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Know the price-matching policies for Best Buy, Walmart, Amazon, and others

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Know the price-matching policies for Best Buy, Walmart, Amazon, and others

Nothing is more frustrating than buying a new pair of headphones, an OLED TV, or a laptop just to find out that you could have gotten it for a lot cheaper somewhere else. That’s why, in order to keep customers happy and prevent them from going elsewhere, many retailers offer price-matching policies in which they promise to match a lower price found elsewhere. That kind of information comes in handy no matter the time of year, but it’s especially helpful during shopping events like Black Friday and Cyber Monday.

What follows are the price-matching policies for a variety of major retailers. There are a few things to make note of here. First, all price-matching policies have a number of rules attached to them. We’ve summarized some of the rules here, but we recommend going to the links that we’ve provided and reading the policies carefully. Second, most retailers that serve as marketplaces for other sellers, such as Costco and Sam’s Club, don’t have price-matching policies, and many traditional stores won’t match their prices.

Lastly, there are always exceptions to the rules. If you’re looking for a deal on a product and you know it’s available for a lower price elsewhere (or it was previously offered at the same retailer), it never hurts to call or chat with a customer service rep and ask if they’ll match the price. You have nothing to lose but time, and there’s always a chance they may find a loophole or make a special exception.

If Best Buy offers a better discount than Target on the latest Kindle Paperwhite, Target will refund you the difference.
Photo by Amelia Holowaty Krales / The Verge
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Amazon doesn’t offer price matching. Full stop. You can contact customer support, but even if you’re an Amazon Prime customer, they’re not likely going to help you out.

That said, Amazon does offer a pretty liberal return policy, meaning you can often return an item you purchased from Amazon if it’s available for less elsewhere (or at Amazon). Then, you can just repurchase the product wherever it’s cheapest.

Starting November 7th, Target will extend its price matching policy on eligible items purchased from Target stores or online that drop in price on or before December 24, 2024. Target will also match the price of items purchased from Amazon, Walmart, and a select group of competitors if you ask for it at the time of or within 14 days of your purchase. You must bring the original ad or listing in both instances, whether digital or in print, along with your receipt into the store. Alternatively, you can call for online purchases at 1-800-591-3869 or chat online via contactus.target.com.

Be mindful, however, that Target’s policy excludes doorbusters and competitors’ lightning sales, like those that Amazon offers. It also doesn’t apply to products that require that you log in to see the price, “Marketplace” items from third-party sellers, or lower-priced items purchased from other Target stores.

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Best Buy’s Price Match Guarantee states that a product could be eligible for a price reduction if it’s new, identical to the competitor’s product, immediately available at a qualifying competitor’s store or on its site, and not shown on Best Buy’s exclusion list — which includes “items for sale the Thursday before Thanksgiving Day through the Monday after Thanksgiving” (November 21st through December 2, 2024). Best Buy also doesn’t price match discounts that are only available as part of a competing retailer’s membership or loyalty rewards program, which disqualifies member-only events like Amazon Prime Day.

To get the difference, you have to contact Best Buy via its on-site chat and be able to show the ad or website with a lower price point. Alternatively, you can call 1-888-237-8289 or visit any Best Buy or Pacific Sales store.

Best Buy will also, upon request, match an in-store or online price that was lowered during the return and exchange period, which typically lasts up to 15 days.

Walmart doesn’t price match the prices of its competitors, though Walmart’s online store offers price matching on items purchased from Walmart stores if the item is in stock at Walmart.com.

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However, the policy doesn’t apply to those who live in Alaska, Hawaii, or Puerto Rico. Additionally, it doesn’t apply to special event prices, like those seen during Black Friday. Walmart also does not retroactively price match items bought from Walmart.com that have dropped in price after the time of purchase. The retailer additionally doesn’t price match items purchased from Walmart Marketplace retailers or third-party sellers.

Apple doesn’t offer a price-matching policy, though you can price match on devices like the latest iPad Pro — assuming it’s on sale — elsewhere.
Photo by Amelia Holowaty Krales / The Verge

While we’ve seen some claims that Apple will price match up to 10 percent for products bought at certain major retailers, there is no official policy on the company’s website.

