How Price Matching Works at Target, Best Buy, Walmart and Costco

As of November 2026, which big stores price match comes down to four published policies: Target adjusts if its price falls on or before December 24, Best Buy guarantees its own price on most holiday purchases through January 15, 2027, Costco adjusts Costco.com orders within 30 days, and Walmart matches only its own Walmart.com price and only at checkout. Competitor Black Friday deals, clearance and marketplace sellers are excluded in most of them, so a doorbuster price seen elsewhere rarely qualifies.

Key takeaways

• Price matching (meeting a competitor's price) and price adjustment (refunding the gap when the same store cuts its own price) are different promises. Of the four stores here, only Best Buy matches competitors, while Target, Best Buy and Costco refund their own later price drops.
• Target's holiday window runs from November 1 to December 24, 2026; Best Buy's covers most purchases from October 30 through December 31, matched through January 15, 2027; Costco's is 30 days from purchase for Costco.com orders, and within the promotion dates for sale items.
• Walmart is the outlier: its in-store policy matches the identical Walmart.com price only when you tell the associate at checkout, and it does not match Black Friday or Cyber Monday prices.
• Best Buy excludes competitor Black Friday deals and competitor sales from the Thursday before Thanksgiving through the Monday after, so its competitor match pauses just when many shoppers want it.

What it means for you

• Buying at Target, Best Buy or Costco before Black Friday: keep the receipt or order number and recheck the price; a later drop at the same store can be claimed (see the table).
• Hoping to use a competitor's doorbuster: expect a no at all four. Target, Walmart and Costco don't match competitors, and Best Buy excludes competitor Black Friday pricing and competitor sales from the Thursday before Thanksgiving through the Monday after.
• Shopping at Walmart: raise the Walmart.com price at the register, before paying.
• Shopping elsewhere: Home Depot, Lowe's, Kohl's, Macy's and Nordstrom are not in the table because their own policy pages could not be checked for this update, so read the store's page before counting on a refund.

Price match vs price adjustment

A price match means a store agrees to meet a lower price from somewhere else. A price adjustment (some stores say price protection or "price match" for their own prices) means the same store refunds the difference after you bought, because it lowered its own price. Among the four stores below, only Best Buy matches competitors at all, while three of them refund their own later price cuts, so the adjustment is the promise that helps when an early purchase is followed by a Black Friday cut.

Policy pages blur the two. Target's page calls its own-price refund a price match, and Costco's policy is titled price match but says it does not match other businesses. Read the conditions rather than the name.

Which big stores price match

The table covers only stores whose own policy pages could be read for this update, plus a dated November 2026 report for the Best Buy holiday dates. Terms were read on November 11, 2026 and can change, so confirm on the store's page before you rely on a date.

Sources: Target Price Match Guarantee page; Best Buy Price Match Guarantee page; Walmart policies page and Walmart's price match explainer (policy dated June 8, 2023, still the version Walmart published in November 2026); Costco price match policy (version published May 15, 2026).

Where online and in-store prices differ

Target says it matches Target.com prices on in-store purchases and in-store prices on Target.com purchases, though online clearance and in-store clearance are separate. Best Buy matches its online and app prices in store and its in-store prices online and in the app.

Walmart splits the two. In a store, the associate will match the identical item's Walmart.com price. A Walmart.com purchase gets no match at all, including for items that later get cheaper, and the in-store match is not available in Alaska, Hawaii or Puerto Rico. Costco's online and warehouse prices are separate: its policy says Costco.com purchases are not matched to warehouse prices, because online prices account for shipping and handling.

What happens to Black Friday prices

Black Friday 2026 falls on November 27, the day after Thanksgiving. Which side of the line a doorbuster lands on depends on whose price it is.

• Your store's own Black Friday price: eligible for adjustment at Target (through December 24) and at Best Buy (holiday guarantee, for qualifying purchases, through January 15, 2027), unless an exclusion such as clearance applies. Costco's page has no Black Friday carve-out, but for a Costco.com sale price the request has to come within both 30 days of purchase and the promotion's dates.
• A competitor's Black Friday price: Best Buy's page excludes competitor items priced as Black Friday deals and competitor sales from the Thursday before Thanksgiving through the Monday after. Target, Walmart and Costco do not match competitors at all.
• Walmart's own Black Friday price: a Walmart store will not match the Walmart.com price during special events such as clearance, Rollback and Black Friday or Cyber Monday deals.

