Kohl’s Coupons: 50 Hacks That Will Save You The Most Money

​Kohl's is known for being coupon crazy. Here are 50 Kohl's coupon shopping hacks you can use to your advantage.

Kohl’s Department Store has built a reputation for being more “savings-crazy” than a lot of its competition. When you look at some of what they let customers get by with all in the name of saving money, it’s truly jaw-dropping.

Unlike many big box electronics stores that need photographic evidence of you making the purchase before they will even consider taking it back — hyperbolic yes, but not far off from the truth — Kohl’s has few limits. Furthermore, they let you use something in the avenue of a jillion coupons on a single transaction.

It got us to thinking: just how many ways can you save at Kohl’s? Wouldn’t you know it — we’ve come up with 50. Let’s start saving!

Not all websites agree on the exact hours, but most will acknowledge that if you are going into Kohl’s with the intent of getting the best deal, you target Friday evenings and Saturday mornings. That’s because, historically, Kohl’s has timed its deepest discounts to coincide with when people are most likely to be out-and-about, and ready to spend money.

The great thing about this is that it doesn’t matter when your prime hours are. If you like to sleep in or get things after work, hit it on Friday. Early birds? Set that alarm for early in the A.M.

While you may be thinking, why should I use a third-party app like Ibotta or RetailMeNot when the Kohl’s website will probably tell me everything I need to know, allow us to explain. Kohl’s gets it that they have competitors.

They also know that you are not going to go to each competitor’s website in search of a great deal, just like you’re not going to be a constant visitor at theirs. They know there is an easy, all-in-one way to keep up with all the best deals, and it’s through apps like the ones mentioned above. As a result, Kohl’s will usually offer special deals in cooperation with these apps. All you have to do is download and use.

We are the world’s worst at keeping up with coupons. Kohl’s was one of the first stores for people like us, because even before the mobile explosion, where everything became easy to look up and reference, they had a deep appreciation for their customers — even the absent-minded ones.

That’s why you shouldn’t shy away from letting Kohl’s know about those missed opportunities. They routinely correct prices to honor past offers, even if it’s your fault that you missed out.

Yes, we know, more plastic — not exactly what we need in our lives. But Kohl’s works hard to actually make the application worth it, providing cardholders with more discounts than they do to the average customer and even a 20% off deal just for signing up.

Plus, the more you use the card, the more robust those options become. And just in case you’re worried about forgetting the bill and carrying a balance from month-to-month…

Kohl’s allows you to make immediate card payments at the register right after your purchase. It’s as good as cash!

We alluded to it in the introduction, but it’s worth repeating: Kohl’s has one of the most generous return policies in retail. They don’t care if it’s past the 30-day window. You can return a product whenever you need to, basically.

If you don’t have a receipt, you can get in-store credit, or, if you purchased with a credit card, your money back thanks to Kohl’s being able to access the receipt digitally.

If you purchased something using Kohl’s Cash and then have to do a return, you could be short-changing yourself. Krazy Coupon Lady explains: “If you earn Kohl’s Cash on an order and then do a partial return on that qualifying order, the Kohl’s Cash will be deducted first.

So if you purchased a $139 coffeemaker and earned $20 in Kohl’s Cash which you spent on other merchandise, and decide to return the coffeemaker, you’ll only be refunded $119.”

The Kohl’s app lets you organize your coupons to easily scan and store promotional offers, Kohl’s Cash, Kohl’s Charge, and gift cards in your mobile wallet, allowing you to manage your savings and Yes2You Rewards. No more paper!

Text alerts come in handy if you’ve downloaded the Kohl’s app because, while the app can give you a heads-up on any special sales and promotions, it can’t make you open it without your permission.

If you’re like us, you’ve probably got dozens of apps on your phone that you thought you would use, but then forgot about because you never enabled the mobile alert function. By granting permission, you can never miss an opportunity to save at Kohl’s. And similar to mobile alerts, you might also consider agreeing to text message alerts for upcoming promotions.

The in-store Kohl’s Yes2You Rewards program is a free customer loyalty promotion that grants “points” for every dollar that you purchase, and for every 100 points that you “earn,” you get $5 cash back.