Apple does say that if it reduces the price of an Apple-branded product within 14 days of when you receive your item, you can visit an Apple Store or contact the Apple Contact Center at 1-800-676-2775 to request a refund or get credit for the price difference. However, that doesn’t apply to special sales like Black Friday or Cyber Monday.

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B&H says that it might be able to honor a current lower price or match the price of a competitor, but it does so on a case-by-case basis. You have to contact its customer service team using the on-site chat, email, or by calling 1-800-606-6969 / 1-212-444-6615. If approved, B&H Photo will price match one identical item per customer.

Costco does not price match with competitors. However, according to its website, it will issue a credit for the difference between the price a member has paid and a promotional price if you bought the item online at Costco and requested the credit up to 30 days before the change in price. If you bought the product from a Costco warehouse location, visit the membership counter at the store where you made the purchase. Costco doesn’t price match items bought from Costco warehouses with Costco.com purchases.

Dell will price match identical products from Dell, Amazon, Best Buy, Walmart, Target, HP, Apple, Lenovo, and a number of other retailers. You can call 1-877-275-3355 or chat online to run a price check, but you’ll need to provide a link to the competitor’s product.

You can also contact the company about a price difference within 30 days of purchase. However, there is a long list of restrictions, and none of this is available between Thanksgiving Day and the Monday following Thanksgiving (or on Green Monday). Dell also doesn’t match membership-only pricing or the exclusive discounts you’ll find during Prime Big Deal Days or Best Buy’s Member Deals Days.

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As a general rule, eBay doesn’t match the prices of purchases made during the weeks of Thanksgiving and Cyber Monday. However, it does offer a generous price-matching policy for items bought before or after that period. If you find a lower price from a qualifying competitor on an eBay Deal item that you bought within 48 hours — or on another product with the “Best Price Guarantee” symbol attached to it — you’ll get “110 percent” of the difference. That means eBay will give you an eBay coupon for the difference in price between what you bought the item for and what the competitor is selling it for, plus an additional 10 percent of that price difference. Note, however, that these coupons will expire within 30 days of being issued.

The products must be new, unopened, and identical to the competitor’s item. You have to contact eBay Customer Service, and if they verify your claims are legitimate, you will receive the coupon and be able to use it toward your next eBay purchase.

GameStop does not mention an official price-matching policy on its website. In 2022, however, GameStop tweeted that the store will price match items sold and shipped by Amazon as long as they’re available online or in-store. Although GameStop only mentioned Amazon in the tweet, others have reported that the store will price match items purchased from Target and elsewhere.

Google will price match any of its devices — including the Pixel 9 Pro and 9 Pro XL — against all four major retailers, including Amazon.
Photo: Allison Johnson / The Verge
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If a request is made within the standard return period, Google will match online pricing from select retailers — specifically Amazon, Best Buy, Walmart, B&H Photo, and Target. It doesn’t, however, match preorder pricing from other retailers or carrier deals. The product must also be in stock and identical, right down to the color and configuration. Plus, you need to provide a public link to the promo page or product listing to verify the lower price.

Other exclusions apply, too, including limited-time daily or hourly deals; wholesale, business, educational, or member-only pricing; mail-in offers and coupons; product bundles, clearance, and non-new items; and items from third-party sellers on a competitor’s website.

You may also receive the difference if the product you purchased from the Google Store drops in price within the standard return period, though you’ll need to contact Google directly to get the price match or correction.

The Home Depot will match the price of identical, in-stock products from other retailers, except for membership-based wholesalers. The price-match policy does not apply to special events like Black Friday, though, and it doesn’t apply to clearance prices, used and refurbished items, and rebate offers. You must bring the ad or listing with you in-store to the register. (You can also request price matches for online purchases that are shipped to the customer.) Additionally, The Home Depot will only honor requests submitted by the original buyer — no friends or family allowed.

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According to HP’s website, the company will match the current pretax price for new comparable PCs and identical HP printer, display, and accessory model numbers from nationally recognized online retailers, such as Dell, Amazon, Newegg, and Best Buy. The specs have to be the same to get a price match on PCs, but the product model number does not need to be identical.

You must ask for the match at the time of purchase by calling 1-800-888-0229. You can’t request a price match via email or chat, though, and the policy does not extend to items bought during promotional periods. It also doesn’t apply to membership stores like Costco and Sam’s Club.

