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If you’re a keen online shopper, especially for tech items, there are a few guidelines you should know to make your experience better and possibly save yourself more cash. Retailer price-matching policies are one of them.
Price-matching policies are especially important as stores compete for our purchases of the same products, and become even more important if you’re scouting a popular product, shopping during a busy period like Black Friday, or hunting for a specific color, size, or model.
Also: I’m a shopping editor, and this is the No. 1 reason I prefer Best Buy over Amazon for tech purchases
Most major retailers like Walmart, Target, Best Buy, and more have some type of price-match policy, and understanding the nuances and rules of each is key to becoming the savviest online shopper. Here’s everything you need to know about Best Buy’s price match policy so you can shop smarter, both in-store and online.
As a deals and shopping editor in the tech space, I tend to prefer buying major electronics from Best Buy. In fact, I purchased the Hisense Canvas TV from Best Buy during Cyber Week 2025 and successfully price-matched a holiday deal in less than a few minutes on the app. Best Buy even honored my price match several months later, after I chose to delay delivery until this month while I awaited construction on my house to finish. I received the cost difference a few days after my TV was delivered.
Also: 3 money-saving tricks I use every time I shop online – and you should too
What is Best Buy’s price match policy?
Best Buy’s policy is outlined on the brand’s website as the “Price Match Guarantee.” At a basic level, the brand does allow price matching.
The company’s latest site info states that Best Buy will “match the current product price of key online and local competitors (“Qualified Competitors“) for immediately available new products sold from Best Buy (excludes Marketplace Products, clearance, refurbished, and open-box items).”
Best Buy has a particularly robust FAQ page on their website, which is worth deeper analysis if needed, but in most cases, you’ll be able to price match at Best Buy if the product is:
- Identical to a qualified competitor product (product from Best Buy must be a matching brand, model number, and color to qualify. The product must also be new).
- Immediately available for shipping or store pickup from a qualified competitor.
- Not shown on the Best Buy exclusions list.
The policy covers new items sold from Best Buy, though it excludes Marketplace Products, clearance, refurbished, and open-box items. Best Buy’s policy states that one price match at the time of purchase, per identical item, per customer, at the current pre-tax price available to all customers, is allowed.
You cannot price match at Best Buy if:
- The product is sold at retailers not listed as a qualified competitor.
- Products shipped from or sold by third-party sellers on BestBuy.com or on a qualified competitor website.
- Pricing is only available to select groups of customers via Membership Program members, loyalty offers, discounts relating to non-warehouse membership, paid loyalty programs, and government exchange store offers. This means Best Buy will not price match membership-exclusive prices, like those offered to Prime members or Costco members, but they can price match non-Prime exclusive prices or warehouse pricing.
- Transactions from Best Buy Education, Best Buy Business, and from a Best Buy Marketplace store on a third-party website.
- Any offers from qualified competitors that include contract cell phones, service prices (including delivery and installation charges), preorder offers, rent/lease to own items, liquidation offers, trade-in offers, items denoted as Black Friday pricing, special daily or hourly sales, and items for sale the Thursday before Thanksgiving Day through the Monday after Thanksgiving.
- Any financing offers, bundle offers, items included in bundle offers, subscription services, free items, pricing errors, mail-in offers, coupon offers, items that are advertised as limited quantity, out of stock items, clearance items, open-box items, refurbished items, pre-owned items, credit card offers, gift card offers, items included in gift card offers, Point of Sale Activation cards, video game discounts related to a membership program, and voice-only deals, whether offered by Best Buy directly or a qualified competitor.
So, what’s a qualified competitor?
As of May 2025, Best Buy denotes that qualified competitors are: Abt, Amazon, Apple, B&H Photo Video, BJ’s Wholesale Club, BrandsMart USA, Costco, Crutchfield, Dick’s Sporting Goods, Home Depot, Lowe’s, Menards, Microcenter, Nebraska Furniture Mart, P.C. Richard, RC Willey, Sam’s Club, Target, and Walmart.
If the product isn’t sold from one of these retailers, you won’t be able to attempt a price match.
How do I price match at Best Buy?
Best Buy allows price matching to occur in-store or online.
Whether you’re in a store or online, you want to first find your qualifying product. Make sure the product is a new, immediately available item sold by Best Buy and identical to a qualified competitor’s product (same brand, model number, and color). Then, connect with a representative via Best Buy Chat or call 1-888-BEST BUY (1-888-237-8289) to request a BestBuy.com price match.
You’ll need to have the ad or website that displays the current lower price you would like to match available to share with the rep. If you’re in-store, after locating a qualifying product, find an employee. Then show the qualified competitor’s ad, pricing, or website with the lower price (it must still be in effect), and your local store and staff will review and verify your price match request.
How do I show “proof” of price?
Best Buy says the best way to provide proof of a lower price is to bring or share a qualified competitor’s current ad or website address with pricing. Best Buy may call the qualified competitor’s retail store or check the competitor’s website to verify the lower price and availability of the item.
Where can I price match at Best Buy?
Best Buy allows price matching in-store, online via chat, by phone, or via the Best Buy app.
Will Best Buy price match coupons?
No, Best Buy will not let you price-match with coupons, as the brand does not match coupons of qualified competitors. Additionally, one can either use a coupon or price match to a lower price, but not both. Best Buy does not allow a coupon to be used on a product that already has a price match.
Is Best Buy’s Price Match Guarantee the same in every store?
In most cases, yes, the price match policy is the same across all Best Buys. The exception to this is stores within Puerto Rico. Best Buy Puerto Rico stores have their own Price Match Guarantee, and terms are posted in those Puerto Rico stores.
Does Best Buy price match out-of-stock or limited-quantity items?
If the item is out of stock or a qualified competitor has advertised limited quantities, Best Buy says it is no longer eligible for price matching. Similarly, if Best Buy itself has a product advertised as limited in quantity, it will not be eligible for price matching.
Does Best Buy price match Amazon?
Yes, Best Buy does price match Amazon products if the product and pricing meet the criteria outlined above. The only exception to this policy is that Best Buy cannot price-match anything designated as a “Prime-exclusive” price or offer. This is because Prime-exclusive offers are reserved for customers who pay for Prime memberships. Remember that any Amazon price match must be directly sold by Amazon, not a third-party retailer.
Does Best Buy price match Prime Day deals?
Generally, Best Buy does not price match membership exclusive events like Prime Day. If a Prime Day deal is available to non-Prime members, Best Buy could match it, though this is unlikely. In most cases, Prime Day deals are reserved exclusively for Amazon Prime members, so Best Buy won’t be able to price-match.
Keep in mind that if another qualified retailer matches an Amazon Prime Day deal, Best Buy can likely provide a price match, since it isn’t a membership-based offer. For example, if Walmart price matches a Prime exclusive offer available to everyone on Walmart.com (not just Walmart+ members), Best Buy could likely provide a price match if the rest of its Price Match Guarantee policy criteria are met.
Does Best Buy price-match Costco, BJ’s, or Sam’s Club?
Best Buy considers warehouse clubs such as Costco, BJ’s, and Sam’s Club qualified competitors, so price matching is available on wholesale pricing. However, since these are all membership-based retailers, Best Buy won’t be able to price match member-exclusive pricing online or in-store. This means that if a members-only rate is offered, Best Buy can’t offer a price match, but a price match on standard warehouse pricing is acceptable.
