How Much Cash Back Can You Get at Walmart? 2024 Update

It is always helpful to have a small amount of cash on hand, as you’ll never know when you’ll need it. But getting cash through an ATM or the bank is inconvenient and has added fees. So, what’s the best way to get a small bundle of cash without having to pay a fee or going out of your way? This is when cash back at a retail store is helpful.

Cashback is when a customer uses a debit card, credit card, or personal check to receive cash on the spot. The amount of cash the customer requests is added to the total purchase amount. This is a fast and easy way to get cash without having to deal with added fees. Walmart is one of the main retail and grocery stores that have this option. The one drawback of using this method, however, is that there’s usually a limit to how much cash you can get at a time.

Used in place of the phrase “cash back,” the marketers’ coinage “cashback” (or “cash-back”) seems to have initially referred only to “a form of incentive offered to buyers of certain products whereby they receive a cash refund after making their purchase.” That was the sole definition listed in a leading dictionary, Oxford’s Lexico, by late July 2022 (the site closed down just a month later, redirecting to a less august online dictionary). It now refers to more than such an incentive, including both a credit card rewards program and the receipt of cash back when making debit card, check, and Discover card purchases.

Cashback is cash customers can receive after paying for purchases with certain payment methods. When a customer requests some amount of cash when making a purchase, that amount is added to the cost, then returned as change. Most retail and grocery stores offer cashback as an option. Walmart, Target, and CVS are among the well-known retailers offering cashback.

Customers can generally receive cash back when paying with a debit card, personal check, or Discover card. Most stores do not allow cash back with general credit cards or gift cards. If you get cash back after paying with cash, that’s normally called just “change,” not “cashback.”

Grocery and retail stores have a maximum amount of cash they will give back at a time. Cashback is a quick and easy way to obtain cash without having to go to the ATM or bank.

When a paying customer requests cash back during a transaction, the store adds the requested amount to the total purchase price. Provided the customer’s account balance can cover the new price, or the store accepts the check, the checkout clerk will give that amount of cash to the customer as change.

For example, Doug needs $50 in cash. Instead of getting $50 from the ATM or bank, Doug goes to Walmart. He buys $20 worth of groceries using a debit card, then asks for $50 in cash back. $70 will be charged to the account associated with Doug’s card, typically a bank account. He will receive $50 in cash as change and find the $70 charge listed as a purchase on his next card statement.

Although you do have the option to run to the bank or an ATM machine to receive cash, there are some definite benefits to getting cash back at a store such as Walmart. Not only is it fast and easy, but there are no additional fee to do so.

Unlike ATMs, which usually charge you a transaction fee to take out cash, there is no fee to receive cash back at Walmart. So, if you just need a small amount of cash, running to Walmart and getting cash back on an item is a great way to go.

While a bank or an ATM machine may be out of the way, most people live close to a Walmart. Not just that, but most need to stop by a retail or grocery store at least once a week. So, instead of having to make a separate stop at the bank while running errands, you can get cash and get groceries all in the same trip. Getting cash back this way, rather than making an additional stop at the bank, is much more convenient.

Nearly all Walmart locations offer cashback. All Walmart customers paying with a debit card, Discover card, or personal check can get cash back. The amount you get back depends on which payment method and type of register you use. Walmart offers cash back in $20 increments. So, you can get $20, $40, $60, $80, or $100 back.

Walmart’s cashback limit depends on your method of payment.

The main payment methods you can use at Walmart are gift cards, debit cards, personal checks, and credit cards. Debit card purchases and personal checks are two methods you can use to get cash back at Walmart. You might be able to get cash back at Walmart with Discover credit cards, but in general, you cannot get cash back with credit cards. You also cannot get cashback from Walmart using a gift card.

The most reliable and widely recommended method for getting cash back is to use a debit card. Arguably, debit card purchases are also the easiest way to get cash back. You can get cash back using your debit card at both self-checkout stations and regular checkout lines. As already noted, the cashback limit for debit card purchases at Walmart is $100.

The process is mostly the same between a self-checkout and regular checkout station, aside from two steps. First, at a regular checkout line, the cashier may have to select “debit card” for you. You select it yourself at a self-checkout. Second, the cashier will be the one to hand you the cash at the end of the transaction. At a self-checkout, the cash will be dispensed by the machine.

Though personal checks are becoming a less common method of paying, Walmart stores still accept them as a valid payment method. And you can get cash back with it, too, though only at a traditional checkout register. Keep in mind, however, that the maximum amount of cash you can get back with personal checks is $20.

You cannot get cashback at Walmart by using a traditional credit card. In some situations, you may be able to get cashback if you have a Walmart credit card. The exception is Discover credit cards. Discover cards have a “cash over” benefit that other credit card companies may not offer. Because of this, you can sometimes use this card to get cash back at Walmart. But, generally speaking, credit card transactions do not allow cash back.

Walmart does have a bit more flexibility when it comes to accepted payment methods. For example, you cannot get cashback with personal checks at many retail stores. Walmart, however, does allow this.

Here’s how Walmart compares to a several other retail and grocery stores:

If you’re needing a small lump of cash, using cash back at retail stores such as Walmart is a great way to go. Using an ATM or going to the bank is one way to receive cash, but there’s usually a fee to take out cash. Going to grocery or retail stores to get cash back is generally more convenient for people, too, as it’s a common stop on their to-do list.

You can get cash back from Walmart either using a Discover credit card or a Walmart credit card. You can earn cash back on purchases from Walmart and other retailers if you have a credit card with cashback rewards.

A receipt is not needed to receive cash back at Walmart. You only need a receipt when going to Walmart if you’re making a return.

You will only need a PIN to receive cash back if you are paying with a debit card. If you are getting cash back using a personal check, Walmart credit card, or Discover card, you do not need a PIN.

As mentioned a few times above, getting cashback during store purchases is not the only meaning of “cashback.” You can also earn cash rewards — a percentage back on your qualifying card purchases — using a cashback credit card. Learn more about your options and compare choices here. Taking the time to compare your options will help you find the best card for you and make the most of your money.