HP also offers price protection on the HP-branded products it sells. If a price drops during your return window, you can request an adjustment by emailing myhpsales@hp.com. This doesn’t apply to products purchased during certain promotional events such as Green Monday and products on sale during the week of Thanksgiving and the week after, plus other seasonal holiday sales.

Lenovo matches pricing on comparable PCs from Lenovo, HP, or Dell with the same key specs as long as they’re sold through a list of recognized retailers. That list includes bigger stores such as Best Buy, Walmart, Amazon, Newegg, and B&H Photo as well as direct competitors such as Dell and HP. The comparable PC must also be in stock and readily available from both Lenovo and the competing retailer, and you have to contact a Lenovo sales rep with specific details about the specs and availability of the product you’re inquiring about in order to facilitate the match.

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That said, you can’t take advantage of coupons or special discounts while receiving a price match, and the policy doesn’t apply to membership stores like Costco. The policy also doesn’t apply to “Marketplace” items where third parties fulfill the order, so double-check that you bought the product directly from the retailer.

Lenovo also offers a price guarantee refund for laptops and personal desktop computers bought from Lenovo.com within 30 days of purchase. To receive a refund, you must contact Customer Care and show the lower price of the identical product offered on Lenovo.com. This policy doesn’t apply to doorbuster or clearance products, however.

Lowe’s will match the price of identical, in-stock products when you present an ad, product listing, or photo from a qualifying online or local retailer, including Amazon, Best Buy, Target, and Walmart. The product must be purchased directly from the retailer and not a third-party seller, however, and it doesn’t apply to special sales events like Black Friday and other holiday promotions.

Additionally, Lowe’s doesn’t match prices from one Lowe’s store to another, nor any rebate discounts or those available only to a select group of customers (such as loyalty clubs). To request a price match, you can head to the store, call 1-877-465-6937, or chat online.

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If Microsoft lowers the price of the Xbox Series X, Microsoft could refund you the difference.
Photo by Vjeran Pavic / The Verge

Now through January 31st, 2025, Microsoft will refund you the difference if it drops the price of an in-stock physical product purchased from the Microsoft Store. The same policy also applies if you find the identical product on sale at a lower price at a qualifying retailer like Amazon or Best Buy, though it doesn’t extend to the Surface Hub, HoloLens, Windows DevKits, or digital products.

Furthermore, some eligible products have specific retailer exclusions. For example, price matches for Surface products at other retailers are limited to Amazon and Best Buy, while Xbox products are limited to the two aforementioned retailers as well as Target, GameStop, and Walmart.

You’ll need to contact Microsoft’s Sales and Support team at 1-877-696-7786 within 60 days of delivery to request a refund. If you purchase an item from a Microsoft Experience Center, you’ll have to go back to that location with your receipt. In both instances, Microsoft will credit your original payment method the difference between the price you paid and the current lower price, which typically takes between three and five days to process.

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Newegg offers price matching on select items; these products are identified by the label “Price Match Guarantee” that appears in the price box on the right side of the product page. This applies whether you find that lower price on Newegg or at what Newegg judges as a major retailer, which includes Amazon, Best Buy, Walmart, Target, GameStop, and Sears. The product must be identical, and the match won’t apply to rebates, coupons, or price drops that are only available as part of a retailer’s membership or loyalty program.

You need to notify Newegg of the lower price within 14 days of purchase. You’ll then be issued a credit you can use on the Newegg website, though you’ll only have 90 days to do so. Newegg’s price-match guarantee is not valid during major holiday sales events, including Black Friday, Cyber Monday, and Green Monday.

You can request a price match against other Sam’s Club stores but not competitors. Note that this doesn’t apply to items on markdown or clearance.

Update, October 30th: Added a mention of Black Friday and adjusted the copy to reflect current retailer policies.

