A lot of price-match advice online is years old. Here's what each retailer's own policy page says today.
| Store | Matches competitors? | Refunds a price drop? |
|---|---|---|
| No Frills | Yes, “Won't Be Beat” ad match | No |
| Best Buy Canada | Yes, authorized Canadian dealers | Yes, within 30 days (60 with a My Best Buy account) |
| Costco Canada | No | Yes, within 30 days |
| Walmart Canada | No, ended Oct 15, 2020 | Matches its own Walmart.ca price in store |
| Canadian Tire | No policy listed | Online orders adjust if it goes on sale before pickup |
No Frills: bring the ad
- Show a major competitor's current ad for the identical item. Store brands can be matched to a comparable item. The list of competitors that count is posted in each store.
- The limit is 4 per item, with no rainchecks.
- It doesn't cover online-only or email prices, loyalty or member prices, “spend X get X”, free offers, gas or pharmacy.
Best Buy: check your receipts
- If Best Buy's own price drops, bring the receipt within 30 days and get the difference. A My Best Buy account makes that 60 days. One Best Buy page called the 60 days limited-time, so check before you count on it.
- Competitor match needs the same brand and model from an authorized Canadian dealer in your province. Marketplace sellers, refurbished items, ad errors and Black Friday, Cyber Monday and Boxing Day prices don't count.
- If you pre-order, you get the lower price automatically if it drops before shipping.
Costco: the 30-day trick
Bought something at the warehouse and it went on sale within 30 days? Go to the Membership Counter while it's in stock and the sale is still on. Costco.ca orders get a credit for the difference if the price drops within 30 days of ordering. Gift cards, tickets, bullion and bundle promos are excluded.
Walmart Canada
Walmart stopped matching competitor ads in 2020. In store, it will match its own Walmart.ca price on identical in-stock items. That excludes Rollback, Clearance and Black Friday and Cyber Monday web prices, and the manager on duty decides.
Policies change. Each one is linked below, so check it before you head to the till.