There are so many ways you can save money at Target. They offer a number of store specific coupons, accept manufacturer coupons and price match. Here’s your guide to How to Save at Target.
Table of Contents
Sales
The weekly Target sale ad is a great place to start for savings. Target ads run from Sunday to Saturday each week and include sale prices, bonus gift card offers and other deals. There are also unadvertised sales in stores and online most weeks that can be found as you browse. You can also get the Target deals and coupon matchups each week on your smart phone with this free money saving app. It finds all the coupons and does the deal finding work for you.
Bonus Gift Card Offers
Target regularly offers gift card with purchase deals. They come in the form of “Buy X, Get $ Gift Card”. Sometimes it’s one item for the gift card amount, other times it’s multiple items required. All you need to do is meet the purchase requirements to get the gift card automatically at the register or online checkout.
When you make the required purchase, the register at checkout will automatically stop the cashier from scanning additional items until they have scanned and added the proper gift card bonus to your order.
Gift card offers also roll. You can use the card you earned from one deal to pay for another and it will produce another gift card at checkout.
Coupons
This is where saving at Target gets a bit confusing. Target accepts manufacturer coupons, Target store coupons, Target Mobile Coupons (Guests can receive Target Mobile Coupons by texting COUPONS to 827438 (TARGET)) Target Cartwheel coupons and Target Shopkick coupons. You can view the Target coupon policy for more, but here are the highlights:
-Target accepts one Manufacturer Coupon AND one Target Coupon (mobile or hard copy) for the same item (unless prohibited by either coupon). You can ALSO stack a Target Cartwheel coupon in addition to these two coupons! This is the way to really save you can use THREE coupons on the same item as long as they are the different types.
-They reserve the right to accept, refuse, or limit the use of any coupon.
-Coupon amount may be reduced if it exceeds the value of the item after other discounts or coupons are applied. (No overage/cash back)
-Coupons are void if copied, scanned, transferred, purchased, sold, prohibited by law, or appear altered in any way.
-They gladly accept valid internet coupons that contain a clear and scannable bar code.
-They do not accept internet coupons for free items with no purchase requirements.
You can scan any item in store with the Target Cartwheel app on your smartphone. It will then alert you whether there is a Cartwheel coupon available for that product. It also will suggest similar products that do have a coupon!
Price Matching
The Target price match policy also offers a great chance to save money. Take the ad or your smartphone with you and be ready to prove the price match. They match actual hard copy ads AND online prices. You will need the actual ad in your hand for everything except: Target.com, Amazon.com, Walmart.com, BestBuy.com, ToysRUs.com, BabiesRUs.com. To price match at Target you must go to Guest Services BEFORE you check out your item to get it approved.
Not only can you price match in the store the day you are buying, but if you find a lower price with in 7 days of your purchase you can go in and get a refund of the difference.
The Target Holiday Price Match Policy is even more generous if you find a lower price between Nov. 1 and Dec. 21 you can go in and get a refund of the difference. It does exclude price matches for prices offered Nov. 28 through Dec. 2 and Dec. 22—26
See more about Target and other stores that price match.
Red Card
If you have or apply for and receive a Target Red Card, you can get an additional 5% off your purchases and FREE shipping on your Target.com purchases. (For the best deal, make sure to only spend what you can pay off each month to avoid interest charges! The interest rate is higher than the 5% you will save.) If you don’t want another credit card, you can also consider the Target Red Card Debit Card. Red Card holders (both credit & debit) also enjoy an additional 30 day period for returns and FREE shipping at Target.com. You can sign up for your card online and start saving!
As an added bonus, you can sign up for Take Charge of Education as a Target Red Card holder and donate 1% of your Red Card purchases to your selected eligible school. This is a great benefit to your school! You just complete your regular shopping and your school automatically gets 1% off all your purchases as long as you have a RED card and you selected your school.
Pharmacy Rewards
Join Target Pharmacy Rewards and receive a 5% off shopping day for every 5 qualifying prescription fills you do.
Put it all Together
What you can do:
- You can use a coupon on a sale item.
- You can use a store coupon and a manufacturer coupon on an item PLUS a Cartwheel coupon.
- You can use a store coupon and a manufacturer coupon and a Cartwheel coupon on a sale item.
- You can buy items on sale, use coupons and get a gift card bonus.
- You can price match and use a coupon.
- You can use coupons with your Red Card discount.
- You can use coupons with your Pharmacy Rewards discount.
- You can STACK your Red Card and Pharmacy Rewards discounts AND use coupons with them!
By combining sales, coupons, bonus offers and checking out the weekly Target sale ad each week, you know how to save at Target! Or you get the Target deals and coupon matchups each week on your smart phone with this free money saving app.
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Julie Heinemann says
Targets cartwheel is another great way to save!
Melissa says
It is! I love Cartwheel.
Melissa says
I agree. I love Cartwheel. I tried to make the article more clear on how you can use Cartwheel at Target.
Kristen says
It talks about cartwheel under “Coupons”
Rachel says
I’ve also had great luck using a target coupon plus a manufacturer coupon ($ off purchase of 2) – then also using 2 manufacturer coupons for money off single items = 4 coupons used on two items!! I do this generally for cosmetics and hair color. Recently used a target coupon and @ off purchase of 2 covergirl items. Then a coupon specific of one covergirl item and another coupons for $ off any one covergirl item. I asked at the store about it and they said as long as the coupon scans and is accepted, go for it 🙂 I ended up paying just under $3 for a foundation and mascara!
j robin says
price matching not on BoGo or gift card items. as with most retailers, price match must be for identical item including model number. manufacturers coupons accepted on price matched items. price match OR Target coupons + Cartwheel…. not both.
Melissa says
Hi – You are correct. I will make sure that this info is more clear in the article. Thanks for pointing out these great info.
Leesha @ Living Contently says
Great tips! Thanks for sharing! I love shopping at Target; they make it so easy to save money and find/use coupons. 🙂
Emily says
Great list! I’m heading to Target today 😉
There are also additional apps that you can use at Target. I stack with 2 other apps on top of Cartwheel. Checkout51 and Ibotta. (I was using more…but it just was getting ridiculous!)
Ibotta gives actual cash back at Target. There is almost always cash back for milk (doesn’t matter what brand) and eggs and some of the cash rebates can be up to $4 or more on one item. There is even a coffee rebate currently. It adds up quickly! I have saved almost $300.
Link to Ibotta
It becomes a saving game for me!
Melissa says
Hi Emily – You are right those are great apps to use! I will probably update the article to include them. I do discuss them more in my Easy Ways to Save 50% on Your Groceries. article.
Shelley says
There is now another Target app called RedPerks. It was tested in my area and is awesome. You earn points for everything you buy. Once you have a certain number of points you earn 5% off a future shopping trip. I also will occasionally get other specials like a free Starbucks coffee (at the Starbucks in my Target).