Whether it's a minor repair or a major update, there's a decent chance anyone undertaking a DIY project will factor Home Depot into their shopping plans. The home improvement retailer carries everything from appliances and hardware to lumber and gardening supplies at prices that can make it easy to stay within your budget. But if you're looking to save even more money, there's one trick you might want to keep in mind before you pick up your supplies. Read on for a secret way to get 11 percent off every Home Deport purchase.
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A program can offer some shoppers an 11 percent rebate on purchases at Home Depot.
iStockWhile Home Depot may be known for some of its bigger annual sales events and year-round discounts for military service members and veterans, another lesser-known method can help shoppers score even more money back. The store offers an 11 percent rebate for shoppers who hold on to their receipts and post their purchases to the store's online portal.
In a video posted to TikTok last March, user tamer_raba_official shows himself opening a handful of Home Depot gift cards received in the mail after uploading the details of his purchase to the website.
"It takes me less than 40 seconds to do each receipt," the video claims.
Home Depot says that customers can submit their claims to the portal up to 30 days from the original purchase date. From there, the store will process each claim for eligibility before they notify customers if they've been accepted. Shoppers whose claims are approved will receive an eGift rebate reward card in their inbox soon after that.
The rebate is limited by store location and specific date ranges.
ShutterstockHowever, it's important to remember that this hot deal doesn't apply to every Home Depot location.
"It's only available in roughly 15 states and even then, only at select stores," says Julie Ramhold, consumer analyst with DealNews.com. "So you have to live both in a state that has the program and be close enough to visit a participating store."
Eligibility is also limited to specific timeframes each year, too. For 2023, only receipts from Feb. 19 through March 26 and March 27 through April 9 qualify for the rebate. And of course, shoppers must also submit their purchases to the portal within 30 days.
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The deal doesn't include all products and is limited to in-store purchases.
Belen Strehl / ShutterstockAccording to the rules, it's not just when and where you buy your materials, but also what you're buying.
"There are a ton of exclusions," says Ramhold. Besides not applying to already discounted items, services, gift cards, and special orders, the store also has a 1,306-page document that covers more than 146,000 excluded products overall, she points out.
"The good news is that the list includes SKU numbers, so you should be able to look up whether or not a product you're interested in falls on the list or not," she points out.
And unfortunately, you'll have to get out of the house if you hope to take advantage of the discount. "The rebate only applies to in-store purchases, not online," says Ramhold. "That means you have to take the time to go in-store to do your shopping, so if you're buying something large, you'll need a way to either haul it home or try to have it delivered from the store—which may end up costing extra."
You might still qualify if you meet these criteria and pass on any other sale items.
ShutterstockIf you're fortunate enough to be in the right place at the right time to take advantage of the rebate, you shouldn't hold out for deeper savings. According to Ramhold, you can't stack the rebate with other discounts—including the store's military service member and veterans policy—as the program's terms and conditions state that it's not valid with any other offer.
"Even if you try, the claims center will be able to tell if you purchased something at full price or not since you have to input your receipt details," she points out. "Your claim could be rejected if you try to get a rebate for something you purchased on sale."
Ultimately, Ramhold says the rebate can be an excellent way to save some cash if you're fortunate enough to qualify and willing to put in the effort.
"You can do some of the work ahead of time and figure out if you live in a valid state and near a participating store, but you'll still need to check the portal before making purchases to see if the program is currently active," she says.
