10 Secret Ways to Save at Walmart That Only Experts Know About (2024)

We all know Walmart is the place to go if you’re looking to get the best deal.

But did you know you could probably be saving even more money on your Walmart purchases? Use these simple savings secrets on your next Walmart run:

1. Get a $10 Check With This 60-Second Move

If you shop online at all, you’ll want to take 60 seconds right now to download the Rakuten browser extension and create a free account.

Rakuten is a website that’s partnered up with more than 3,500 online stores, including Walmart, to get you cash back on your online purchases.

All you have to do is head to Rakuten, then search Walmart’s deals. The savings are automatic, and you can cash your earnings out through PayPal, or opt to get a check in the mail.

Since Denver resident Colleen Rice started using Rakuten, she’s pocketed more than $526.44 in refunds. Not bad, right?

And here’s the kicker: When you download the free browser extension and make your first purchase within 90 days, Rakuten will give you a free $10 check.

2. Swap Your Grocery Receipts For Walmart Gift Cards

What do you usually do with your grocery receipts? You check out, the cashier hands you a mile-long piece of paper, and you frantically stuff it to the bottom of a grocery bag. Pretty worthless.

But a free app called Fetch Rewards will turn them into gift cards. It partners with tons of brands to give you points for every grocery receipt you share. Then you can exchange them for Walmart gift cards.

It’s perfect for those of us who don’t want to put a ton of work into this. All you have to do is send Fetch a photo of your receipt, and it does everything for you. No scanning barcodes or searching for offers — and you can use it with any grocery receipt.

Plus, when you download the app, use the code PENNY to automatically earn 2,000 points when you scan your first receipt. Then start snapping photos of your recent receipts to see how many points you can earn without a single trip to the store!

Not so bad for a useless receipt, right?

3. Get an Extra $225 a Month to Use at Checkout

If we told you that before you head to Walmart, you could get paid to watch cooking videos on your computer, you’d probably laugh.

It’s too good to be true, right?

But we’re serious. A website called InboxDollars will pay you to watch short video clips online. One minute you might watch a chef teach you the recipe for fudge brownies and the next you might get the latest updates on Kardashian drama.

All you have to do is choose which videos you want to watch and answer a few quick questions about them afterward. Brands pay InboxDollars to get these videos in front of viewers, and it passes a cut onto you.

It’s possible to earn up to $225 per month watching these videos — that could make a serious dent in your Walmart bill.

Unlike other sites, InboxDollars pays you in cash — no points or gift cards — and it’s already paid its users more than $56 million.

It takes about one minute to sign up, and you’ll immediately earn a $5 bonus to get you started.

4. Check the Date on the Item’s Price Tag

When you’re perusing the shelves of Walmart, take a close look at an item’s price tag. In the bottom right corner, you should see a date. That’s the day the item’s price last changed.

Although there’s no true science to this, looking at this date can offer you some context on when the item was last marked down.

For example, if an item was marked down two days prior, it probably won’t be marked down in the coming days. However, if it hasn’t been marked down in a few weeks, a markdown could be more imminent.

5. Answer Some Questions About Yourself and Get Walmart Gift Cards

You’ve probably heard of online survey sites, but sometimes they pay so little or give you random gift cards you’ll never even use.

But we like Swagbucks, a free rewards site that’ll pay you in Walmart gift cards when you answer some questions about yourself.

This might sound too good to be true, but we talked to one Swagbucks user in Pennsylvania, 52-year-old Carolinda Hendrickson, who earned $1,200 in gift cards in a year. Not bad for something you can do from your couch.

It takes seconds to sign up, and you can even earn a $5 bonus.

6. Get Online Prices in the Store

Before you checking out in the store, it’s worth whipping out your phone to see if Walmart is offering an even better price online at Walmart.com.

Because here’s something you might not know: Walmart will match its online prices for in-store purchases.

Sometimes you’ll discover an item on your list has been marked down online but not in the store where you’re shopping.

To get the better price, just pull it up on your phone and show it to the cashier. They should give you the online price with no hassle.

7. Take 5 Surveys and Get a Free $5 Walmart Gift Card

Here’s an easy way to get $5 toward your next order: Take five online surveys through a website called MyPoints.

MyPoints is a research company that’ll pay you to answer questions about different products and services you use. In return, it’ll give you free gift cards. You can even do this from your phone.

To date, MyPoints has paid people more than $236 million in gift cards.

To get your $5 Amazon gift card, just sign up and complete your first five surveys.

8. Get Cash Back Instantly When You Show the Cashier This Barcode

Want to get instant cash back on your Walmart purchases?

Follow this simple four-step process:

1. Download the free Ibotta app.
2. Securely connect your go-to credit or debit card. (The one you use to make your Walmart purchases.)
3. Next time you’re checking out, find Walmart in the app, and enter your purchase total.
4. Show the cashier the barcode that appears on your screen.

You’re done! You’ll get instant cash back on your Walmart purchase. No scanning barcodes. No searching items. No taking photos of your receipts.

Nancy Frost, a library services supervisor in Cumberland, Maryland, saved $432 in a little over a year.

Cash your rewards out via PayPal or Venmo. It takes two minutes to download Ibotta.

9. Order Your Groceries For Pick-up

This simple trick will save you time and money: Order your groceries through Walmart’s website or grocery app, and pick them up.

It might sound strange — how will this help you save money? — but think about the last time you were in Walmart and bought something that wasn’t on your shopping list. Exactly. That vast, vast store holds a lot of spending temptations, so ordering what you need online will help you avoid those.

Plus, you won’t even have to get out of your car.

10. Swap Your Dusty Old Electronics For Gift Cards

Did you know Walmart has an electronics trade-in program? Just search “Walmart Trade-In.”

You can trade your old cell phone, tablet, game console and even voice speakers for Walmart gift cards. All you have to do is answer a few questions about your gadget, and Walmart will hook you up with a free shipping label. You’ll ship it over, and once your electronics are reviewed, you’ll get a eGift card.