Do you avidly search for coupons and discounts to save money while shopping? Couponing can help you keep a great deal of money in your pocket by the end of the month, but it can be time-consuming. What if you did not have to bother with those pesky small pieces of paper to save money?

Yes, Best Buy have price match. Many major retail stores, most notably Best Buy, offer price matching guarantees that allow you to find a lower price from a local competing retail store and receive that same price in the store or online by simply showing an ad or the website on your phone at checkout.

In this article, we will tell you everything you need to know about Best Buy’s price matching, what items qualify and do not qualify, the pricing policies at other retail stores, how you can use price adjustments and tips and tricks for using price matching most effectively.

What Items Qualify for Best Buy Price Matching

In order to qualify for Best Buy’s Price Match, the item has to be exactly the same color, brand and model number. Qualified items also have to be completely new and sealed—they cannot be repackaged or refurbished or be an open box special.

The most technical and specific part of the process is determining which stores qualify as a local competitor. When you find a matching item, it must come from a competing store within 25 miles of the Best Buy location you are trying to buy a product from. However, certain locations might be willing to compromise a bit on this policy, as some people have reported getting a price match from a store more than 40 miles away.

Another exception to this rule is that Best Buy will match currently available items at certain online retailers as well. The list of online retailers that Best Buy will match includes:

• Amazon
• Bhphotovideo
• Crutchfield
• Dell
• HP
• Newegg
• TigerDirect

However, qualifying items cannot be sold from third-party vendors on these websites.

The last general condition on a price match item is that it needs to have an identical factory warranty to the one from Best Buy.

However, there are certain items that Best Buy will not price match—specifically contract mobile phones from any online retail store, rent or lease to own items or Best Buy for Education or Best Buy for Business items.

Best Buy will also not match service prices from competitors, hourly or daily sale specials, bundle offers, coupon or mail-in offers, credit card or gift card offers and any items that are sold Thanksgiving Day until the Monday following Thanksgiving. That means anyone who is fond of Black Friday shopping is out of luck when it comes to price matching.

What is Best Buy’s Price Matching Process?

If you are in a Best Buy store and you find a matching item, all you have to do is pull up the product page on the website or an ad from the competing store on your phone or smart device and then show it to a Best Buy employee.

Make sure the lower price is clearly displayed. The Best Buy employee should be able to do everything that is required to complete the price match process from there. 

If you are shopping from home on the Best Buy website, you can still get a price match by using the online chat or calling 1-800-BEST-BUY. After you request a price match, they will review it and verify it remotely. According to Best Buy, each customer is allowed one price match on each identical item. Let’s take a look at other store’s price matching policy:

Walmart Price Matching Policy

Who Will They Match: 29 online stores including Amazon, Sears and Target

The Process: Online shoppers have to contact Walmart Customer Care before purchasing an item, and it has to be verified by a representative before an order is placed.

Limitations:

• Walmart only matches prices on in-stock items from its own website (or Jet.com, which is also owned by Walmart) in the store.
• Online shoppers can get price matches from a limited number of stores. 
• The item has to be identical in all ways, including size, brand, model and color.
• Each customer is allowed one price match on each identical item.

Exceptions: They do not match prices from third-party sellers or bundle offers, mail-in offers and financing offers. Price matching is not available in Alaska, Hawaii or Puerto Rico.

Target Price Matching Policy

Who Will They Match: 25 competing stores including Amazon, Kohls, Sears and Walmart

The Process:

• Online shoppers can price match by calling Target Guest Services.
• Price matching includes print ads as well as websites from competing stores.
• Show the original print ad or the website page at checkout if you are shopping in-person.

Limitations: Local competitors have to be within 25 miles. The item has to be identical in all ways, including size, brand, model and color.

Exceptions: They do not match prices from third-party sellers or bundle offers, mail-in offers and financing offers. Price matching is not available in Alaska, Hawaii or Puerto Rico.