It’s basically 5% off all the time, and that’s outside the other promotions and coupons that Kohl’s offers. Something to keep in mind if you have school clothes or Christmas presents to buy.

Thankfully, Kohl’s makes it really easy to find live coupon codes on their website. By simply clicking “Today’s Deals” on the main page, you can see a number of opportunities to cut costs and get great merch in the process.

While this will change frequently, one spot-check while writing this article turned up a total of 20 individualized product discounts as well as news on a 2-Day Sale and a Kohl’s Cash event — and remember, even if you forget to cash in during a promotion, Kohl’s has your back, so at the very least, log on and check it out before showing up at the store.

We recommend saving your smaller percentage coupons for when you’re “shopping light.” For the big shopping days (i.e. Christmas) — try stockpiling your larger savings opportunities (30% off, for instance) and then using them all at once.

Price-matching is often thought of in a brick-and-mortar context, but it’s important to note that the virtual world allows for it, too — at least in Kohl’s world. Since prices tend to be cheaper online, this is a great way to shave even more dollars off a purchase.

As crazy as No. 11 sounds, factor that into the popular price-match feature that stores like Walmart pioneered. At Kohl’s you can get the match, and if the terms fall in your favor, pick up four additional discounts on top of it.

Just as Kohl’s will allow you to stack coupons in-store, they also allow it online. As DealsPlus explains, “a 20% off Toys coupon can be combined with a 20% off sitewide coupon and a free shipping coupon.

Shoppers can use two or more category coupons only if their order contains items from those categories; however, it is recommended that a sitewide code is used instead of a third or fourth category code for extra savings on the entire order.”

Confused by all the coupon stacking, price adjustments, freewheeling returns policies, and online codes? If you’re averse to technology, Kohl’s employees have your back. Just explain to them your situation, and they can help you find the best ways to save and explain all the opportunities that you have to do so.

They’re also quite friendly and knowledgeable. (Must be those 15% off employee discounts, which by the way, can be stacked with the regular savings.) And since we mentioned it...

Simply picking up hours will enable you to earn the additional discount, so why not apply (or have someone in your family do so)?

Kohl’s is strong on certain things and weak on others. It’s to be expected given the full scope of what they sell. However, when it comes to makeup and beauty supplies, the store wins on both selection and fraction-of-retail pricing.

Kohl’s is always looking for reasons to throw more discounts at you than they otherwise would, and your birthday is just another in a long list. While the drive to do so may not be altogether altruistic — they wouldn’t mind seeing some of that B-Day money you got from your relatives — it’s nice to know that you can get more bang for your buck from a place that sells quality merchandise.

As far as what the discount is, it can vary from year-to-year and customer-to-customer. Whatever way you get it, it’ll usually take the form of a $ or % off discount on your entire order.

There are many reasons why plastic is the way to go at Kohl’s. For starters, as previously mentioned, it means less paper that you have to keep up with in the event of a return or a price adjustment.

Furthermore, if you’re using the store credit card, it keeps a single tally on what you’ve spent for the year and makes you eligible for additional savings opportunities. Lastly, it can be as good as buying with cash, provided that you make the immediate payment after making your purchase.

If you don’t want to open a Kohl’s Charge Card account, though, you can still benefit using plastic through your credit card company’s cash back program. (Not as much, but it’s something!)

Yes, we know, keeping up with the paper receipts is so 20th Century, but it can still get you somewhere if you’re not a fan of using plastic. If you notice that a sale price has gone even lower than before, or if you spent full price and then noticed that Kohl’s included it in a sale, the company can simply reference your receipt, see what you paid, and make a fair adjustment for the difference. More stores are doing the same thing these days, but Kohl’s was one of the first!

Kohl’s clearance prices go in waves from 60%, 70%, 80%, to 90% off. Obviously, 90% is a better deal, but selection dwindles by the time products hit that mark. Get a feel for the merchandise selection before waiting. And on that topic…

If you sign up for notifications and alerts from Kohl’s, then you can be alerted to their “Gold Star” Clearance Event items. Mark your calendar when receiving notifications, and buy early. With the Gold Star, you can get up to 80% off, and the selection is still strong enough that early birds are able to get the worm, so to speak.

