Macy’s employee discount: how it works
Unlike Walmart, where you scan a card at any register and the discount applies, Macy’s requires you to use a Macy’s charge card or prepaid card to get the employee discount. Cash and other credit cards don’t qualify. This is the single biggest source of frustration with the Macy’s discount, and it changes how the benefit actually works in practice.
Here’s the checklist for using it correctly across the three brands (Macy’s, Bloomingdale’s, Bluemercury).
Pre-shopping checklist
Before you make any purchase with the employee discount:
- Have your Macy’s charge card or prepaid card with you. Cash and other credit cards won’t trigger the discount.
- Confirm your account is set up for employee status. New hires sometimes have a few-day window before their account is flagged as eligible.
- Know which brands accept the discount. It’s valid at Macy’s, Bloomingdale’s, Bluemercury, outlets, and macys.com.
- Check the day’s promotions. Sometimes events stack with employee discount, sometimes they don’t.
- Identify what’s eligible. Most apparel and accessories qualify for 20%; electronics, furniture, mattresses, and rugs are 10%.
In-store shopping checklist
At the register:
- Identify yourself as an associate at checkout. Some registers have a swipe option; others require manual entry.
- Pay with your Macy’s charge card or prepaid card. This is mandatory for the discount.
- Confirm the discount line appears on the receipt.
- Check the discount percentage matches the item category (20% for most apparel/accessories, 10% for electronics/furniture).
- Look for the extra 10% event period. During specific promotional windows (about 4-6 times per year), the discount jumps to 30% on eligible items.
- Stack with customer coupons where allowed.
Online shopping at macys.com checklist
For online purchases:
- Log in with the account linked to your employee profile.
- Add items to cart.
- Apply discount at checkout (it should appear automatically).
- Pay with your Macy’s charge card (mandatory for the discount).
- Confirm the discount line appears in the order total before completing payment.
Multi-brand shopping checklist
The discount works across Macy’s, Bloomingdale’s, and Bluemercury. To use it at Bloomingdale’s or Bluemercury:
- Identify yourself as a Macy’s Inc. associate at the register.
- Pay with your Macy’s charge card.
- Confirm cross-brand recognition. Some Bloomingdale’s and Bluemercury stores need to manually verify your associate status.
The cross-brand benefit is significant. If you work at Macy’s but prefer Bloomingdale’s style, you can shop at Bloomingdale’s with your discount. Same with Bluemercury (cosmetics, skincare).
Family use checklist
Macy’s permits spouse and dependent use of the employee discount:
- Your spouse can use the discount when shopping at Macy’s, Bloomingdale’s, or Bluemercury. Their purchases must go on your Macy’s charge card.
- Your dependents (children) can use the discount similarly, with purchases on your charge card.
- Don’t share your charge card beyond immediate family. Misuse can result in disciplinary action.
What’s eligible at each discount tier
| Category | Discount |
|---|---|
| Apparel (most) | 20% |
| Accessories | 20% |
| Cosmetics | 20% |
| Electronics | 10% |
| Furniture | 10% |
| Mattresses | 10% |
| Rugs | 10% |
| Some specialty/contractual items | Excluded |
| Alcohol, tobacco | Excluded |
| Gift cards | Excluded |
The 20% tier is the most common category. The 10% tier covers larger-ticket items where margins are tighter.
How it compares to other retailers
| Retailer | Discount | Payment requirement |
|---|---|---|
| Macy’s | 20% most, 10% electronics/furniture | Macy’s charge card |
| Walmart | 10% all merchandise + food | Any payment |
| Target | 10% + wellness 20% + RedCard 5% | Any (RedCard for stack) |
| CVS Health | 30% name-brand, 20% store-brand | Any |
| Kohl’s | 15% + Kohl’s Cash stacking | Any |
| Whole Foods | 20%, up to 30% with wellness tier | Any |
The charge card requirement is what makes Macy’s discount feel less generous in practice, even though the percentage is competitive. Associates without a Macy’s charge card or who prefer paying differently can’t access the benefit.
If you don’t have a Macy’s charge card, you can get one specifically for employee discount purposes. The card itself doesn’t require a hard credit pull for employee versions in some cases, though terms vary.
Macy’s Discount Mall
Beyond the in-store discount, Macy’s associates have access to the Macy’s Discount Mall, which offers discounts at non-Macy’s retailers. Categories include:
- Travel (hotels, car rentals)
- Entertainment (movie tickets, theme parks)
- Cell phone plans
- Dining
- Apparel from other brands
- Electronics from other retailers
This is comparable to Walmart’s Associate Discount Center or Kroger’s PerkSpot. It’s a third-party platform giving Macy’s associates additional discount access.
When the discount stops
Your employee discount stops immediately at separation. Your Macy’s charge card continues to work as a normal credit card, but the employee 20% layer goes away.
If you have pending big purchases:
- Time them for your last week of employment.
- Don’t try to use the discount after separation. It won’t work, and excessive purchase patterns near separation can flag accounts.
For what happens to all your benefits when you leave Macy’s, see the Macy’s quitting process page and the Macy’s PTO payout guide.
Common issues
My discount didn’t apply at the register.
Confirm you’re paying with your Macy’s charge card. If you used a different payment method, the discount won’t trigger. If you did use the charge card and the discount still didn’t apply, ask customer service to verify your associate status.
The cashier said I’m not in the system.
New hires sometimes have a few-day gap between when they start and when their employee status is flagged. If you’ve been with Macy’s more than a week and you’re still not in the system, ask your store manager or HR.
I want to buy a big-ticket item but only have 10% off because it’s electronics.
That’s correct per policy. Electronics, furniture, mattresses, and rugs are 10% off, not 20%. If you want the full 20%, focus on apparel and accessories.
Can I use the discount during the seasonal sales?
Often yes, but it varies by event. Stack with customer coupons where allowed. The extra 10% events (when the total discount goes to 30%) happen periodically, often around major shopping holidays.
A few Macy’s-specific notes
The charge card requirement is the defining feature of Macy’s discount. It’s a real friction point that other retailers don’t have. If you don’t already use a Macy’s charge card, you may need to apply for one specifically to access the discount.
The cross-brand benefit (Macy’s, Bloomingdale’s, Bluemercury) is the underutilized piece. Many Macy’s associates don’t realize they can use their discount at Bloomingdale’s stores too, even though the brands serve different segments.
The 150 stores closing by January 2027 means your discount-shopping landscape may shrink. If your nearest Macy’s is closing, the discount becomes harder to use. Plan accordingly.
For more on Macy’s benefits as a whole, see the Macy’s employee benefits page and the full Macy’s employee discounts page.
Final word
Macy’s discount is competitive at 20% on apparel and accessories, but the charge card requirement makes it less accessible than competitors who let you pay any way. The cross-brand benefit (especially Bloomingdale’s for upscale shoppers and Bluemercury for cosmetics) is the underutilized piece. For associates who already use a Macy’s charge card and shop regularly across the brands, the discount works well. For associates who don’t have a Macy’s card or prefer to pay other ways, it’s a smaller benefit in practice than the headline 20%.