Additional Benefits:

• Target also offers price adjustments–if you buy an item, you have 14 days to bring in the receipt and an ad showing a lower price at a competing store, and Target will refund the price difference (not valid between Thanksgiving Day and the first Saturday in December).
• You can also use a coupon with a matched price. For example, if you have a manufacturer coupon for two dollars off of two cans of beans, and a local store is offering those two cans of beans for two dollars, you can price match and still use your coupon, receiving both cans at no cost. Target store coupons are not valid with matched prices.
• You are not limited to only one price match item 

Home Depot Price Matching Policy

Who Will They Match: Online shoppers at HomeDepot.com are allowed to price match with any competitor’s website, including the shipping cost as long as it can be shipped to your location.

The Process: If you find a less expensive price on any product from Home Depot, they offer a guarantee to match that price with no conditions. In store, all you have to do is show the ad on your phone or on paper.

Limitations:

• Used, open-box or reconditioned items are not eligible.
• Financing offers, rebates and bundle offers do not qualify, as well as custom or special-ordered products.
• The item has to be identical in all ways, including size, brand, model and color.

Exceptions: Third-party sellers, discount sites and wholesale clubs are exceptions, as well as wholesale pricing or bulk discounts.

Lowes Price Matching Policy

Who Will They Match: Online shoppers at Lowe’s are allowed to price match with any competitor’s website, including the shipping cost as long as it can be shipped to your location.

The Process: If you find a less expensive price on any product from Lowe’s, they offer a guarantee to match that price with no conditions. In store, all you have to do is show the ad on your phone or on paper.

Limitations:

• Third-party sellers are not eligible
• No clearance prices or special orders
• The item has to be identical in all ways, including size, brand, model and color.

Exceptions: Lowe’s has many specific model numbers for large items, making it impossible to price match those.

Additional Benefits: – You get 30 days for price adjustments, and not limited to only one price match item.

Staples Price Matching Policy

Who Will They Match: Any business that has a retail store and an online store under the same brand name is eligible for price matching, as well as Amazon.

The Process: In store, all you have to do is show the ad on your phone or on paper.

Limitations: Third-party sellers are not eligible.

Exceptions: Services, custom products, clearance and grand opening sales and in-store pickup orders are not eligible.

Additional Benefits:

• Not only will Staples match prices, but they will also give you an additional 10 percent discount.
• You even get 14 days for price adjustments (as long as the lower price was on the Staples website or in the store; no competitors).
• You are not limited to only one price match item.

Does Best Buy Do Price Adjustments?

Best Buy does offer price adjustments, which means that you can get a price match even after you purchase something.

For example, if you purchase an item at Best Buy and then see that the price has dropped because of a sale or a special only a few days later, you can still request a price adjustment within 15 days.

All you have to do is bring your receipt back to the store and they will adjust the price for you. If you bought the item online, you can call Best Buy at 1-888-BEST-BUY to ask for a price adjustment.

Advices from Frugal Answers

One of the fastest and easiest ways to check competitors for lower prices while at Best Buy is to download the free Amazon app. This app lets you scan a product’s barcode while you are shopping at Best Buy, and if Amazon lists the product for less money, you can immediately show it to a Best Buy employee and get a price match. Best of all, you do not even need an Amazon Prime membership.

If you are a frequent shopper at warehouse clubs such as Sam’s Club, BJ’s or Costco, they qualify as local competitors of Best Buy, so you can show a lower price at any location and get a price match. However, items that are made specifically for Costco will not be eligible, so examine model numbers carefully.

The last tip is not to focus only on national chains—small local stores count as competitors also and often have lower prices.

Key Takeaways

To summarize, here are a few of the main points we have discussed in this article:

• Many major retail stores, including Best Buy, will price match items at certain competing stores as long as the item is new and exactly the same color, brand and model number, with some additional limitations.
• Best Buy even offers price adjustments within 15 days if you bring your receipt back to the store.
• Downloading the Amazon app will let you scan a product’s barcode while you are shopping so that you can easily get a price match.