Know the price-matching policies for Apple, Google, Microsoft, and others
Nothing is more frustrating than buying a new computer, phone, game console, or backpack and finding out that you could have gotten it for a lot cheaper somewhere else. In order to keep customers happy — and prevent them from going elsewhere — many retailers offer price-matching policies where they promise to match a lower price that you’ve found elsewhere. They will also sometimes match themselves if you buy something that goes down in price a week later.
What follows are the price-matching policies for a variety of major retailers. There are a few things to make note of here. First, all price-matching policies have a number of rules attached to them. We’ve summarized some of the rules here, but you’d be advised to go to the links that we’ve provided and read the policy carefully. Second, and logically enough, retailers that are marketplaces for other sellers, such as Amazon or Costco, don’t have price-matching policies.
Finally, most retailers that do have price-matching policies suspend them for special occasions, such as Black Friday and Cyber Monday. So if your favorite store isn’t offering a Black Friday deal on that phone you want, you can’t wave an ad showing a 50 percent off deal from another retailer and expect it to be honored. But at other times of the year, these price matches can save you a nice amount of cash. So keep them in mind.
Another thing to keep in mind: there are exceptions to most rules. So if you’re looking for a deal on a product and you know of a lower price elsewhere (or one that was offered previously at the same retailer), it never hurts to call and ask if they’ll match the price. Meanwhile, we will continue to update this page if and when we get more information about retailers’ policies.
Amazon
Amazon.com doesn’t offer price matching.
Apple
While we’ve seen some claims that Apple will price-match up to 10 percent for products bought at certain major retailers, there is no official policy on the company’s website.
Apple does say that if it reduces its price on an Apple-branded product within 14 days from when you received your item, you can visit an Apple Store or contact the Apple Contact Center at 1-800-676-2775 to request a refund or get credit for the price difference. However, that doesn’t apply to special sales like Black Friday.
B&H
B&H says that it might be able to honor a current lower price or match the price of a competitor, but it does so on a case-by-case basis. You have to contact its Customer Service team using the on-site chat, email, or by calling (800) 221-5743 / (212) 239-7765.
Best Buy
Best Buy’s Price Match Guarantee states that a product could be eligible for a price reduction if it’s identical to the competitor’s product, immediately available at the competitor’s store or on its site, and not shown on Best Buy’s exclusion list (which includes “items for sale the Sunday before Thanksgiving Day through the Monday after Thanksgiving”).
Best Buy will also, upon request, match its previous in-store or online price as long as it’s done during the return and exchange period.
Costco
Costco does not price-match with competitors. However, according to the website, it will issue a credit for the difference between the price you paid and a promotional price if you bought the item online at Costco.com and requested the credit up to 30 days before the change in price.
Dell
Before you make a purchase, Dell will price-match a new computer that shares the same key features and specs as the one you bought (such as memory, hard drive capacity, processor, etc.) from Dell, HP, Apple, or Lenovo. There are links on its price-match page with a way to call or chat online for the process to follow.
You can also contact the company about a price difference within 30 days of purchase. However, there is a long list of restrictions, and none of this is available between Thanksgiving Day and the following Monday.
DJI
We could not find any evidence of a price-matching policy at DJI. However, if DJI reduces the price on a product within seven days from when you received it, you can contact the company within that time at http://www.dji.com/contact to request a refund or credits for the difference between the price you have been charged and the current selling price. This doesn’t include special sales events, such as Black Friday and Cyber Monday.
GameStop
We could not find any evidence of a price-matching policy at GameStop.
According to the Google site, “At this time, we don’t price match.”
HP
According to HP.com, the company will match the current pre-tax price for new comparable PCs and identical HP printer model numbers from nationally recognized online retailers, such as Dell, Amazon, or BestBuy.com. The specs have to be the same, and you have to ask for the match at the time of purchase, and it must be over the phone. You can’t request a price match via email or chat. It does not include items bought during promotions.
If you find a comparable product at a lower price during the return period, you can email HP at [email protected]. This only applies to branded HP products and doesn’t apply to products purchased from Thanksgiving Day through the week following Thanksgiving.
Microsoft
According to the Microsoft site, between October 1st and January 3rd, if you find a better price at the Microsoft Store for something you’ve purchased there within that time frame, and it is still in stock, Microsoft will refund the difference. Buyers must call 1-877-696-7786.
Newegg
Newegg has what it calls “Black Friday Price Protection” — if you purchase any product that has that badge, is purchased between November 1st and November 22nd, and is discounted before November 30th, you can be refunded the difference. According to Newegg, you don’t have to do anything; the refund will be processed by December 7th.
The retailer also offers price-matching on select items; these products are identified by the label “Price Match Guarantee” that appears in the price box on the right of the product page. This applies whether you find that lower price on Newegg or at what Newegg judges to be a major retailer. You need to notify Newegg of the lower price within 14 days of purchase. It is not valid from November 23rd through November 30th.
Sam’s Club
Sam’s Club will price-match “everyday prices” at Walmart. In addition, if you buy a product online, you can request a price-match within eight days of purchase for Sam’s Club items with promotional prices. Neither deal applies to events such as Black Friday or Cyber Monday.
Sonos
We didn’t find anything on the Sonos site about price-matching.
Target
Target will match the price of an item that you find for less either at Target or at a select list of competitors if you ask for it at the time of or within 14 days of your purchase. You can either bring your proof into the store or call for online purchases at 800-591-3869. For products purchased between November 1st and November 28th, you can get an adjustment if the price goes down before December 24th, and you can ask for the 14-day limitation to be waived. There is a complete list of exceptions on the website.
Walmart
Walmart’s online store offers price matches on one in-stock item per customer per day from a specified list of retailers. There is a long list of restrictions on the site; for example, it does not apply to in-store purchases, and it does not apply to prices shown from Black Friday and Cyber Week.
Walmart will match a price found on Walmart.com or Jet.com for an item purchased at a Walmart store, but it does not match special offers.
Nothing is more frustrating than buying a new computer, phone, game console, or backpack and finding out that you could have gotten it for a lot cheaper somewhere else. In order to keep customers happy — and prevent them from going elsewhere — many retailers offer price-matching policies where they…
