite Kohl’s!) to get the latest Kohl’s deals sent straight to your phone.

 

1. How does Kohl’s Cash work?

You earn Kohl’s Cash by shopping at Kohl’s during special promotional periods, in $5, $10, or $15 increments based on the total amount you spend after all of your coupons and discounts are applied.

You can spend Kohl’s Cash during a specified time period (more on that in tip #2). Kohl’s Cash can be both earned and spent when shopping Kohl’s online, at a Kohl’s store location, or through the Kohl’s app.

Kohl’s Cash is earned when you spend at least $25 or $50 (it depends on the promotion): for every $50 you spend, you get $10 back in Kohl’s Cash (or $5 Kohl’s Cash for every $25 spent).

Kohl’s used to round up to $50 from $48, but since fall 2020 they’ve been holding firm that the purchase has gotta be $50 or more.

 

2. When are the Kohl’s Cash earning and redemption periods?

Kohl’s publishes past and current Kohl’s Cash promotion dates on their website, in the Kohl’s weekly ad, and in store.

The length of earning and redemption periods fluctuates. Earning periods usually last between 3 and 7 days, and redemption/spending periods are usually anywhere from five days to two weeks after the earnings period ends.

PRO TIP: Kohl’s gives customers an extra five bucks — $15 in Kohl’s Cash — for every $50 spent during their Black Friday and Cyber Monday sales.

 

3. How will I receive my Kohl’s Cash?

If you shop in stores and earn Kohl’s Cash, you get a paper version — basically a printed coupon.

If you shop on Kohls.com, at the Kohl’s in-store kiosk, or in the Kohl’s app, you’ll get an email within a day that has your Kohl’s Cash redemption codes and the dates it can be used.

If you’re a Kohl’s Rewards member, it will be added to your Kohl’s Wallet automatically. I highly recommend this route, because you’ll never lose that paper coupon again!

 

4. Do I need to be a Kohl’s Rewards member to earn Kohl’s Cash?

No, you don’t need to be signed up for the Kohl’s Rewards program to earn it. As long as you’re shopping during an earning period and spending at least $50 after coupons and discounts, you’ll earn it.

But Kohl’s Rewards members do earn 5% Kohl’s Cash all year-round, whether or not there’s a current earning period going on. And the program is free to join, so it’s not a bad idea if you’re a frequent Kohl’s shopper.

 

5. Is Rewards Kohl’s Cash the same as Kohl’s Cash earned during promotions?

Rewards Kohl’s Cash is blue, and promotional Kohl’s Cash is green. But there’s more to it than that.

Kohl’s applies two different sets of rules to Kohl’s Cash earned via Rewards and Kohl’s Cash earned through promotions. Here’s what you need to know:

On the first day of each month, Rewards members receive Kohl’s Cash in increments of $5 for every $100 they spent the previous month.

Kohl’s Cash earned during a promotion is provided immediately after you check out. If you shopped in the store, you’ll get a physical Kohl’s Cash coupon. If you shopped online, it’ll show up in your email or your Kohl’s Wallet.

There’s another wrinkle: Kohl’s Cash earned through Rewards expires after 30 days. Promotional Kohl’s Cash will expire after its redemption window closes — but Kohl’s will accept the latter up to seven days after its redemption window ends.

 

 

6. Can I really earn Kohl’s Cash by making an Amazon return at Kohl’s?

I still expect this to be something that doesn’t work whenever I try it, but it’s true: Kohl’s will reward shoppers who return their Amazon purchase at Kohl’s with $5 in Kohl’s Cash.

It’s super easy. Just start your return on Amazon like you normally would, and select “Kohl’s Dropoff.” Amazon will send a QR code to your email. Show that QR code to the Kohl’s employee, and walk out the door with some free Kohl’s Cash. I should note that sometimes I’ve received a 25% off coupon instead of the $5 in Kohl’s Cash, but still, it’s worth a shot!

PRO TIP: I’ve also received $5 in Kohl’s Cash by placing an online order for Kohl’s Curbside Pickup. Look for the “Free Store Pickup Today” option when checking out. In my experience, you usually have to spend at least $25 to receive the offer.

 

7. How do you use Kohl’s Cash online?

Every Kohl’s Cash coupon has a 15-digit number and a four-digit PIN. That’s what you need in order to use your Kohl’s Cash online.

From the checkout screen, click or tap “Apply Coupons” and enter in the codes — they’ll be applied to your total automatically.

Here’s where to find those numbers on your Kohl’s Cash coupon:

• Physical Kohl’s Cash coupon: The 15-digit code is above the bar code; the 4-digit PIN is to the right of the bar code.
• Kohl’s Cash email: Both codes are above the bar code.
• Kohl’s app: Both codes are below the bar code.

 

8. Can you use expired Kohl’s Cash?

You can use expired Kohl’s Cash if you earned it:

• During a promotional period
• By using Kohl’s curbside pickup
• By making an Amazon return at Kohl’s

Although Kohl’s used to accept expired Kohl’s Cash up to 10 days after it expired, that policy has changed. Now they’ll only accept expired Kohl’s Cash up to seven days after its expiration date.

Again, Kohl’s Cash earned from the Rewards program won’t be accepted after its expiration date.

 

9. What exclusions are there for Kohl’s Cash?

Kohl’s Cash is subject to hardly any exclusions, which is why I always prefer Kohl’s Cash to Kohl’s coupons.

Although Kohl’s Cash can’t be used on gift cards, Sephora purchases, or to pay off your Kohl’s credit card, Kohl’s Cash has no brand exclusions (unlike Kohl’s coupons).

Kohl’s doesn’t give you a minimum spend threshold to use Kohl’s Cash, but they won’t provide any change for your Kohl’s Cash. For example, if you have $10 in Kohl’s Cash, but your total is $9, you’re not getting that $1 back.

 

 

10. Can I stack my Kohl’s Cash with coupons?

Yes! And you should. In fact, don’t even think about shopping at Kohl’s without a coupon or promo code.

Kohl’s sales and promo codes are always published by Kohl’s on their website and in their ads, and Kohl’s Rewards members get coupons delivered to their Kohl’s Wallet every 2 – 4 weeks But the easiest way to find the best Kohl’s coupons and deals is from the KCL app.

Kohl’s allows shoppers to stack up to four coupons in a single transaction. Here’s the order it’s applied:

1. Department-specific, dollar-off coupons ($5 off a $20 fragrance purchase).
2. Percent-off, Kohl’s coupon codes (15% off women’s beauty purchase) will be applied to qualifying items.
3. Dollar-off coupons (like Kohl’s Cash first, then Kohl’s accepts sitewide coupons like $10 off an entire purchase of $50 or more) will be subtracted from your subtotal.
4. Only one sitewide, percent-off coupon (15% off an entire purchase) will be applied.
5. Free shipping code will be applied if you’re spending at least $75 after all other discounts.

 

11. What if I want to return an item I bought with it?

That’s totally chill. You can do a Kohl’s return — or even a price adjustment — on an item you bought using Kohl’s Cash. The amount will be returned to you within a 30-day period to use again.

It’s worth noting that if you return something on which you earned Kohl’s Cash, that coupon will be invalidated.

Do you have any other questions about Kohl’s Cash? Drop them in the comments below, and I’ll get back to you with an answer. Thanks for reading!