Ever wonder exactly how does Kohl's cash work? I guarantee you're not alone – check out these helpful tips and tricks to earn more and redeem smarter!
How Does Kohl's Cash Work?
If you're been earning Kohl's Cash over the past few AWESOME Kohl's sales – the time is coming when you are able to spend it! But maybe you have some questions about how to use your Kohl's Cash?
Here are the answers to ALL your Kohl's Cash questions! (Especially details on using expired Kohl's cash…)
How Do You Earn Kohl's Cash?
During Kohl's Cash earning periods, you can earn $10 in Kohl's Cash (basically store money) for every $50 you spend BEFORE Taxes/Shipping are calculated. You can earn Kohl's cash on ABSOLUTELY ANYTHING in the store – and spend it on anything too!
NOTE: Up until now – Kohls would actually reward $10 in Kohl's Cash on any purchase $48 and up. But that changed on 9/30/20 and you will now earn only when you reach the $50 mark.
Here's an example of what that looks like:
- Earn $10 Kohl's Cash on a $50+ Purchase
- Earn $20 Kohl's Cash on any purchase of $100 and up.
- Score $30 Kohl's Cash on any purchase of $150 and up.
- Get $40 Kohl's Cash on your purchase of $200 and up…
If you're just shy of the $50 mark – there are always small filler items you can use to get your cart up to $50 when you're almost-there.
Here are a couple ideas!
Kohl's Cash Filler Items
When you're oh-so-close to earning Kohl's Cash but not quite at the $50 mark – here are some great ideas for filler items:
- Washcloths – $1.99
- Earth Therapeutics Facial Wipes – $2.40
- Women's 3pk Gloves – $2.84
- Wax Melts- $3.49
- Food Network Placemat – $3.19
- Big One Washcloth 6pk – $4.99
How Does Kohl's Cash Work?
During earning periods, Kohl's rewards your purchases with Kohl's Cash. You can get it via email, as a physical paper copy, or add to your virtual Kohl's wallet!
If you earn Kohl's Cash shopping online: You'll receive it via email within 24 hours after your purchase is completed.
If you earn Kohl's Cash shopping in store: The cashier will hand you a physical green Kohl's Cash “buck” that has your amount and redemption period printed on it. It's a good idea to immediately add your physical Kohl's Cash to your online “wallet” in case it gets lost.
If you have the Kohl's App, you can also store Kohl's Cash in your “wallet”.
Kohl's Cash can be spent during redemption periods to purchase absolutely anything in the store or on their website except Kohls Cares items.
- Normally Kohl's will offer $10 Kohl's Cash back for every $50 you spend (after discounts are taken into account).
- Occasionally they'll offer $5 Kohl's Cash back for every $25 spent.
- And during Kohl's Black Friday & Cyber Monday events you'll earn $15 Kohl's Cash for every $50 spent!
There's NO LIMIT to how much Kohl's Cash you can earn!
How to Spend or Use Your Kohl's Cash
Once you have Kohl's Cash in hand, you'll need to wait for the date when you're able to redeem it. Once redemption period has opened – it's time to shop!
Using your Kohl's Cash in the store is easy – you just hand it to the cashier and they'll deduct it from your total. If you're entering your Kohl's Cash online, you'll need to enter the 15 digit coupon number followed by the 4-digit pin. (There's a limit of 4 Kohl's Cash redemptions per online order)
If you added it to your wallet already – it should show up as a discount that you can apply to whatever's in your cart.
Double Earn with Kohl's Cash + Kohl's Rewards
Recently Kohl's rolled out new changes nationwide to simplify the way they reward customers. With the new Kohl's Rewards program (formerly Yes2You Rewards) customers earn 5% on every purchase, every day – paid out in extra Kohl's Cash once you reach $5. This new program is called Kohl's Rewards.
How Does Kohl's Rewards Work:
Kohl's Rewards earnings are in addition to the Kohl's Cash you earn at every $50 mark. This is like a “bonus” $5 Kohl's Cash you get here and there when you have spent enough.
Example: Spend $100, get back $20 in Kohl's Cash and also get back $5 in Kohl's Rewards.
- Your Kohl’s Rewards are paid out in $5 Kohl’s Cash increments on the 1st day of the month FOLLOWING the month you earned it
- Kohl's Rewards are valid for 30 days after they're issued
- Kohl's Cash earned from Kohl's Rewards will arrive via email (see the screenshot above!) – and if your Kohls.com account is linked to your Rewards account, it will also be auto-added to your Kohl’s Wallet.
