Walmart Forcing You to Use Your Savings Catcher Balance

Updated August 10, 2020 by Kyle
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I’m a big fan of Walmart’s Savings Catcher app which allows you to scan your Wally World receipts and get money back if they find a lower price from local competitors. I was actually working on building my balance to $100 so I could buy a new Bluetooth speaker.

So I was a bit surprised yesterday when I got an email from Walmart telling me that my Savings Catcher balance was going to be forced into a Walmart eGift card soon. Here are the details…

Walmart Savings Catcher

When Will It Happen?

According to the notice, “We’ll be transferring your Savings Catcher rewards balance to an eGift Card between October 11 and October 31 – just in time for the holiday season. Your eGift Card can be used toward any Walmart purchase.”

They also call it “Great News!” which is hilarious. “Great News”, we’re forcing you to spend your Savings Catcher money in order to pad our Holiday season bottom-line.

You also have the option to redeem your Savings Catcher rewards via the American Express Blue Bird card by October 11th. After the 11th they’ll force an eGift Card on you.

So if you have a Savings Catcher balance, keep an eye out for an email with your eGift Card attached. It’ll have directions within on how to redeem the sucker.

Update 1/25/18:

I just got another email from Walmart and as of 2/01/18 your rewards will automatically be transferred to your Savings Catcher eGift card each time they’re earned.

Also, I thought this tidbit from the email was worth passing along: “You don’t have to immediately spend your rewards when they’re transferred to your eGift card. You can choose to accumulate them as desired – simply manage your eGift card settings in your account payments method.”

Savings Catcher balance

What Happens Moving Forward?

According to the email, everything returns to normal after they force the eGift Card on you. This is a one-time deal in theory.

But be warned, Walmart can pull out this trick whenever they want moving forward.

The bottom-line for me is that with all of the reward cards, loyalty cards, and gift cards already in my wallet I don’t need another thing forced upon me that I have to remember to use.

At least the eGift Card doesn’t expire or have any fees attached to it.

Ask the Reader: Do you use the Savings Catcher app regularly? If so, how much money have you accrued so far?


By Kyle James

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Janice

I cant help but laugh at this. This is a great program that walmart offers. Yeah usually near the end of the year they transfer your fund to a gift card or you can have the fund put on a different card, that you can use when you want. At least you are not losing the money from it. Unlike other places when you earn money you have to use it at a specific time or you do loose it. Like khols. If you earn khols cash they make you use it at a certain time or you dont get to use it at all. And that is just 1 of the many companies that does that. I think its a small thing for walmart to transferred it an e-gift card or a money card. You can still save it and use it for the same purpose you wanted too. No biggie 🙂

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Janice

I not been able to get my ecard that I had 150.00 I was going order something on line tell me my account is o this stinks.

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Kim

I also received the email and found it to be rather inconvenient that the cash back that I had accrued was going to be sent to an e-gift card. I’ve been using the rewards catcher since they came out with it, but I had to redeem my cash back once at some point, so I’m not sure if they actually have to do this each year or not. Maybe it’s just something they have to do.

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Diana

The costumers should have the right to redeem the rewards when THEY want. Not when the Company thinks you should.

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Bob

It’s annoying. I was enjoying watching the # go up ($238).

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Sherry

I was not happy with having my rewards moved to an eGift card without my consent. There should have at least been an ‘opt out’ of the transfer to be able to keep growing the Rewards. I have been using the Savings Catcher for over 3 years and this is the first and I hope last time they do an automatic transfer.

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flo

you can still keep growing the rewards…nothing really changed…just use the money at whatever point ($) you want! you’re not forced to use it at any particular time…

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Momma

They took my savings but never sent me an e-gift card in my e-mail

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Michelle

Double check your email then hit resend.

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Nikku

I had over 140.00 now no one can tell me where it went. I have been to the store multiple times and asked. I do not have any emails stating it was transfered. It is now just gone.

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tjk99

Join the discussion…that happened to my daughter too.

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Faye

I don’t even know how to access my complete total savings of $12. It looks like they put it on 3 cards? I have no idea. I feel like I’m doing all this for Nothing. I don’t even have a Card in hand to use. Where is My Money? They don’t even have a number to call to talk to someone.

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Michelle

It tells you when you sign up, and on the site It’s an e-gift card, which means they email it to you. You can use it online (there’s a link to click on) or print the email and take it to the store.

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Judy

the option to print is no longer there

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Judy

Try calling: 866-224-1663

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Thurman

WTH!!! I just signed into my account and noticed I redeemed my balance. I did not redeem anything!!! I found this site looking for what was going on. But, behold; I just received an email with my eCard. Whew!!! $292.14

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Claudia

Hi Kyle!
Well it has happened. My balance is at zero and I have not received an email providing me with the instructions about my eCard. Have you or anyone else received it? If so, who is it from, Walmart? I noticed that my balance was at $0 just yesterday, Oct. 18th. Thank you for the info in advance =)

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Kyle

I didn’t get an email until I went into the Walmart app and set up Walmart Pay. It must have triggered the email because I got it within minutes. Now my Savings Catcher balance is available via Walmart Pay. I hope this helps!

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Xena

What I find annoying is, I already have an ecard and have been transferring my balance all by myself for years now. Why does Walmart suddenly need to do this? Why do I need another ecard? You know they won’t redeem it to the one I already have so, I will have yet another egift card with a minimal amount of cash on it. Ridiculous! I want a way to consolidate them!

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Maleny

Just got the email today I wanted to save up as much as possible until december, it sucks they make you to get the gift card. Thought my email was hacked or something because I did not choose to do so. Anyway I guess as long as I can use the savings it’s all good, yet the costumer should have the final decision on when to use it not the company.

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Kathy

Hey it’s money in my pocket either way. I would rather get it in an e-gift card then for Walmart to do away with it. So I roll with it. There is so much complaining about everything anymore. I am thankful Walmart has a Savings Catcher to start with.

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Terri

And………..you can’t redeem Savings Catcher yourself now. I have a decent amount that I needed to redeem yesterday so I could shop with TODAY. They tell me that they are in the process of redeeming to eGift cards and that I should have it by Oct 31. WTH???

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Robyn

I got the email too. I usually transfer each one back to my Bluebird card. I had $12 in the account and the e-gift card came for $3.34. Now I once again have $12 but none of the redeeming options will work! Thanks Walmart. Cannot get a response from support either.

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Annoyed

I think they are redoing savings catcher. I’ve been trying to upload receipts this whole month. Every time I click submit it goes to a blank page. My receipts never show up as pending. I downloaded the savings catcher app and the tab to submit receipts is crossed out. They are probably updating the program. Could explain why they loaded our gift cards. I receive an error message if I submit a complaint about it not working. Would have been nice if they sent an email that says they are working on it. Do anyone else have these problems?

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sherry

never got an email or anything about a transfer of my balance? Where did it go ? This is crazy, to sign into your account and find out your balance is not what it was ? What do I do now ? …..”sigh !”

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