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VCs on how to raise in 2025 if you’ve taken a flat, down, or extension round

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VCs on how to raise in 2025 if you’ve taken a flat, down, or extension round

Old ideas like you need $100 million worth of trailing revenue to go public, and $1 million worth of annual recurring revenue to raise a Series A are so old that they are practically perched atop Abe Lincoln’s head.In today’s market, what a startup needs to raise depends on its sector, founder profile, and, yes, momentum. So what do you need to raise that Series A?Find out from Footwork Co-Founder & General Partner Nikhil Basu Trivedi, Construct Capital Co-Founder & General Partner Dayna Grayson, and Bessemer Venture Partners Partner Elliott Robinson in this session from Disrupt 2024

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Google’s AI-powered weather app is rolling out to older Pixels

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Google’s AI-powered weather app is rolling out to older Pixels

Google’s Pixel 9 launched with a cool new standalone weather app that can summarize outdoor conditions using AI. As reported by 9to5Google, the company is rolling it out to older Pixels running Android 15 with all the latest updates installed, including one of ours here at The Verge.

The standalone Google Weather app will pull saved locations from the built-in weather service already present on Pixels to let you track weather in multiple locations, arrange weather data blocks, track weather on a map, and get a summary so you don’t need to figure out if an umbrella is needed for the day.

Some Google Weather features are reminiscent of the discontinued Dark Sky app.
Image: Google

As of writing, the app currently has a 2.3-star rating, with a few listed complaints like one noting you can’t check the weather in random cities without adding it to your saved locations list first. Google Weather is a welcome new option for those who haven’t found a favorite weather app since Dark Sky was acquired and shut down by Apple in 2020.

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Chinese EV maker BYD’s quarterly sales overtook Tesla’s for the first time

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Chinese EV maker BYD's quarterly sales overtook Tesla's for the first time


New cars, among them new China-built electric vehicles of the company BYD, are seen parked in the port of Zeebrugge, Belgium, October 24, 2024.

Yves Herman | Reuters

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Chinese electric vehicle maker BYD reported third-quarter revenue that topped that of behemoth rival Tesla for the first time.

On Wednesday, BYD reported revenue for the three months ended Sept. 30 of 201.12 billion yuan ($28.24 billion), up 24% from a year ago. That exceeded Tesla’s revenue of $25.18 billion reported for the same period.

It’s a first for the Beijing-based EV giant as its solid performance came despite the EV downtrend in mainland China. The company sold a record number of passenger vehicles in August.

At least half of BYD’s sales are hybrid vehicles, whereas Tesla’s vehicles are battery only.

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But in terms of net profit, Tesla still took the lead.

The American carmaker saw net profit of $2.18 billion from July to September, up 16.2% from a year ago. Its Chinese counterpart, BYD, saw an increase in profit of 11.5% in the same period to 11.6 billion yuan.

Likewise, Tesla remains on top in year-to-date sales, slightly edging out BYD’s roughly $70.53 billion total revenue at $71.98 billion.

BYD is one of the most prominent EV makers in China, the world’s largest automotive market where it must contend with both domestic and global rivals for dominance.

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On BYD’s home turf, Elon Musk’s Tesla is one of its toughest competitors. The Model Y remained the best-selling battery-powered electric car in China in September, according to Chinese automotive website Autohome. BYD’s Seagull trailed closely behind in second place.

The competition will likely only get more cut-throat as European Union tariffs came into effect this week, despite China’s disapproval.

On Wednesday, the EU announced it would implement tariff increases on Chinese EVs, taking duties to as high as 45.3%.

The extra tariffs range from 7.8% for Tesla to 35.3% for SAIC Motors, which will stack on top of a 10% standard import duty on all electric vehicles.

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Trump's proposed tariffs is a gift to China: Analyst

While tariffs imposed on BYD and Tesla were reduced from an earlier proposal, both automakers have taken steps to ramp up production in Europe which would help them work around the duties.

Reuters reported earlier this month that Tesla got the green light to double the capacity of its Berlin plant.

And BYD announced last year it would set up shop in Hungary. In July, the Chinese automaker said it would invest $1 billion into a plant in Turkey, which has a customs union with the EU.

— CNBC’s Evelyn Cheng contributed to this report.



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Quordle today – hints and answers for Thursday, October 31 (game #1011)

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Quordle on a smartphone held in a hand

Quordle was one of the original Wordle alternatives and is still going strong now more than 1,000 games later. It offers a genuine challenge, though, so read on if you need some Quordle hints today – or scroll down further for the answers.

Enjoy playing word games? You can also check out my Wordle today, NYT Connections today and NYT Strands today pages for hints and answers for those puzzles.