Kohl’s also has a pretty liberal policy when it comes to letting you use coupons on clearance items. While they will not price-match clearance, they have no issue taking 30% off an already marked-down clearance item.

For the fun of it, let’s do a little math. You buy a shirt with a suggested retail price of $40 on clearance for 80% off. You’re already getting that shirt for $8, but when you factor in the 30% off coupon on top of that, you’re looking at a reduction of another $2.40 for a total of $5.60. That’s a discount of 86% off retail. Now do you see why you should bookmark Kohl’s Clearance link?

Even Kohl’s can miss the mark. The shoe department is not the store’s strong suit, so if you’re doing shopping in bulk, save footwear for Amazon, Best Buy, or eBay.

Best Buy, Amazon, eBay, and TigerDirect, are all better choices.

When you get used to all the savings opportunities that Kohl’s has to offer, it becomes easier to stack coupons, timing their use around sale dates. As a minimum, it is not unusual to save 60% every time you walk in the store, but depending on the sale, the coupon type, and the quantity of coupons you have at your disposal, it can go much higher.

As cool as Kohl’s can be during normal days and business hours, that’s nothing compared to what they bring to the table on Black Friday, the biggest shopping day of the year. Just how eager are they to get rid of stuff on this day-of-days? Raining Hot Coupons reminds us that the company sells $40 kitchen appliances for $1.99 each.

Several years ago, Kohl’s switched to LCD price tags, which not only saved their employees time — no more stuffing the bi-folded paper into plastic display fixtures! — but also allowed them to make quicker pricing adjustments. While the screens may not look very complicated on the surface, they can tell you certain things about an item.

For example, when a product reaches the lowest price of the season, Kohl’s will place a square in the upper right-hand corner. This means that the next time you see the price lower, it will be a clearance item, and at that point, you’re risking everything on availability of inventory. If it’s a must-have, square equals “time to buy.”

Don’t stop with the square. Other than denoting the “lowest price of the season,” the Kohl’s LCD tag can also give away other clues as to the type of sale you’re taking part in with the following codes in regular use:

S = Sale: The item will be on sale for no longer than two weeks.

PP = Product Placement: A fixed-price sale, not percentage off.

BGH = Buy One, Get One Half Off (what it sounds like, just remember that it’s an “equal-or-lesser-value” deal

BB = Bonus Buy (granting certain deals provided certain terms are met; example: $4 each or three for $10)

Yes, simply connecting your mobile device to Kohl’s Wi-Fi will grant you access to special coupons as well as 10 Yes2You Rewards points. If your phone is set up to automatically seek out and connect to unsecured Wi-Fis, then this is virtually automatic.

If you don’t mind the occasional promo email, then signing up on Kohl’s email list will automatically qualify you for a 15% off discount on your overall sale the next time you make a purchase.

Kohl’s carves out a special time for Senior Citizens every Wednesday to take advantage of extra savings to the tune of 15% off their entire order. Also, this discount can be taken in addition to other coupons, and remember that you can stack four coupons at a time.

Last but not least, Kohl’s is an understanding store, and because some seniors require assistance from friends and family members and don’t necessarily have the help on the date set aside, most stores will honor the Senior Citizen discount any time provided you’re of the qualifying age (55 or older).

Kohl’s has something called an “Ever After Rewards Program” for those of you thinking about tying the knot sometime soon. Essentially, what it means is this: if you get $1,000 worth of stuff from your wedding registry, then Kohl’s will throw in another 10% of that in in-store credit, gifting you an additional $100 in this particular case. The more crossed off the list, the more buying power you get on the back end. However, they do not stop there.

This is one that people often overlook, but yes, Kohl’s does these, too.

Completion discounts are valid on both wedding and baby registries that you start at Kohl’s, and they’re good for 15% off up to 90 days after your event date. That means if you get one item from the list, Kohl’s will give you an automatic 15% off any other item on the registry for three months after the wedding or birth date — a good time to go to Kohl’s armed with any gift cash or cards that you may have for those major purchases!

Historically, those are the weekend days where Kohl’s is going to hold its best sale.

Rebates are a common incentive that manufacturers use to get people to buy their products. You don’t get the savings right away, but if you send in the rebate offer, then you’ll get it on the back end.