- Use Kohl's Cash on anything except Kohl's Cares items
Using Kohl's Cash WITH Coupons
There are a few things I don't love about redeeming Kohl's cash, and it has everything to do with coupons….
I LOVE using Kohl's Coupon codes to slash the cost of my order. I'm often able to stack codes to get an excellent deal. (More details about Kohl's code stacking here!) But when I'm using Kohl's cash to pay for merchandise – the rules get tricky….
Kohl's Cash is deducted BEFORE any discounts are taken. So any coupon codes you use will have less impact because your Kohl's Cash was applied to your cart first.
Here's how that looks in a couple examples:
Example 1:
- You buy a $50 Quilt, and use 30% OFF coupon code. Your new total = $35.
- You want to use $10 Kohl's Cash to pay $25 … but it doesn't work that way.
- Instead they'll use your Kohl's cash first, dropping the total from $50 to $40. THEN they'll deduct your coupon code – so you're getting less of a discount in the end. (A total of $28, rather than $25.)
Example 2:
- You buy a $50 Quilt, and use $10 OFF $50 coupon code. Your new total = $40.
- You want to use $10 Kohl's Cash to pay $30 … but it doesn't work that way.
- Kiss the $10 OFF $50 code goodbye… because your Kohl's Cash will be applied FIRST, knocking your total down to $40. (And therefore not high enough for the coupon code to work) 🙁
How I Spend My Kohl's Cash Wisely
Because I always feel like I'm not getting my full discounts when I use Kohl's Cash along with coupons – I usually choose to use it on items that are already excluded from coupon offers.
Here are the items that are typically excluded from promo codes at Kohl's:
See ALL Kohl's items that are excluded from coupon use here!
Can I Use Expired Kohl's Cash?
The short answer? YES!
Let's say you earned some Kohl's Cash on a recent shopping trip – but when you went to use it a couple weeks later, it had already expired.
Don't worry – Kohl's will give you a 10-day grace period to spend your hard earned cash! Just take it with you to a Kohl's Store where it will be accepted.
Can I use expired Kohl's Cash Online?
While your expired Kohl's Cash won't work when added to your cart online – YOU CAN USE IT! Just call customer service while placing an online order and they will manually add your Kohl's Cash as long as it's within the 10-day grace period.
You CAN'T Use Kohl's Cash On These Items
Although you can use Kohl's Cash for almost everything in the store – there are a few items it won't work on:
- Kohl's Cares® merchandise
- Charitable items
- Gift cards
- To pay your Kohl's credit card balance
And, if you're looking for ideas of what to buy with all that Kohl's Cash you've earned, here are a few ideas:
- Christmas Decor – Kohl's has such cute decor to choose from, and using Kohl's Cash is a great way to decorate or grab an item for a Christmas ornament exchange.
- Converse – Since Converse don't often go on sale and stay the same price just about everywhere, so use your Kohl's Cash to snag them if your kids have been dreaming of these!
- Furniture – If you've got a lot of Kohl's Cash to spend, rather than nickel-and-diming it on smaller ticket items, use it towards a bigger piece of furniture you've been waiting for.
- Nike – Since Nike and other brands rarely go on sale at Kohl's or anywhere else, use the Kohl's cash you've earned to stock up on those bigger ticket items.
- Pajamas –we got these Cuddle Duds this week and love them ~ they fit very true to size!
- Toys – Kohl's has great prices on toys, especially when you have Kohl's Cash you can put towards them.
- Yankee Candles – Need a last minute gift idea for a teacher or friend? Yankee candles always work and you can use that Kohl's cash to stock up so you have a few gifts ready something you need to give pops up!
Now that you know how Kohl's Cash Works be sure to check out these 14 secrets you need to know before you shop. And don't miss the rest of the crazy deals at Kohl's going on right now!
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I thought they used to grant Kohl’s cash for up to two weeks. I had $75 to use, but couldn’t make it due to a snow storm and was rather disappointed when the cashier said she couldn’t accept it. I had $400 worth of merchandise. I have been a cardholder for 25 years. I will not be back!
I hate hearing that Celeste! Thank you for the update (hopefully that won’t happen again!) 🙁
Do you get kohl’s cash on gift cards that you purchase at kohl’s?
