How to Coupon at Walmart: 9 Tips From Retail Experts
How to score even deeper discounts on your next shopping trip.
Walking into Walmart and finding an excellent deal on any given day is relatively easy. But if you're all about trying to save big on your purchases outside of seasonal sales and the store's famous "rollbacks," it helps to know the ins and outs of how special discount vouchers work at the retail giant. To that end, we reached out to the pros to find out exactly how you can get the best bang for your buck. Read on to discover how to coupon at Walmart, according to retail experts.
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How to Coupon at Walmart
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Coupons are one of the most widely used marketing tools for all types of businesses. That's why it might come as a surprise that as the nation's largest retailer, Walmart doesn't issue any in-house coupons of its own for shoppers. That doesn't mean that deal hunters are out of luck—it just means you'll have to look a little further to find what you need.
"Walmart only accepts manufacturer coupons, so the best way to find these is to go right to the source," says Julie Ramhold, consumer analyst with DealNews.com.
But even then, Walmart's policy can make getting a seriously deep discount hard. "Note that only one paper coupon can be used per item for in-store purchases only, so keep that in mind when deciding which coupons to use during your shopping trip," she says. "You'll want to use the one that offers the best savings overall."
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Put your effort toward finding coupons for more expensive items.
One of the most downsides of effective couponing is that it can suck up so much of your time. That's why experts say it's best to target which items you're trying to save on.
"For big ticket items like diapers or formula or even prescription medications from Walmart's pharmacy, I always suggest first visiting the manufacturer's website for printable coupons," says Marie Clark, retail expert and editor of the shopping site CostContessa. "I find online sites for coupons can cost me a lot of time and not always pay off in savings—and the best tickets for big savings on these larger purchases is often right on the brand website."
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Buy online and pick up in-store.
While you can't score in-house coupons from Walmart, there is another way to potentially get a discount. All you'll need is your smartphone and a little spare time when you're walking the aisles.
"Walmart has been known to price items differently online than in-store, so if you're in-store, check the online price using the app," says Trae Bodge, smart shopping expert at Truetrae.com. "If it's lower, place an order online and visit the pick-up desk to retrieve your order! And the best part? Walmart has been known to offer a 'pick-up discount' from five to 10 percent off."
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Be prepared to buy two of something to use a BOGO coupon.
A two-for-one deal is one of the better finds in the couponing world. However, just be prepared to live up to your end of the bargain on how much you'll need to take home with you.
"While some stores may let you buy one of something with a buy one, get one promotion and get the sale price, that's not the case with Walmart," says Ramhold. "If you have a coupon for buy one get one free, you better be prepared to buy two in order to redeem that coupon."
She points out that if the coupon states otherwise, you may be able to get away with only purchasing one. However, that's still not a guarantee—and it'll have to be explicitly stated on the coupon for Walmart even to consider allowing it.
"Also note that Walmart doesn't accept BOGO coupons with percentages—such as buy one, get one for 50 percent off—so don't even bother trying to use those when checking out," she adds.
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Use a cashback app.
Not too long ago, couponing required a pair of scissors and a lot of patience. But technology has made the entire process of saving money a little easier, even for stores like Walmart where in-house coupons aren't an option.
"There are lots of apps/sites for saving money while you shop, but CouponCabin is a favorite of mine," says Boge. "In their app, you can view offers by category, such as Cooking & Dining, Tools, Tires, and more. I also like the layout in the app because you can learn about current sales at Walmart, like their Beauty Glow-Up Event, where you can save up to 75 percent off!"
According to Clark, there's another great option. "The easiest discount to use for online shopping at Walmart is the Rakuten cashback program because it stacks on top of your cart, discounts, clearance, and most other coupons," she says.
Even though the rate is normally about two percent cash back, it often changes if you follow it over time. "I scored 12 percent cash back on one of my purchases and 10 percent cash back on the other back in November," she tells Best Life. "That shakes out (combined) to over $26 back on a $325 purchase!"
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Sorry: Stacking coupons isn't allowed.
Who doesn't love the idea of a discount on top of a discount? In the couponing world, the practice of "stacking" is when a shopper uses a store coupon and a manufacturer coupon on the same item to save even more—but don't get your hopes up about using this technique at Walmart.
"Unfortunately, since Walmart doesn't offer store coupons, you can't stack coupons for your purchases there," says Ramhold. "And if you're hoping to take advantage of double or triple coupons, don't bother: Walmart doesn't honor those either."
There are still some important caveats. "You can, however, stack a cashback offer on top of a manufacturer's coupon, in most cases," says Clark. "But remember that Walmart will not accept digital coupons, competitor coupons, or expired coupons as some other retailers do."
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…But you can pair coupons with discounted items for extra savings.
Even though stacking coupons is a no-go, Ramhold says that doesn't mean that items on sale are off limits.
"If you use a coupon on an item that's already discounted, that ensures you can net a bigger discount overall," she tells Best Life.
Still, she suggests going through your coupons before checking out. That way, you'll ensure you're using them the right way to secure the best discount overall.
"You can use as many coupons as you want in a transaction as long as they're for different products, but remember that you have a limit of four identical coupons per household per day, and you can only use one coupon per item during checkout," Ramhold explains.
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You can save on groceries.
Since discount marketing is all handled without in-house coupons at Walmart, it can pay to know where to look for savings. And in the absence of a weekly circular, it's best to check online to see where you'll be able to score a discount.
"We're all looking for ways to save on groceries," says Boge. "Visit the deal section of the store's website, where you can find rollback pricing on food that has been recently reduced in price."
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Your credit card might come with a big Walmart perk.
Credit card companies use all kinds of added bonuses to entice new customers to sign up, from cash back to extra points on certain purchases. But if you're enrolled in one popular card, you might have access to a great Walmart discount.
"Although it's not technically a coupon, American Express Platinum Cardholders get cash back each for their monthly Walmart+ subscription—in other words, free!" says Clark. "If you happen to have one, this is a great benefit. You just need to opt into it!"
