Charles H. Miller
Walmart is well-known for its low prices, but that doesn’t mean you can’t get an even better deal. In fact, there are a number of ways to save at the world’s largest retail chain and we have picked-up those that we think make the most sense.
Yes, even with their great prices, you can do better. Here are…
17 Money-Saving Hacks for Walmart
Some of them are simple as checking a special section at Walmart.com, and some require a little effort on your side. Try all of these tips to benefit, big time.
1. Learn the Price Code
Many retailers have their own price code that tells their employees and savvy shoppers a few additional details about an item’s price. At Walmart, if the price is ending at 7 (i.e. $6.67), it means that the item you’re looking at hasn’t been discounted yet, or if it’s ending at 5 (i.e. $6.65), it has been discounted once in the past. Finally, when the price is ending at 1 (i.e. $6.61), it means it’s time to buy, cause Walmart won’t be providing additional discounts.
2. Buy the own brand
Generally speaking, own-branded products offer a great value for money. Walmart has a number of brands, each of which costs less than a better-known alternative. You may want to check the ingredients, but in most cases Walmart’s own-brand products are just as good as products advertised on TV.
3. Get free 2-day shipping for free
Unlike Amazon’s Prime service which charges $99 for round the year 2-day shipping, Walmart is offering the same thing for free. To be fair, the Amazon Prime also includes other valuable stuff, but if you all you care is free shipping — you can get it with every eligible Walmart order of $35 or more. While this deal is available with a majority of Walmart’s inventory, you can use filters to see only the items that qualify for 2-day shipping. Alternatively, you can pick these items yourself in a local Walmart store.
4. Get Walmart’s printable coupons
Visit coupons.walmart.com and select all the coupons you could possibly need. Simply tick the checkbox (clip) next to those you like, and then click “Print Coupons.” You’ll get your coupons neatly prepared for your printer.
5. Use Walmart’s Savings Catcher
Walmart aims to prove that its prices are hard to beat with a neat service called the Savings Catcher. Instead of you looking for better deals at competing retailers, this service will do it for you. Simply scan your store receipt with the Walmart mobile app (available for iPhone and Android), and let the Savings Catcher find better deals on the items you’ve purchased. If something is found, you’ll get the difference. It’s that simple.
6. Get money back with the price drop guarantee
Related to the previous point — if an item previously purchased from Walmart.com (not including items from a third-party seller) is now listed at a lower price, and the item is within its eligible return window — you can contact Walmart.com Customer Care to receive an adjustment for the price difference. Special deals may not apply here and before contacting Walmart, make sure to check their Price Matching Policy.
7. Combine coupons with price matching
Yes, you can combine the two to save even more. For example, you may have a coupon for some item which also happens to be selling for less at Amazon — you can first ask for the price match, and then use your coupon to get the unbeatable deal. That’s what we call savvy shopping. 😉
8. Use the Amazon app to get a better deal
Speaking of price matching, you’ll want to browse a Walmart store with Amazon’s app running on your smartphone. While in store, fire-up the app’s built-in barcode scanner to compare prices. If you see that Amazon is offering a lower price on some item, ask Walmart for a price match. Cool, right?
9. Use the Daily Savings Center
This is the place where you will find a number of amazing deals Walmart is offering on any given day. Sometimes the savings won’t be that spectacular and sometimes you’ll see a number of items you don’t need; on the other hand, you may get to score an item you want for next to nothing. So yes, it’s worth checking out as often as possible.
10. Look for the Rollback prices
Walmart is frequently changing prices and you will want to buy stuff when they cost less. Missed a sale? Don’t worry — chances are Walmart will roll back prices at some point. You can see all of the items with rollback prices from this page. It’s like their secret special deals section, so check it out.
11. Get prescription drugs for $4/month
Walmart’s Pharmacy section lets you save money on prescriptions. They will sell you both well-known brands and generic drugs so you could save more. You can browse prescriptions by condition, as well as download the full list of $4 medications. It’s pretty straight forward, and did we say money-saving? 😉
12. Keep up with Walmart on social media
Walmart has an extensive presence on social media which it uses to share deals, coupons and even free samples. You do want to know what they are up to in order to benefit from their special offers. You can follow Walmart on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube and Pinterest. Additionally, you can subscribe to the company’s newsletter to get the same or similar offers in your inbox.
13. Visit Walmart’s special events
This is a good place to look for discounts, just make sure to have your shopping list with you. One can easily get carried away and buy things they don’t need. With that in mind, check with your local Walmart when will the next special event come to your town. Or stay tuned to Walmart on social media — they regularly share information on all of their events.
14. Consider a Walmart credit card
The Walmart Credit Card is a great deal for frequent shoppers, as long as they use it responsibly. Right now it lets you save 20% (up to $50) on your first online purchase. This money is deposited to your account as a statement credit. Also, you get 3% back on every purchase on Walmart.com, 2% on Murphy USA and Walmart gas, and 1% percent back on all other purchases. However, you should be making regular, on-time payments and not carrying any balance from one month to the other to get that money. Otherwise, APR ranging from 17.65 to 23.65 percent will eat all the rewards you earn.
15. Buy pre-owned Walmart gift cards
Use a service like GiftCardGranny.com or Raise to buy a pre-owned gift card for less and save up to 4 percent — that was the best deal we could find, and we have Walmart always low prices to thank for that (they can’t go much lower). But better something than nothing, right? (Related: 7 Gift Card Hacks to Help You Save Money)
16. Get cash back with Ebates
If you shop on Walmart.com through EBates, you can earn a tiny percentage back on every purchase you make. Again, because Walmart is known for its low prices, you won’t get back a ton — quite the contrary, you will typically earn just 1% back, or in some cases 1.5%. Nonetheless, there is no need to leave any money on the table.
17. Use shopping apps like Ibotta, Checkout51, Favado and Flipp
Similar to Ebates — Ibotta and Checkout51 will get you a percentage back on all purchases you make at Walmart and some other stores. Yes, some extra steps are required to claim the rewards, but it could be worth the effort. On the other hand, Favado and Flipp will let you comparison shop so you always get the best prices on groceries. And you know what happens when you find a better deal — you ask Walmart to price match it. 😉
Conclusion
We had to limit our list somehow and we didn’t want to include what we think are nonsense ways to save such as buy perishable goods in the morning, or get refurbished electronics whenever you can. Some of that advice is universal, and for the food — we like it when it’s fresh.
Nevertheless, chances are we have missed some important tip, and if you happen to know it — feel free to send it in the comments section below. We’d love to hear from you.
