Price Match, Price Adjustment and Rain Check Terms to Know

Stores set their own rules for matching prices, refunding price drops and charging restocking fees. Learn the terms before you shop so you know what to ask for and what the law requires.

What to remember

1. Price matching happens before you buy and price adjustments after, so check a store’s policy for both before you pay.
2. A federal rule requires retail food stores to stock advertised sale items or offer rain checks, comparable products or compensation of equal value.
3. Restocking fees are allowed in most states, but Hawaii does not let merchants subtract them from standard refunds, credits or exchanges.
4. Keep proof of lower prices, such as screenshots, ads or printed listings, and compare items down to the model number and color.
5. Dispute credit card billing errors in writing within 60 days of the first statement showing the error to keep full legal protection.

A price tag tells you less than you think. Whether you actually pay the lowest price often depends on terms like “price match,” “rain check” and “restocking fee,” and those terms work differently at every store. The FTC advises shoppers to read the terms of any advertised deal, including whether the offer requires buying extra products you do not want just to qualify for the low price, and to ask whether the seller will match another store’s price. Learning the vocabulary makes those questions easier to ask.

Price Match: What to Ask For Before You Pay

Price matching happens before you buy. The store agrees to sell you an item at a lower price you found somewhere else, so the discount shows up right at the register. The FTC suggests contacting the seller to request one, since some sellers will even go below a competitor’s advertised price.

• Price match: A store’s promise to charge you a lower advertised price from a competitor or from its own website. Every retailer sets its own conditions and exceptions, so read the policy before you count on a yes.
• Identical item: The exact same product, right down to the model number, size and color. Consumer Reports stresses comparing identical items, because a difference in model number or color gives the store an easy way to say no.
• Proof of lower price: The receipt, ad, screenshot or printed listing that backs up your request. Stores generally want the lower price in front of them, not just your memory of it.
• Exclusions: The categories a policy does not cover, such as clearance goods, marketplace sellers or certain brands. Walmart’s policy excludes several categories, so check the list before you assume a match.

Before you head out, it helps to know what a typical price for the item actually is. Building a family price book turns price matching from a guess into a habit, and our guide to whether a sale price is really a deal helps you spot inflated “original” prices.

Price Adjustment: Getting Money Back After You Buy

A price adjustment works in the other direction. You buy the item, the price drops, and the store refunds part of what you paid. The FTC suggests asking before you buy whether you could get a refund if the item goes on sale soon after, and what records or receipts you would need.

• Price adjustment: A partial refund when an item you already bought goes on sale during the store’s claim period. Some retailers call this price protection.
• Adjustment window: The limited number of days after purchase when you can still claim the refund. Consumer Reports points to Costco, which grants adjustments when the price falls during the 30 days after you buy.
• Credit card price protection: A benefit some credit cards offer that can repay you when something you just bought goes on sale soon afterward. Even when a store says no, this benefit can be a second chance at the money.

Retailer	What Consumer Reports reports
Target	Covers only Target’s own store and website prices, and the request must come within 14 days of the purchase; in-store matches have to be at that same store
Walmart	Covers lower Walmart.com prices for in-store shoppers only; the company does not match other retailers’ prices and lists several exclusions
Costco	Adjusts prices that fall during the 30 days after purchase; online orders are adjusted online, in-store buys in person

Rain Checks: When a Store Has to Honor the Sale Price

Sale items sell out. What happens next depends on the store and, for grocery stores, on a federal rule.

• Rain check: A store’s promise to let you buy the sold-out sale item at the sale price once it is back in stock. Offering rain checks is one way a grocery store can comply with federal advertising rules.
• Unavailability Rule: An FTC rule, issued in 1971, that stops retail food stores from advertising prices for food, groceries and other merchandise unless the products are actually in stock at or below the advertised prices. The FTC amended the rule in 1989 to allow an exception for clearly disclosed limited supplies, and it left the rule unchanged after a review completed in 2014.
• Reasonably anticipated demand: The standard a grocery store must meet by ordering advertised products early enough and in sufficient quantities. A store cannot run a sale it knows it cannot supply.
• Comparable product: A substitute the store offers at the advertised price when the original item runs out. Stores can also offer other compensation worth at least as much as the advertised price.
• Limited-supply disclosure: The clear statement in an ad that supplies are limited or available only at some outlets. With that disclosure, the store is not required to have every advertised item on hand.

