Did you earn Kohls Cash during a promotion period, and now it’s burning a hole in your pocket? How does Kohls Cash work? Read on to learn the ins and outs of Kohl’s Cash and why I think it’s a great way to save.
My husband bought me two beautiful necklaces for my birthday. He was thrilled because he saved 70% and received $20 in Kohl’s Cash, which he also gave to me so I could buy something more for myself. Yes, my frugality has definitely rubbed off! I had never used Kohl’s Cash before, so I wasn’t sure how exactly it worked. Surely there must be some catch, right?
It turns out there is a minor “catch”, which I will get to later, but overall it is a great promotion, and it really is like getting paid to shop.
How do you earn Kohls Cash?
During Kohl’s Cash promotion periods you can earn $10 in Kohl’s Cash for every $50 you spend. Earnings are based on the final total, after any discounts are applied but before tax is added. The cashier will hand you a printed Kohl’s Cash receipt that can be redeemed later during the specific dates listed on the receipt. You may redeem Kohls Cash in store or online.
How to redeem Kohls Cash
So what’s the catch with Kohls Cash? It’s fairly simple. When you redeem your Kohl’s Cash, the discount is applied before any total transaction discounts. So if you have a coupon for 20% off your total purchase, that discount will only apply to any remaining total in excess of your Kohl’s Cash amount. This frustrates some shoppers, but it is clearly stated on the back of the receipt, and it makes sense to me. Sales tax can only be applied to items you pay for, and a total transaction discount works the same way.
Sale discounts for individual items are taken before the Kohl’s Cash is applied, however, and your Cash can be used on any sale items, including Clearance. Kohl’s Cash cannot be used to purchase gift cards, but you can certainly give the Kohl’s Cash itself as a gift, like my husband did.
The register will deduct Kohls Cash before tax, which means that sales taxes are calculated on the remaining balance, not the total price before the Kohls Cash is applied.
Kohls Cash Example
Let’s say I have $10 in Kohls Cash and I found a new handbag 60% off on Clearance. After the discount, the bag is $19.99. I still get that discount even though I am using Kohl’s Cash. But wait! As a Kohls Card holder, I also have a coupon for an extra 30 percent off! Can I combine the discount with my Kohls Cash? Yes! But it only applies to the remaining balance after my $10 Kohls cash is deducted. So, the coupon will subtract an additional $3.00 (30 percent of $9.99) rather than $6 (30 percent of $19.99).
Yeah, it would be nice if the total transaction discount applied to the merchandise price before deducting the Kohl’s Cash, but hey, it’s still free money. On the plus side, I only pay sales tax on the final amount I actually pay, after all Kohl’s Cash and discounts are subtracted. In my area there is an 8 percent sales tax, so I would pay an extra $0.56 on my purchase–much better than the $1.60 I would pay if the full $19.99 were taxed.
Is there a Kohls Cash Minimum Purchase Requirement?
There are many other stores that offer similar promotions, but they typically come with a minimum purchase requirement. Not at Kohl’s. You can use Kohls Cash on any purchase, large or small. You can also stack multiple Kohl’s Cash vouchers to use on a single transaction. Today I found a pair of jeans for myself for $16.00 and a pair of corduroys for my son for $4.00. My total? $0.00!
You can earn and spend Kohl’s cash online or in Kohls stores.
Thank you for this-very helpful article. I found it hard to believe if I had $90 Kohl’s cash I could purchase items selling for a total of $90 and get them for free.