Why You Should Always Use the Walmart Savings Catcher
iOS, Android: I’m not a big Walmart shopper, but if I were – because, for example, they had a certain retro gaming system in stock – I would definitely go to the store with my smartphone ready. You might think the Walmart app for Android and iOS is nothing special, but it actually contains one clever trick that can save you a decent amount of money over time on your purchases.
Save your receipt when you make a large purchase at Walmart. Open the app on your device, click on the Services option at the bottom and click on the Savings Trap. Sign in to the app if you haven’t already, then use the app to scan the barcode printed on your Walmart receipt. How simple it is. (You can also enter the “TC” number of the receipt if the barcode is not scanned for any reason.)
Walmart will then use its magical retail power to research the prices of whatever you’ve purchased from a variety of other retailers. If the difference in price is in your favor, you will receive the difference in the form of an electronic gift card, which you can of course use to purchase additional items at Walmart.
Walmart’s little Savings Catcher option itself has a few tricks. First, you can send a maximum of seven receipts per week. If you’re an avid shopper at Walmart, make sure you’re using the Savings Catcher for big drinks and not, say, the pack of chewing gum you received. Savings Catcher also only works with a limited set of item categories : groceries, supplies (such as paper towels), and health and beauty items. So, no, you don’t suddenly get $ 20 for free because there was a NES Classic sale in another store.
That said, if you head to your local Walmart for this kind of shopping, there is no reason why you shouldn’t use the Savings Catcher to save a few bucks. It only takes a few seconds to scan receipts. If you’re lucky, the app might find a buy-one-get-one sentence elsewhere that might actually work in your favor.
Do you have an iOS or Android app that you really like? Tell me about it: david.murphy@lifehacker.com .