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Ancient Mayan city discovered via page 16 of Google search results

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Ancient Mayan city discovered via page 16 of Google search results

Proceeding to even the second page of Google search results is rare enough, but going all the way to page 16 and then selecting an entry that leads to the discovery of a huge Mayan city that was lost for centuries under a jungle canopy … well, that’s really something.

“I was on something like page 16 of Google search and found a laser survey done by a Mexican organization for environmental monitoring,” Luke Auld-Thomas, a PhD student at Tulane University in Louisiana, said in comments reported by the BBC.

The survey had been carried out using Lidar, a remote sensing technology that uses laser pulses to measure distances and create precise, 3D maps of surfaces. In this case, it was deployed from a an airplane to map objects on the ground.

Auld-Thomas decided to process the data using a system used by archaeologists, and to his great astonishment he discovered remnants of a large ancient city that may have been populated by up to 50,000 people around 800 AD.

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After handing his findings to archaeologists, a further investigation uncovered pyramids, sports fields, causeways connecting districts, and amphitheaters, the BBC reported.

The city, which has now been named Valeriana after a nearby lagoon, is in the southeastern state of Campeche, some 600 miles (around 965 kilometers) east of Mexico City.

Analysis of the aerial imagery revealed that Valeriana covers an area of about 6.4 square miles (16.6 square kilometers) and features two major centers, with densely packed housing and causeways linking them together. Nearly 6,800 buildings have been counted in all. Two plazas with temple pyramids for worshipping are also part of the ancient city’s landscape. The imagery even reveals a court where the city’s residents would have played ball games.

It’s not clear why the city failed to survive, though it’s suggested that drought conditions brought on by climate change may have forced the inhabitants to move on to more fertile areas.

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As the BBC’s report points out, Lidar technology has utterly transformed how archaeologists survey locations covered in vegetation, with earlier surveys done on foot and taking considerably longer to complete.

These are certainly exciting times for archeologists, though Auld-Thomas commented that “one of the downsides of discovering lots of new Maya cities in the era of Lidar is that there are more of them than we can ever hope to study.”

Though in this case, Google search — and Auld-Thomas’s decision to go beyond page one of the results — also played a major role in the discovery of Valeriana.


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Google Wallet to be available for kids by 2025 with ‘Family Link’

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Google Wallet to be available for kids by 2025 with ‘Family Link’

Google Wallet for kids will be available by 2025. The upcoming version of the app will support tap-to-pay on kids’ phones, but parents will have full control via “Family Link”.

Google Wallet will work for kids by 2025

Google Wallet is one of the most convenient on-device payment platforms. It not only supports monetary transactions but also stores credit cards, IDs, passes, tickets, and a lot more.

Google has reportedly confirmed that Google Wallet for kids will be ready by 2025. Kids will be able to download and use the virtual wallet on their Android phones.

Google Wallet for kids will allow tap-to-pay transactions in stores. Children or teens won’t have access to any credit or debit cards saved in the Google Wallet ecosystem.

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Google has confirmed that Google Wallet for kids will need a device PIN, password, fingerprint, or facial recognition. The app will ask for these user authentication techniques to set up and authenticate NFC payments.

How will kids use the Wallet app?

Google is limiting Google Wallet for kids. Moreover, parents or guardians will have full control over the app via the “Family Link” platform.

Parents will have to approve every credit or debit card added to their kids’ phones. Any existing payment card can be added to a kid’s Wallet. Using their Family Link app, parents can view recent transaction history. Guardians can remotely remove a card, as well as block passes.

Speaking of non-banking cards, Google Wallet for kids will also support gift cards and event tickets. However, the app won’t support IDs and health cards at the time of its launch.

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Google Wallet for kids largely relies on the backend infrastructure Google developed for the Fitbit Ace LTE devices, mentioned the search giants. “Following the positive response of tap-to-pay on Fitbit Ace LTE devices, we’re expanding tap-to-pay for kids to Google Wallet. The new experience is built with safety in mind, and will allow parents to supervise their kids’ usage – including approving new cards, easily removing cards, and viewing transaction history.”

Google has further assured that this “new experience is built with safety in mind.” The company indicated that Google Wallet users in the US and several other regions will have access to the new version of the app starting next year.

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