Price matching lets you buy an item at one store while paying a competitor’s lower price. Instead of driving to a second store to save $8, you show the lower price on your phone and the cashier adjusts the price at the register. Not every retailer price matches, the policies vary significantly, and execution matters — a clear, polite request with visible proof succeeds where a vague claim doesn’t. This guide covers every major retailer’s price match policy and the techniques that get adjustments approved.

Which Retailers Price Match

Full Price Match Policies

Target: Matches prices from Amazon.com, Walmart.com, BestBuy.com, Costco.com, HomeDepot.com, Lowes.com, and other select competitors. Also matches Target.com’s own price (if the online price is lower than the in-store price). Price match is available within 14 days of purchase.

Requirements: Show the competitor’s current price on your phone. The item must be identical (same brand, size, model, color). Target does not match marketplace sellers (third-party sellers on Amazon or Walmart Marketplace), only items sold directly by the competitor.

Best Buy: Matches prices from Amazon.com, Costco.com, BHPhotoVideo.com, Crutchfield.com, Dell.com, HP.com, and other major electronics retailers. Also matches local retail competitors. Best Buy’s price match is available at time of purchase and within 15 days after purchase.

Requirements: The item must be new, identical, and currently in stock at the competitor. Best Buy does not match refurbished pricing, open-box pricing, or marketplace sellers. Show the competitor’s product page on your phone with the current price visible.

Home Depot: Matches prices from local competitors and major online retailers including Amazon, Lowes.com, and specialty hardware retailers. Home Depot also guarantees they’ll beat a competitor’s price by 10% on some qualifying items.

Requirements: The item must be identical and in stock at the competitor. Home Depot requires the competitor’s ad, website, or printed price for verification. They do not match professional contractor pricing or wholesale pricing.

Lowe’s: Matches prices from Home Depot, Amazon, and other competitors on identical items. Like Home Depot, Lowe’s excludes marketplace sellers and clearance pricing from competitors.

Limited Price Match Policies

Walmart: Walmart’s in-store price matching policy has changed over the years. Currently, Walmart matches Walmart.com pricing in-store (so if the online price is lower, you can get that price at the register) but does not generally match external competitor pricing in-store. Check Walmart’s CouponCommando page for the current policy details.

Costco: Costco does not price match competitors. However, Costco will adjust the price on a Costco purchase if the price drops at Costco within 30 days — this is a price protection policy, not a competitive price match.

No Price Match

Amazon, Nordstrom, Macy’s, and Kohl’s do not offer formal price matching. Their pricing strategies rely on different competitive mechanisms (algorithmic pricing, sale events, coupon stacking).

The Price Match Workflow

Before You Get to the Register

Step 1: Find the lower price. Search the product on Amazon, Walmart, Target, and relevant competitors. Use the Google Shopping tab to quickly compare prices across retailers.

Step 2: Verify it qualifies. The match must be:

  • Same brand, model, size, and color
  • Sold by the competitor directly (not a third-party marketplace seller)
  • Currently in stock and available at the competitor’s listed price
  • Not an error, clearance, or liquidation price at the competitor

Step 3: Screenshot the competitor’s price page. Show the product name, price, and “sold by [retailer]” indicator. Having a clear screenshot prevents issues if the competitor’s website loads slowly at the register.

At the Register

The script: “Hi, I’d like to price match this item. [Competitor] has it for $X.” Then show your phone with the competitor’s price displayed. Keep it simple and factual — don’t explain why the competitor’s price is lower or editorialize. The cashier follows a documented policy; your job is to make the verification as easy as possible.

If the cashier isn’t sure: Ask for a manager or supervisor. Most price match denials at the register are due to cashier uncertainty about the policy, not an actual policy violation. A manager can verify and approve the match.

If the match is denied: Ask specifically which policy requirement isn’t met. If the denial is incorrect (e.g., the cashier thinks Amazon marketplace applies when the item is sold directly by Amazon), politely clarify the distinction. If the denial stands, ask for the customer service number or handle it through the retailer’s online customer service.

Price Matching Online Purchases

Some retailers apply price matching to online orders through their customer service channels:

Best Buy: Contact Best Buy customer service via chat or phone within 15 days of an online purchase to request a price match. Provide the competitor’s URL. The adjustment is processed as a refund to your original payment method.

Target: Request a price match on a Target.com order through the Target app’s customer service or by calling Guest Services. The 14-day window applies from the delivery date.

Post-purchase price matching is particularly valuable for electronics purchased at Best Buy, where prices fluctuate frequently. A $500 laptop that drops to $449 at Amazon within 15 days of your Best Buy purchase qualifies for a $51 refund.

Stacking Price Matches With Other Discounts

Here’s where price matching becomes an advanced strategy: at some retailers, the price-matched amount is treated as the new base price, and additional discounts stack on top.

At Target: After a price match, you can still apply Target Circle offers, Target digital coupons, and pay with the RedCard for 5% off. The price match brings the price down to the competitor’s level; then Target’s own promotions reduce it further. This means you can get a lower price at Target than at the competitor you matched.

At Best Buy: Price-matched items earn the same My Best Buy rewards points as full-price purchases. Combined with a cashback credit card, the total effective discount exceeds the competitor’s bare price.

At Home Depot and Lowe’s: Military discounts (10% off) may apply on top of a price-matched item, depending on the specific transaction and associate. This combination isn’t guaranteed but is frequently honored.

Common Price Match Mistakes

Trying to match marketplace seller prices. Third-party sellers on Amazon Marketplace and Walmart Marketplace are not eligible for price matching at any major retailer. Only prices from items “sold by Amazon” or “sold by Walmart.com” qualify.

Not checking stock availability. Most price match policies require the item to be currently in stock at the competitor. If the competitor’s page says “out of stock” or “backordered,” the match won’t be honored.

Matching a different size or model. A 32 oz bottle at $5.99 at the competitor doesn’t qualify as a price match against a 24 oz bottle at $6.99 at your store. The items must be identical.

Not combining with post-purchase adjustment. If you buy at the regular price and later discover a competitor’s lower price within the price match window, you can still request the adjustment. You don’t have to match at the time of purchase — the window applies retroactively.

For the complete post-purchase price protection strategy, see the Post-Purchase Price Adjustment strategy. For broader price tracking tools that surface price match opportunities, see the Price Tracking strategy.