Coles doesn’t match competitor prices, but it does run a different guarantee that’s easy to confuse with one. If an item scans through the register at a higher price than its shelf ticket, Coles gives you that item free, not just a refund of the difference.
- Official competitor price match policy: No
- What Coles runs instead: “Our Promise on Price Scanning,” a scan-accuracy guarantee, not a competitor match
- How it works: A single item that scans above its advertised or ticketed shelf price is given to you free
- Goes further than: Australian Consumer Law, which only requires a refund of the price difference
- Key takeaway: Don’t ask Coles to match another retailer’s price. Instead, check your receipt against the shelf ticket for scanning errors
Coles’ position on competitor price matching
Coles has no published policy matching prices from Woolworths, Aldi or anywhere else. Like Woolworths, it competes through its own specials cycle, Down Down markdowns, and the flybuys loyalty program rather than reacting to a competitor’s shelf price.
What the Price Scanning Promise actually is
This is where a lot of confusion creeps in, so it’s worth being precise. A Coles spokesperson has confirmed the policy applies across all Coles supermarkets: if a single item scans at a price higher than what’s advertised or ticketed on the shelf, Coles gives you that item for free, rather than the price adjustment Australian Consumer Law would otherwise require.
How do you claim it?
- Check your receipt against the shelf price while you’re still in-store, or shortly after.
- If an item scanned higher than its ticketed or advertised price, flag it with a team member.
- Coles gives you that single item free rather than adjusting the charged price down.
It’s a scan-accuracy safety net, not a way to negotiate against a competitor’s catalogue, so don’t walk in expecting it to work like a price match at Kmart or JB Hi-Fi.
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Claim $30 Bonus →Loyalty and rewards at Coles
Coles runs on flybuys, the same program you’ll see at Kmart, Target, Officeworks and First Choice Liquor. The base earn rate is 1 point per $1 spent, with 2,000 points converting to $10 off a future shop. Because Coles, Kmart and Target all sit under this shared points ecosystem, a family that shops across a couple of these retailers can build points faster than sticking to just one. One thing worth flagging: the OnePass membership that boosts Flybuys earn to 5x doesn’t extend to Coles itself, it’s a Wesfarmers program covering Kmart, Target, Bunnings and Officeworks, so your Coles flybuys earn stays at the standard rate regardless.
Cashback stacking at Coles
Coles Online cashback through ShopBack currently runs on a tiered structure: 0.15% standard on spends over $200 (0% below that), rising to as much as 5% during upsized promotional periods. Gift card cashback runs separately and has occasionally been boosted well above that during linked bank card promotions. As with every retailer in this batch, check the live rate before assuming last month’s promotion is still active. Our cashback sites guide walks through how ShopBack and TopCashback compare if you want to route bigger purchases through whichever portal currently pays more.
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Join TopCashback →Payment options at Coles
Standard card payments, PayPal, gift cards and Coles Mobile top-ups are all supported. As with Woolworths, buy now, pay later options aren’t part of the regular checkout for grocery shopping.
Will Coles price match competitors?
Does Coles price match Woolworths or Aldi?
No. Coles has no competitor price match policy of any kind.
What’s the difference between price matching and the Price Scanning Promise?
Price matching means a retailer matches a competitor’s advertised price. The Price Scanning Promise is entirely about Coles’ own scanning accuracy: you only get the free item if it rings up higher than Coles’ own shelf price, regardless of what any competitor charges.
Does Coles price match IGA?
No, and IGA is actually the one that watches Coles, not the other way around, automatically matching Coles’ or Woolworths’ lower shelf price on hundreds of essentials each week.
Conclusion
Coles sits in the same camp as Woolworths on competitor price matching: it simply doesn’t do it. But the Price Scanning Promise is a genuinely useful guarantee in its own right, and one worth actually using, since a decent chunk of shoppers have no idea it exists until they spot a scanning error on their own receipt.
About Coles
Coles Group is Australia’s second-largest supermarket chain, operating supermarkets, liquor retail under Liquorland, First Choice Liquor Market and Vintage Cellars, and financial services including the flybuys loyalty program it co-founded with Shell and National Australia Bank back in 1994. It competes head-to-head with Woolworths across grocery pricing, private label ranges and loyalty offers.
More Price Match Guides
We also cover these retailers. See our full price match guides hub for every retailer we cover.
FAQ – Coles price match guide
Does Coles price match?
No, Coles doesn’t match competitor prices. It runs a separate Price Scanning Promise for its own scanning accuracy instead.
What is the Coles Price Scanning Promise?
If a single item scans higher than its advertised or ticketed shelf price, Coles gives you that item free rather than just refunding the difference.
Does Coles price match Woolworths?
No, the two supermarkets don’t formally match each other on price.
Can I earn flybuys points at Coles and Kmart together?
Yes, flybuys is shared across Coles, Kmart, Target, Officeworks and First Choice Liquor, so points build up across all of them.
How do I claim a free item under the Price Scanning Promise?
Check your receipt against the shelf price before or shortly after leaving the store, and raise any discrepancy with a Coles team member.
Michael is a contributor to The Champagne Mile – Deals. No fancy credentials – just a genuine obsession with finding ways to travel better for less, and sharing those finds with anyone who’ll listen. Michael figures there are plenty of other Australians who’d rather spend five seconds clicking a link than five hours searching for a working code. When he’s not buried in promo codes, Michael is probably planning his next trip overseas or dirtbike adventure.