How to Save Money at Kohl’s

We have a Kohl’s store right around the corner from where we live, and it is one of our go-to spots for shopping back-to-school and during their sales events. You can really score some great deals from Kohl’s if you know how to shop and when to shop. We’re going to show you how to save money at Kohl’s when you shop!

With more than 1,200 stores across the country, Kohl’s has more locations than any other department store in the United States. The secret to its success? Offering low prices and great deals on quality merchandise. Kohl’s customers are incredibly loyal and keep coming back because the store makes it fairly easy and provides lots of opportunities to save. Get ready to become a Kohl’s deal expert with these tips.

Use Kohl’s Cash

Kohl’s frequently runs a unique promotion where it gives customers a chance to earn store credit when they reach certain spending requirements. Most promotions are run over Kohl’s Cash weekends, during which time customers can earn $10 in Kohl’s Cash for every $50 they spend in store or online at Kohls.com. Kohl’s Cash can be used the same way as a storewide coupon, so if your items total $25 and you have $20 in Kohl’s Cash, you would only pay $5 out-of-pocket. If your total was only $20 and you used Kohl’s Cash, all you would have to pay would be applicable sales tax.

Kohl’s Cash is superior to similar programs at other stores and is a beloved program for many frequent customers. Here are the reasons this program stands out from the rest:

• Use leftover Kohl’s Cash on successive transactions. Kohl’s Cash works more like store credit than a traditional coupon, because unlike a traditional coupon that doesn’t carry value after it is redeemed, Kohl’s Cash can be used across multiple transactions during the redemption period. If you have $20 of Kohl’s Cash but only have $10 in your transaction, you can use the remaining $10 in Kohl’s Cash on your next purchase within the redemption period.
• Combine Kohl’s Cash with sale and clearance items. Similar programs at other stores often dictate that rewards can’t be used on sale and clearance items and often come with a long list of excluded items. This isn’t the case with Kohl’s Cash—it can be used on anything in the store or online, including sale, clearance, or discounted items. The few exceptions for redeeming Kohl’s Cash are for Kohl’s gift cards, Kohl’s Cares for Kids charitable merchandise, and items from Wayfair.com, an online-only Kohl’s partner.
• Stack Kohl’s Cash with coupons and promo codes. Similar to a lack of exclusions for sale merchandise, there are also few limitations for combining Kohl’s Cash with coupons and promo codes. Note that Kohl’s Cash is applied to your purchase before any coupons, meaning that if you have a 20% off coupon and $20 in Kohl’s Cash on a $100 purchase, the Kohl’s Cash will be applied first, leaving you with 20% off the remaining $80 for a total of $64.
• Apply Kohl’s Cash retroactively. If you forget to use Kohl’s Cash for a purchase during the redemption period, you can come back later and take your Kohl’s Cash to customer service to credit the amount to your purchase. For example, if you make a $20 purchase but forgot your $10, you can come back later and redeem the $10.
• Round up your purchase. Kohl’s is a very unique store in that it rounds up your purchases. If you spend $48 ($2 below the Kohl’s Cash requirement), Kohl’s will still give you Kohl’s Cash worth $10 because they round-up your purchase.

Kohl’s Cash can only be redeemed during specific redemption periods that often only last a week. Shopping at Kohl’s is best done when you are ready to make a lot of frequent purchases so you can take full advantage of Kohl’s Cash on things you want and need.

Join Yes 2 You Rewards

Aside from Kohl’s Cash, the store also provides a more traditional rewards program that is totally free and a great chance to save even more money at Kohl’s. The Yes 2 You rewards program is fairly basic but useful. Simply sign up online at Kohls.com, in store at the register, or through the Kohl’s app and provide your name, email address, phone number, and birthday. If you sign up online, you’ll have to link your membership to your Kohls.com account to get all the program’s benefits.