Unfortunately you can’t earn on gift cards! 🙁
What is their policy for refunds on which Kohls cash was earned at the time of purchase yet not used? I returned part of an order and they subtracted a total of $10 for Kohls cash which I had not used and is now expired. So my refund is not for the full purchase price. Planning to talk to store manager as I do not think that is right, but curious what the policy is.
Deb, I would call customer service as they have been helpful with issuing me a credit/kohl’s cash in the past when something like that happened to me 🙂 Here’s the number, I hope they can help you out! 855-564-5705
Thanks for the number! I looked for one but couldn’t find it.
This is also a problem I have with their policy. I don’t think it’s right when you’ve paid for an item using your own funds whether charge or cash, etc only to be refunded less than what you actually paid when you return the unused item because there was the Kohls cash “benefit/incentive” when you made the purchase. It’s not like you can opt out of receiving the Kohls cash, and especially since the Kohls cash wasn’t even used before it expired. I believe what you paid in the tender of your choice should be fully refunded to the tender of your choice. I wonder what the legalities surrounding this is..
I have Kohl’s cash and it was 11:45pm and I tried to check out and in my wallet the kohl’s showed up but when I went to check out it was not there. My items were kohls cash eligible also I checked! What should I do?! It was $75 worth of kohl’s cash!!
I have $30.00 in Kohl’s cash. Is there a purchase amount I need to spend to use the Kohl’s cash?
Thanks
There is no purchase minimum Christina ~ just spend $30 or more and you’ll get $30 off! 🙂
I am so confused by the kohl’s cash with coupons. Tonight we tried to use our cash with a 25% off coupon, which looked like it deducted the total, but then we scanned my husbands kohl’s cash to see if it would actually work & they guy at the register removed the 25% off saying it doesn’t go into effect until the kohl’s cash is used fully. I’m confused because it looks like it’ll work online, but maybe the discounts disappear at checkout ♀️
Do I need to go back & have them adjust? Saving where I can is most important
Just a note, the blue Kohl’s cash does not have a grace period.
Thanks so much Candie! Can you clarify what you mean by the “Blue” Kohl’s Cash?
When you paid for something using Kohls cash and then later return the item, if need be, the Kohls cash amount attributed to that item gets returned to you in the form of a blue Kohls’ Cash slip. That way you don’t lose your Cash. But, it must be used by the expiration date shown on the blue slip, no grace period.
You post mentioned about spending Kohl’s Cash on toys. However, you can not use coupons or Kohl’s cash when purchasing toys. You can earn Kohl’s Cash on the purchase of toys, but you can’t use it to purchase toys.
Hi Lady J! Hmm, you should be able to spend Kohl’s Cash on all toys except for “Kohl’s Cares” toys and books ~ you aren’t able to redeem it on those! (Their site says that you can redeem it on other toys though) 🙂 Hope that helps!
I have a purchase a $50 item in store. Have a 20% coupon which brings my total to $40. I have $100 kohl’s cash that I want to put towards my purchase. When I am in store, do I still lose my 20% discount? Bringing my purchase back to $50? I know online that is how it works but I never thought it worked like that in store. Just trying to decide if going to the store is worth it rather than buying online. Appreciate any ones expertise with this.
They will use the Kohl’s cash first… so the coupon will not be applied if you use use $50 to pay for it from your existing Kohl’s cash. If you have other items to buy that don’t accept coupons, those are better to spend your Kohl’s cash on. It makes me crazy. So… some Nike is on sale right now so I am going to go ahead and buy some Nike sweats and hoodies for Christmas gifts with my Kohl’s cash.
I have to order online as we do not have a Kohls store nearby. I have played the Kohl’s cash “game” before in the past years. For those of us looking for free shipping, we have to spend $75 more (after Kohl’s cash and coupon applied) in order to receive free shipping.
It seems that Kohls loves to overcharge on most items…like sheet sets, dishes, etc.
For example, I am looking at purchasing a Mikasa 40 pc. dinnerware set for $296.99. On Amazon, it is on sale for $150…original price $199 for same set. So after applying $270 of Kohls’ cash, I will only pay $21.59 for the set. I did notice that the more I put in my cart, along with this dinnerware set, the prices fluctuate. They apply the cash and coupon to every item in my cart..so that dinnerware set will now cost more. So I have decided that I do not have the time to keep playing the game. I will only purchase the set so that I feel like I got a true deal at $21.59…and pay the additional $8.95 shipping cost as well as the $1.53 tax…and be done shopping Kohls this year.
Can’t agree with you more. I came to the same conclusion with their Kohls cash game.