Illustrative example (hypothetical item, round numbers): you buy a $400 item on Friday, November 20, and the same store lists the identical item at $329 on Black Friday, November 27. The gap is $71, about 17.8% of what you paid. Here is how each policy treats it:

• Target: the drop falls before December 24, so you can ask for $71 back, provided the item is not clearance, no promotional GiftCard came with your purchase and no GiftCard promotion is running on the item.
• Best Buy: the holiday guarantee covers its own lower price for a qualifying purchase, and you have until January 15, 2027 to ask.
• Costco (Costco.com order): 30 days from November 20 is December 20, but if $329 is a promotional price, the request also has to come before that promotion ends, which may be much sooner.
• Walmart: the policy offers nothing for this case. Black Friday prices are not matched, and a Walmart.com order is never adjusted afterwards.

The figures only show how a cut turns into a refund; the actual store's current terms decide the claim.

How to claim a price adjustment

Each store names its own channel, so use the one in its policy.

• Target: proof of purchase is required. To prove a Target.com price, show it on a mobile device so a team member can verify it; screenshots and pictures are not accepted. Items need not be in stock, but no rain checks are given for price match requests when stock is out.
• Best Buy: its page says to use Best Buy Chat, call 1-888-BEST BUY or ask in store, with the lower price ready to show. The page gives the holiday end date as Jan. 15 without a year; a MIXED News report of November 3, 2026 puts it at January 15, 2027. Puerto Rico stores have their own policy.
• Walmart: tell the associate the Walmart.com price at checkout. Some matches need supervisor approval, and the store manager on duty has the final decision.
• Costco: for Costco.com orders, use the "Request a price match" form; approved credits typically post in 5 to 10 business days to the original payment method. For warehouse purchases, ask at the Returns counter of the warehouse where you bought the item.

Frequently asked questions

Does Walmart price match Amazon?

No. Walmart's policy says it does not match a competitor's online or in-store prices, and it also excludes Marketplace and third-party seller prices. Costco likewise says it does not price match other businesses or retailers.

Does Target price match Amazon?

Target's price match page, as read in November 2026, describes matching only prices on Target.com and in Target stores and names no competitor. It also says comparison-shopping sites cannot be used as proof, because their prices can be outdated.

Can I combine a price match with a coupon or gift card offer?

Often not. Target says its coupons and Circle Bonuses cannot be combined with a price match and excludes items bought with a promotional Target GiftCard or currently sold with a GiftCard promotion. Best Buy does not match gift card, credit card or financing offers, whether its own or a competitor's.

Does the item have to be in stock?

It depends on the store. Best Buy requires the competitor's identical product (same brand, model number and color) to be immediately available for shipping or store pickup. Walmart requires the identical item to be in stock and available on Walmart.com when the match is requested. Target says items do not need to be in stock but gives no rain checks for price match requests.

Can a store refuse even if I qualify?

Yes. Walmart's page says the store manager on duty has the final decision and that Walmart can change the policy at any time. Costco's policy says it can deny any request at its sole discretion and may restrict the policy in the future.

Before you buy this week

1. Keep the receipt or order confirmation; Target requires proof of purchase for adjustments.
2. Note the key dates on your calendar: Target's December 24 (the lower price must appear by then, and the page sets no separate request deadline, so claim promptly), Best Buy's January 15, 2027 for qualifying holiday purchases, and for Costco.com orders 30 days or the end of the promotion, whichever comes first.
3. Check that the lower price is the same store's regular or sale price, not clearance, a marketplace seller, membership-only pricing or a bundle.
4. At Walmart, ask for the match before you pay, not afterwards.
5. Read the store's current page the day you claim; these terms were read on November 11, 2026 and are written to be changed.

This article is general consumer information, not legal advice; the store's own terms on the day you claim decide the outcome.

Sources

• Target: Price Match Guarantee
• Best Buy: Price Match Guarantee
• MIXED News: Best Buy and Newegg price-drop refunds (Nov 3, 2026)
• Walmart: Policies and guidelines
• Walmart: Does Walmart price match?
• Costco: Price match policy