Parent tip: When a sale price catches your eye, screenshot the ad or listing with the date visible. If the item sells out or the price changes, you will have proof of what was promised.

The Unavailability Rule covers retail food stores. For other retailers, rain check practices are a matter of store policy, so ask at the service desk before you count on one.

Restocking Fees: The Cost of Changing Your Mind

Returning a big item can cost more than the trip to the store. Ask about fees before you buy, not after. Many retailers also require the original receipt for any return.

• Restocking fee: A charge some stores deduct when you return certain types of products, often electronics or large items. The FTC suggests finding out whether you will owe one before you return anything, and California’s consumer guidance notes that some stores charge these fees on certain product types. State rules differ, so check with your state consumer protection office. Hawaii, for example, does not allow merchants to subtract restocking fees when handling a refund, store credit or exchange, apart from narrow exceptions for certain custom orders and for disclosed charges to repack, pick up or transport goods the store delivered, unpacked or set up. Many stores also expect returns to include the original packaging, and California lists goods returned without it among the exceptions to its refund display rules.
• Custom order: An item ordered specially for you, such as made-to-order furniture. Custom orders are commonly excluded from return policies and can be an exception to local limits on restocking fees.

Return rules go deeper than fees. Our guide to store return policies and the law explains what stores must tell you and what happens when they do not.

Final Sale and Clearance: Read the Sign Before You Pay

Clearance racks come with the strictest rules in the store. The FTC cautions that merchants often apply stricter refund and return rules to discounted goods, and clearance merchandise frequently carries the tightest limits of all.

• Final sale: A purchase that cannot be returned or exchanged. In California, items marked as final sale fall outside the state’s refund display rules, so a final sale marking usually means what it says.
• Posted policy: The sign at the register, entrance or shelf that states the store’s terms. In California, a store that will not give a full refund, credit or exchange within seven days of purchase with a receipt must clearly display its policy, and if it does not, you can return the item with proof of purchase for a full refund within 30 days. In Hawaii, if a merchant posts no conspicuous return policy, the law requires the store to take returns and issue refunds.
• Merchandise credit: Store credit instead of cash. Under Hawaii’s rules, if you accept a credit and have not picked out a substitute item within 30 days after the return, the store owes you cash, unless it posted a sign saying the credit cannot be exchanged for money.

Terms on Big-Ticket Buys: Appliances, Furniture and Electronics

Big purchases raise the stakes on every term above. A few more matter here.

• Out-the-door price: The full price of a vehicle including all charges and fees, which the FTC says car buyers should get in writing before visiting the dealership. When the family’s big buy is a minivan rather than a refrigerator, this is the number to ask for.
• Delivery window: The time a seller has to ship your order. A federal shipping rule says sellers must ship orders within the timeframe they advertised; when no timeframe is promised, the deadline is 30 days after the seller receives your name, address and payment, or permission to charge your account. If you pay by credit card and the order never shows up, the FTC says to dispute the charge.
• Billing dispute window: Under the Fair Credit Billing Act, you have 60 days from the date the first statement showing a billing error was sent to you to dispute it in writing. The issuer must acknowledge your dispute within 30 days and resolve it within two billing cycles, and no later than 90 days, after receiving your letter. Some issuers accept phone or online disputes, but a follow-up letter makes sure you get the full protection of the law.

If a big item arrives damaged or stops working, the return policy may not be your only path. Check whether the product carries a warranty, since our guide to how product warranties work covers what full and limited coverage must include.

Parents also ask

What is the difference between a price match and a price adjustment?

A price match happens before you buy, when a store agrees to charge a lower advertised price. A price adjustment happens after, when the store refunds part of what you paid because the price dropped.

Does federal law require stores to offer rain checks?

The FTC’s Unavailability Rule applies to retail food stores, which must have advertised products in stock, disclose limited supplies, or offer a rain check, a comparable product or other compensation worth at least the advertised price. Other retailers set their own rain check policies.

Can a store charge a restocking fee on a return?

In most states, yes, if the store discloses the policy, though rules differ from state to state. Hawaii is an exception: merchants there cannot subtract these fees when processing refunds, credits or exchanges, apart from narrow exceptions for certain custom orders and disclosed delivery-related charges.

Can I return something marked final sale?

Usually not, since merchants often apply stricter refund and return rules to discounted goods, and clearance items frequently carry the tightest limits. Check the posted policy before you buy, because laws such as California’s treat a clearly displayed limited or no-refund policy as binding.