Annoying? Yes, it can be. But there is no denying that it’s a way to save, and depending on what you buy, you can save pretty big. While the products themselves will not be shy about advertising available rebate opportunities, there are a lot of companies out there, especially within the four walls of your local Kohl’s Department Store.

That’s why we recommend finding a rebate locator app or searching the web for rebates on brands that Kohl’s carries. By taking the extra time to see what is available, you can stop stumbling upon good deals and instead seek them out. Thankfully, Kohl’s makes it easy for you to see what is eligible from their inventory.

While it is unusual for a rebate not to be clearly advertised on the packaging and in circulars, they can occasionally be missed. That’s why you should always examine the contents of a box before throwing it out when you make purchases for things like vacuum cleaners, kitchen appliances, etc.

Specific details on what benefits Kohl’s Charge Card MVC customers get are somewhat sparse. The company likes to keep details close to the vest, but you can get some idea of what to expect by looking at the benefits the company provides to all charge card customers.

Just by opening an account, you will get 12 additional discounts on sales prices each year (one a month). MVC customers — accountholders who spend $600 or more from January 1 through December 31 — get even more than that, which means that you could be hitting your local store or online sale every week or two.

Cash-back websites may be intimidating if you’ve never used them before. They can seem a little “scammy,” but don’t be afraid. They actually work, and retailers like Kohl’s use them to drive bargain hunters to their website. Ebates is a favorite. Bookmark it and check back frequently for additional savings.

Apparel and kitchen appliances are two additional areas where Kohl’s offers better-than-average savings. If planning a big shopping trip, couple these purchases with makeup and beauty items and remember to stay away from those electronics and shoes (refer back to No. 22).

During Kohl’s “Power Hours,” you can save an additional 10% to 25% off existing sales prices, and as with everything, Kohl’s makes it easy for you no matter which side of the day-person/night-person equation that you’re on with “Early Bird” and “Night Owl” specials.

Going into Kohl’s cold with no % off or $ off coupons? Don’t give up! There are usually scratch-off discount items at the register, so ask for one while you’re there to see how much more you can cut off the overall price tag.

Websites like Raise give you a chance to purchase hundreds of dollars worth of gift cards for less than the face value on the card. Currently, they are running offers from $60 to $500 for anywhere from $59.50 to $429, respectively.

Free shipping can save some major bucks when you get into heavier items like mixers and coffee makers, but it can also work to your advantage with soft-lines provided that you make your purchase from the Kohl’s kiosk.

Not every store is going to have what you’re looking for on-hand, but they do allow you to order online from the electronic kiosk and ship it free to any address in the U.S. This can come in handy when you’re trying to buy wedding or baby or Christmas gifts for out-of-state relatives.

Kohl’s official policy is that you will get $10 in Kohl’s Cash for every $50 spent, but they extend that to $48, resulting in what many savings websites call “the $48 tip.” To attain this, however, you will need to be at $48 after all applicable discounts and before tax.

PennyPinchinMom reports one additional Kohl's Cash hack you may not know about -- combining receipts. For example, you have to spend $50 (or $48, see no. 48) to get the $10 in Kohl's Cash, but you've only got $42 worth.

If you go back to Kohl's during the promotional period for another smaller purchase -- say, $6 to $8 -- you can combine the two receipts to get the Kohl's Cash that you were initially ineligible for.

Eighteen of the 50 U.S. states now offer sales tax free weekends during various times of the year. Some limit their program to certain categories of product (i.e. school clothes, books, supplies, etc.), but it can definitely save you some coin.

How do you know if your state, a neighboring state, or a vacation hotspot offers sales tax free weekends? Head over to the Free Tax Weekend website, and stay apprised. Then, when the event comes, go to Kohl's armed with your coupons.

Conclusion

Kohl's Coupons and other savings opportunities have made it a hit with customers for more than half a century, and with new technologies, they are providing even more ways to take advantage.

The next time you plan to hit up a sale, stop here first, and remember the tips mentioned above. And if there are any we've missed, do let us know in the comments section below. It's our goal to grow this list to become as comprehensive as possible and give Kohl's shoppers the best shopping experience.​