It’s tough not to be. The retailer carries almost everything you need, all in one spot. But don’t assume the shelf price is the final word.
If you learn a few Target shopping tricks, you can shave a lot off each trip! And you don’t need to spend hours clipping coupons to do it.
Here are our top strategies to save money at Target…
1. Snap a Photo of Your Receipt
Yep, you can earn cash back just by photographing your receipt. Sort of.
Here’s the process:
1. Sign up for Ibotta here (you just need a name and email to begin).
2. Browse the cash-back offers available in your area and note them for your next store visit (offers rotate weekly). For instance, we’ve seen local deals like $0.25 back on Target purchases. Neat, right?
Once you’ve accumulated at least $20 in earnings, you can request a payout via PayPal or Venmo. Right now, Ibotta is offering new users a $10 bonus after redeeming their first receipt.
2. Earn Cash Back for Shopping Online
One of our favorite saving methods is using Rakuten (formerly Ebates), a cash-back portal that pays you almost every time you shop online. For example, Rakuten offers 1.0% cash back on Target online purchases.
Plus, you’ll receive a $10 gift card just for trying the site.
To claim your gift card:
- Create a Rakuten account using your email or Facebook login.
- Access the Rakuten portal when you’re ready to buy. It connects to thousands of retailers, including Walmart, Amazon and Target. Make your first purchase through the portal within 90 days and spend at least $25.
- Your account will collect reward credits you can redeem for the $10 gift card.
3. Don’t Delete Your Emails
Turns out tossing emails can be costing you money. Curious?
One of our tools is Capital One Shopping Price Protection — it helps you get money back on online purchases. It’s free to join, and once you do, it will scan your email for receipts. If it finds a purchase from one of the retailers it monitors, it will track the item’s price and assist you in obtaining a refund when the price drops.
Additionally, if a guaranteed shipment arrives late, Capital One Shopping Price Protection can help you receive compensation.
Capital One Shopping Price Protection compensates us when you sign up using the links we provide.
4. “Drop” Points Toward Gift Cards
Pssst… We’ve got a tip.
There’s a rewards platform gaining traction.
Drop is a fintech app that gives you rewards for purchases.
As a Drop member, simply link your credit and debit cards. When you make a purchase that qualifies, you’ll automatically collect points.
Shopping at Target with your linked card earns eight points per dollar. Points accumulate and can be traded for gift cards to popular stores like Amazon and Starbucks. For instance, 5,000 points can be exchanged for a $5 Starbucks card. (We all know how alluring that Starbucks within Target can be…)
It’s like a loyalty card that lives in your phone — no physical card required.
You cansign up right here.
5. Score a Free Target Gift Card
The Swagbucks mobile app is one of the better, legitimate survey apps available.
The surveys are straightforward: Which do you prefer — Coke or Cherry Coke? How many times have you visited the movies in the last year?
You get the picture.
An average payout for a survey segment is 75 SB, equal to $0.75. You won’t qualify for every panel, but you can often make about $5 for 30 minutes of effort, redeemable for gift cards to participating retailers — including Target. For more ways to use Swagbucks, check out our review.
6. Learn Target Markdown Tags
If you visit a brick-and-mortar store, it pays to understand Target markdown tags. Examine the upper-right corner of the red sale tags for the markdown percentage. The lower-left corner shows the original price.
Also, prices ending in $0.04 often mean the item has been reduced multiple times and isn’t likely to drop further. But tags ending in $0.06 or $0.08 may be eligible for additional markdowns later.
7. Get the Best Deal Every Time You Shop
When you’ve trimmed your spending down to the last latte, how can you cut even more?
One final move to reduce everyday costs is to earn money back on purchases.
Follow our ultimate guide to deal stacking to secure the best price on everything you buy at Target — sometimes so good, the retailer will effectively pay you to buy it.
8. This App Rewards You for Visiting (and Buying at) Target
Heading to an actual store instead of shopping online? Install the Shopkick app first.
After registering, the app gives you “kicks” for walking into select stores (including Target, Walmart, TJMaxx and others). These kicks can be redeemed for gift cards to Amazon, Target, Walmart, Starbucks, Sephora, Best Buy and more.
It awards even more kicks for scanning items in-store and purchasing them with a linked credit or debit card, as well as for scanning receipts and shopping via mobile.
9. Bank 5% Off Every Time You Shop at Target
It’s fine to admit you get giddy at Target. If you’re frequenting the “One Spot” often, it might be time to join the RED family.
Target’s own RED debit and credit cards deliver an impressive 5% off on every in-store and online purchase (prescriptions excluded).
There’s no annual fee on the credit card, but if you’d rather not add another card to your credit report, choose the debit option. It links to your checking account and makes saving at Target effortless.
Say you spend $150 per week on groceries at Target — that adds up to $390 saved annually that could be tucked into your savings!
Plus, if you sign up and qualify before May 20, Target will mail you a coupon for 10% off your next trip.
10. Install the Target App
Get Target’s app on your phone so you can view the latest offers on everything from apparel to groceries. These discounts really add up since you can combine app savings with coupons and RED card rewards.
Download the app for free on your iPhone or Android device. Target merged Cartwheel features into its main app in summer 2017.
11. Share Your Opinions
Many packaged-food makers will compensate you for your feedback. They crave shopper insights, so they pay people like you to join panels and answer questions.
After your next Target run, sign up for an online market-research site like Opinion Outpost and earn money for sharing your thoughts.
Opinion Outpost runs surveys for various companies and organizations. Most take about 10 minutes and award points redeemable for gift cards to retailers like Amazon and iTunes.
A unique perk is its annual giveaways totaling $40,000. There’s a quarterly $10,000 cash prize drawing — and each survey you finish gives you an entry into the sweepstakes!
If you want to find more ways to save while shopping at Target and other stores, check out resources on target discounts.