Members of Yes 2 You earn points on every Kohl’s purchase excluding gift cards and Wayfair.com online purchases at a rate of one point for every dollar spent. Points are typically added to your account 48 hours after making a purchase. One you hit 100 points, you automatically receive $5 in Rewards Cash that can be redeemed on any item at Kohl’s (except the same exclusions of gift cards and Wayfair.com items). Rewards Cash is good for 30 days after if it issued, and your points expire after a year. Checking your points balance is simple—you can click Account and then Yes2You Rewards on Kohls.com or click Yes2You Rewards on the Kohl’s app.

Aside from the normal benefits, Yes 2 You members also get a special gift on their birthday, multiple chances during the year to earn bonus points, and at least eight exclusive savings opportunities each year.

Use Online Promo Codes and In-Store Coupons

Yet another way to save at Kohl’s is through the extensive selection of promo codes and coupons. The store regularly releases valuable storewide or department-specific promo codes that can be used on Kohls.com purchases. Kohl’s also offers printed coupons for when you shop in store, which typically come in the mail or in newspaper inserts. You can stack a storewide coupon with a department-specific coupon for greater savings, but note that Kohl’s doesn’t accept manufacturer coupons.

Before you use a coupon or promo code, take a look at the long list of exclusions, which often features most major brands. Capitalize on savings by using promo codes and coupons on smaller brands and saving your Kohl’s Cash and Yes 2 You Rewards Cash for the larger brand names.

Shop Clearance Sales

Similar to other department stores, Kohl’s best deals come during clearance sales. The difference with Kohl’s is that it typically doesn’t treat clearance items different from other items in the store, meaning you can still use Kohl’s Cash, Yes 2 You Rewards Cash, promo codes, and coupons on clearance items to further reduce the discount and score great deals.

The best deals are found in the Final Clearance section, which is the last stop for sales merchandise. These items feature the largest discounts and can sometimes be up to 90% off the original price.

Take Advantage of the Price Matching Policy

It definitely pays to be a loyal Kohl’s shopper, especially when it comes to Kohl’s Cash or Yes 2 You Rewards. One problem with shopping almost exclusively at Kohl’s is that you miss out on opportunities to get a better price on the same item at other stores. However, Kohl’s knows this and implemented a price matching policy to ease customer concerns. Kohl’s will match the price on any item if you bring a copy of the competitor ad with the exact same item shown with a better price. This policy only applies to physical stores and does not work at Kohls.com or on many major brands.

You can also take advantage of price adjustments at Kohl’s. If you purchase a full-price item at Kohl’s and the item goes on sale (except clearance) within 14 days of purchase, you can return to the store and be refunded the price difference. Coupons and promo codes still apply to the adjusted price, and you must have the original sales receipt to get the adjustment.

Buy Discounts Kohl’s Gift Cards at Cardpool.com

You can also save a few more dollars on your Kohl’s purchase by buying discounted gift cards from Cardpool.com. Alongside the Kohl’s gift cards, the site also sells discounted gift cards at a huge variety of stores. Kohl’s cards are typically discounted at 4% off, which means you can get a $25 gift card for $1 off. It may seem like a small amount, but that discount can add up quickly, especially when combined with Kohl’s Cash and Yes 2 You Rewards Cash. Let’s say you have $30 in Kohl’s Cash, $20 in Yes 2 You Rewards Cash and eight $25 discounted Kohl’s gift cards (which cost $192 on Cardpool.com instead of $200); you can then purchase $250 of Kohl’s items for only $192. If you apply these savings to clearance and sales items, the savings can escalate quickly and become even greater.

Cardpool.com sells electronic Kohl’s gift cards that you can print at home and use in store or online. The site also sells physical gift cards that are sent to your home with free shipping. Physical cards come in more denomination options, so if you need a smaller or more specific amount, it is better to plan ahead and order a physical card. In most other situations, it is more convenient to get an electronic card and take advantage of it immediately.

If you like this shopping guide, be sure to visit the Latest Deal Guides blog for even more great deals!