Oh my gosh I just missed the BF bonus Kohl’s cash event! I had everything in my cart and forgot to hit submit. Now I don’t know if I want to complete my order without the added discount of getting the kohl’s cash. 🙁
Hi Lori! Hmm, we might see another Kohl’s Cash offer for Cyber Monday if you want to wait until then to order (though no guarantee that the items you have in your cart will still be available at the same price ~ might be worth waiting though on any more expensive items!) 🙂 Hope that helps!
The 48 rule is still in effect and not going away. I’ve checked with customer service and the website has a direct link to the $48 and above rule.
Hmm, it doesn’t seem to be working for us online Aaron, but if your store still allows it, that’s super fun! 🙂
Thank you Aaron – that is so odd as we received an email from the specifically telling us it no longer applies! I’m going off to test it right now…
While it still says you can earn it if within $2 on the kohls website it doesn’t work. On my last online purchase I spent $48.75 before tax and did not earn kohls cash. When I contacted customer service I was told it didn’t qualify bc I only spent $48.75 before tax. Once I pointed out that the website says you earn it if within $2 she manually processed my kohls cash, fingers crossed I actually get it (takes 24-48 mins to get the email with it)
I just received Kohls Cash from purchasing the Nintendo Switch bundle on Sunday. Do you have to spend a certain amount in order to use the Kohls cash? For example, could I buy something worth $15 and use the $15 Kohls cash, thus spending no money? Or is there a minimum you have to spend in order to use the Kohls cash? Thanks!
There’s no minimum purchase needed to use your Kohl’s Cash Margaret (yay!) ~ you can totally buy something worth $15 and use the $15 to get it essentially free! 🙂 Hope that helps!
Yay! Thank you so much!
I made around $200 in purchases recently but each were less than $50. Is there a way to earn Kohl’s cash for those combined?
Hi Lisa! Sadly you’ll only be able to get Kohl’s cash when you spend over $50 in the same transaction ~ you would probably have to return/repurchase in the same order to be able to earn the Kohl’s cash on those items! Hope that helps! 🙂
They will combine in store with your receipts or you can probably call and they would do for you. I had two different orders on Black Friday that I was purchasing (wanted to keep orders on different cards) and they gladly combined my receipts right there to get me my additional Kohl’s cash when I asked.
I just bought at 250 item at Kohls and got the Kohls cash. If I spend the cash in the next week when it is avail, and then return the 250 item later after xmas, will the item amount be refunded less the kohls cash I spent?
Yes they’ll take the Kohl’s Cash into account when refunding you!
So here’s a penny pinching question for you. If I just bought a PS5 for $681.59, and then found a 20% off coupon, and also was sent my $180.00 Kohl’s Cash, how could I best use these discounts?
Hi McClain! If you’ve already purchased the PS5, I would use all your Kohl’s Cash and the 20% off coupon starting Nov 28th to buy EVERYthing else for Christmas (stocking stuffers, gifts, everything!) BUT, I would make a list and purchase everything on the 29th when you can use your Kohl’s Cash. Hope that helps!
So if I use my Kohl’s cash to buy something and then return the item, do I still get my Kohl’s cash back and have 30 days to use it? I’ll admit that I’ve done this before when the Kohl’s cash was about to run out and I didn’t really need anything. I just bought a random shirt, returned it a few weeks later, and was given Kohl’s cash in return and had 30 additional days to use it.
I believe that would work Beth – you will get Kohl’s Cash back if you return something – and then the spending window should restart.
I tried to use my expired Kohl’s cash which was 3 days past the grace period. The store manager told me no. I’ve called customer service 3 times and no one will re-issue. I even requested a call from corporate and was told I’d receive a call within 48 hours. I NEVER RECEIVED A CALL BACK. Any advice?
My son got the Black Friday Nintendo Switch Bundle $319.99 w/ $90 Kohls cash to buy a game for Christmas. The Kohls Cash certificate was taped to his present and when he opened it he started crying because it expired a few days before he even got it.
Holly they have a 10day grace period after expiration dates but beyond that they will deny the use and your post said 3 days after grace period. Sorry. I have to put mine on my calendar so I get a reminder to use them or I forget & have left behind good money, wasted.
If it’s within the 10 day grace period, You can use it. Maybe try going to a different cashier or go to another Kohl’s. If you’re trying to spend it online, call and talk to a different representative. Keep trying! Good luck!
I lost my Kohl’s cash certificate. Is there any way to track it by a Customer Service Rep to look up the credit card I used to purchase the merchandise to earn the Kohl’s Cash?
