Price Match and Price Adjustment Policies: Best Buy, Target, Walmart and Amazon
Bought something and saw it cheaper a week later? Whether you get money back depends on the store, the seller and the calendar. Here's how it works.
If a price drops after you buy, Best Buy will generally refund the difference during your return window, and Target adjusts to its own lower price within 14 days. Walmart and Amazon generally don’t offer after-purchase price adjustments, though Amazon has narrow exceptions such as pre-orders. Competitor price matching has become rarer, and credit card price protection has largely disappeared.
These policies change, sometimes with little notice, and have exclusions for holiday events. What follows is how they work as of October 2026 based on each store’s published terms and recent reporting. Check the store’s own price match page before you count on a refund.
Price matching vs price adjustment
- Price matching means a store lowers its price at checkout to match a lower price, either its own (for example, online vs in store) or a competitor’s.
- Price adjustment means the store refunds the difference if its own price drops after you’ve already bought.
Almost every program applies only to the identical item: same brand, model number, color and capacity, new condition, and sold by the retailer itself rather than a marketplace seller.
Policies at a glance
| Store | Matches competitors? | Refunds its own price drops? | Key limits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Best Buy | Yes, selected major retailers | Yes, during the return period | Excludes marketplace sellers, open-box, clearance and member-only prices; holiday restrictions may apply |
| Target | No (ended in 2025) | Yes, within 14 days | Matches Target stores, Target.com and the Target app only |
| Walmart | No | No | Stores can match Walmart.com for identical in-stock items |
| Amazon | Generally no | Generally no | Pre-order price guarantee; limited TV matching |
Best Buy
Best Buy’s Price Match Guarantee covers two situations. First, it will match the current price of an identical item from a list of major competitors, including some online retailers, as long as the competitor sells and ships the item itself. Second, if Best Buy lowers its own price during your return period, you can ask for the difference back.
That return period depends on your membership and product type. Standard customers typically get about 15 days for most products, paid My Best Buy members get longer, and activatable devices such as phones usually have a shorter window. Best Buy has also historically limited competitor matching around the Thanksgiving weekend, and extended holiday return windows don’t always extend price-match eligibility. Ask at the store or through customer service with your receipt, and bring a link to the lower price.
Target
Target ended competitor price matching in 2025. Its current Price Match Guarantee covers lower prices from Target itself: in stores, on Target.com, in the Target app and from Target Plus partners on its site. If Target’s price drops within 14 days of your purchase, you can ask for an adjustment with your receipt or order details. Some promotions and clearance items are excluded.
Walmart
Walmart doesn’t match competitors’ prices and generally doesn’t refund the difference if its own price drops later. The main exception is in-store: a Walmart store can match the price of an identical item on Walmart.com if it’s in stock online, at the manager’s discretion. Marketplace items, Rollbacks, clearance and special-event prices such as Black Friday are typically excluded.
If a Walmart price drops right after you buy, returning and rebuying within the return window may be your only option, which isn’t always practical.
Amazon
Amazon doesn’t have a general price adjustment policy. If an item’s price falls after your order ships, you usually won’t get the difference automatically. Exceptions are narrow:
- Pre-orders: Amazon’s pre-order price guarantee charges you the lowest price offered between your order and release day.
- TVs: Amazon says it matches prices on some TVs against select retailers, and customer service has sometimes credited TV price drops shortly after delivery.
For everything else, Amazon’s return policy is the fallback. Most items can be returned within 30 days, and Amazon has extended its holiday return window in past years. To avoid regret, check an item’s price history before buying with the tools in our guide on tracking Amazon price history.
Credit card price protection: mostly gone
Price protection used to be a common card benefit: if an item went on sale within a set period, the card refunded the difference. Most major issuers have dropped it. A handful of cards still include some form of it, usually with short claim windows, per-item and yearly caps, and paperwork requirements such as a printed ad or screenshot.
Don’t assume you have it. Check your card’s guide to benefits or call the number on the back of the card. If you do have coverage, keep receipts and screenshots of lower prices with dates.
How to request a price adjustment
- Find the lower price on the same store (or an eligible competitor) for the identical item, sold by the retailer itself.
- Screenshot it with the date visible, and copy the link.
- Check your timeline: are you still within the store’s adjustment or return window?
- Contact the store: use online chat, call, or bring your receipt to customer service.
- If refused, consider whether a return and rebuy is allowed and worth it.
Bottom line
Best Buy and Target are the most forgiving when prices drop after you buy; Walmart and Amazon mostly aren’t. Before a big purchase, check price history and the store’s current policy page, and set a calendar reminder for the end of the adjustment window so you can check the price once more. For Black Friday shopping specifically, see how to spot a real Black Friday tech deal.
FAQ
Does Best Buy price match Amazon?
Best Buy has included Amazon among the competitors it matches, but only when the item is sold and shipped by Amazon itself, not a third-party seller. Check Best Buy’s current list of eligible competitors.
Will Target match Walmart or Amazon prices?
No. Target stopped matching outside competitors in 2025 and now matches only its own prices.
Do price matches apply on Black Friday?
Often with restrictions. Doorbuster and limited-quantity deals are commonly excluded, and some stores pause competitor matching around Thanksgiving. Read the policy before relying on it.
Is returning and rebuying allowed?
Usually, if the item is within the return window and in returnable condition. Some stores charge restocking fees on certain categories, so check before you do it. Timing your purchase with our best time to buy tech calendar can save the trouble.