Hi Lisa! If you give the Kohl’s Customer Service a call, they should be able to help you! 🙂
Yes but the key is getting a rep on the phone that likes their job. I love Kohl’s but their customer service is lacking compassion and care. According to their website if you have receipts you can track Kohl’s cash & as long as it hasn’t been used they will reissue. Good luck!
I’ve lost mine before too. Sad day, I know! No longer have to worry about that though bc once you get the certificate and get to your car, go ahead before you forget (or lose it ) and add it into your kohl’s wallet! I also screenshot it. That way if it expires and disappears out of my wallet, I can still use it! Hope this helps someone who loses theirs like I used to!
This is one of the reasons I no longer shop in Kohls stores. I was sick of losing all the Kohls Cash. If someone else picked it up and used it, I would not be able to get a refund if I needed to return something I purchased that earned Kohls Cash. I absolutely HATE the Kohls Cash program and NEVER use Kohls cash unless I’m 100% sure I’m keeping the item or it’s a Yes2You Reward certificate. I’m not sure how Yes2You will be affected if I need to return anything now that it’s changed to Kohls Cash, so I probably won’t use the monthly rewards anymore either. Because I have to purchase everything online now to avoid losing Kohls Cash, I actually end up returning even more stuff than I did before KC existed. I love Kohls 30 and 40% off coupons and coupon stacking, but the Kohls Cash program really makes me want to stop shopping there sometimes.
tried it out. basically i called in my order and was able to use my expired by 2 days kohls cash. Still glad to have this option! Thanks for posting!
What if i purchase items totally $60 and earn $10 kohls cash…..i then return a $9 item making my earlier total $51. Is the $10 kohls cash still usable??
It should be Mel – because you won’t have dropped below the required kohls cash amount 🙂
I am a kohls employee and would like let everone know that expired Kohls cash is only good for 10 days past the expiration date and in store only!
Thank you! I worked at Kohls for years and you have a better understanding of kohl’s cash than some employees. One bad aspect of kohls cash is if you make a return. You can lose your Kohl’s cash. If the return you make brings your sub total down to where you wouldn’t have earned it to begin with. As to expired kohl’s cash it’s usually good for a few days afterward he expiration date.
Here’s the problem. Once it is past the expiration date and falls out of the system we were not allowed to accept it. It was a fireable offense. A manager may allow it, but don’t count on it. Please, Please, don’t give the employee grief because they are following the rules and don’t want to put their job in jeopardy. Years ago they did accept all expired KOHls cash. Thanks to those who scammed the system they ruined it for everyone. It was horrible to be checking someone out and have to tell someone you can’t accept their Kohl’s cash as its expired and to get yelled at because you are doing your job. Please be kind.
If I return the merchandise I received the Kohl’s cash for then what happens to my Kohl’s cash?
Kohl’s used to take old Kohl’s cash from months and months ago, but now there is just a 10 day grace period but it’s in store only. You won’t be able to use it online however if it is expired.
That no longer applies. Expired Kohl’s cash can currently be used for up to 7 days past the date only and only in store.
Thanks for the heads up Debbie!
I just had this situation and was told by an online rep that you can use the expired Kohls cash for online purchases but you had to place your online order over the phone with a rep.
I just recently missed the expiration date for Kohls Cash so I called. They told me it was 10 days. I had to add things to my online cart then call & they processed the order over the phone.
I have worked for Kohls in the past and talked to store managera and found out that. The stores well most storea will accecpt expired Kols cash. Not just by a couple days but year old Kohls cash. So don’t throw it away if it is past the date they say you can use it. Save it up and get more free stuff.
LOVE that Paul! So good to know ~ thanks for sharing!
I currently work for Kohl’s. This November, it will be a year working at Kohl’s. However, the store where I work at, we take Kohl’s cash 10 days after the expiration date. We had one or two customers came in with Kohl’s cash that was from last year and some from a couple of months ago, and we were not able to take it. I even had to call the manager on duty and other times the store manager and he explained that at this specific store, is only 10 days after the expiration date. And for any coupons (except for Yes2You rewards and Kohl’s cash) that are like the 30% off etc if they are able to show it to us on their phone or have the mailer with them, we manually take it off and ask them to do a survey to help us out! 🙂
Yes, I have found this to be true at my local Kohl’s store also. They will give you 10 days after the expiration date to use it and then you cannot use it anymore.