Home Depot vs Lowe’s on Returns, Discounts, Cards and Rentals

Home Depot vs Lowe’s comes down to how you shop. Lowe’s is better for veterans and store-card users, while Home Depot is more forgiving on returns.

Lowe’s military discount has no annual cap, and its card takes 5% off. Home Depot caps military savings at $400 a year but allows no-receipt returns and gives gas equipment more time.

Customer satisfaction has flipped, too. Lowe’s topped J.D. Power’s 2025 study, and in 2026 Home Depot ranked second while Lowe’s missed the top three.

Home Depot and Lowe’s Compared

Here’s how the two stores line up on the rules that change what you pay or what you can take back.

Policy	Home Depot	Lowe’s
Most new items	90 days	90 days
Store card purchases	365 days	365 days
Gas generators, pressure washers	7 days	48 hours
Paint sprayers	30 days	48 hours
Annuals and houseplants	90 days	30 days
No receipt	Store credit with ID	Proof of purchase required
Military discount	10%, $400 a year cap	10%, no annual cap
Store card perk	6 months financing	5% off or 6 months financing
Pickup truck deposit	$150	$200
Stores	2,359	1,761

The Home Depot column comes from its return policy, military terms, Citi’s card page and its fiscal 2025 results. The Lowe’s column comes from lowes.com, read in October 2026, and Lowe’s July 2026 store count.

Return Policies

Both stores give most new, unused items 90 days and stretch that to 365 days for purchases on their own credit cards. The differences are all in the exceptions.

Lowe’s is stricter on gas equipment. Its return policy gives portable generators, pressure washers, chainsaws, pole saws, paint sprayers and tile saws 48 hours. Home Depot allows 7 days for gas pressure washers and generators, and 30 days for gas chain saws and paint sprayers.

Plants split the other way. Lowe’s gives annuals and houseplants 30 days against Home Depot’s 90. For trees, shrubs and perennials, Lowe’s offers a refund or replacement for 365 days with the receipt, while Home Depot’s one-year guarantee turns into store credit after day 90.

The biggest gap is the receipt.

Lowe’s says it doesn’t accept returns or exchanges without valid proof of purchase, though it can find a sale by card, phone number or order number. Home Depot can still take a return with no record at all, for store credit at the lowest advertised price, after it checks your ID. Home Depot’s return windows by category cover the rest.

Price Match Rules

Both stores match an identical, in-stock item at a local competitor’s current price, and both match Amazon only when Amazon itself sells the item. Neither matches Black Friday deals or third-party marketplace sellers.

Two details differ. Lowe’s counts a competitor’s shipping or delivery cost in the comparison, while Home Depot leaves shipping out. And Home Depot spells out a price adjustment if its own price drops within 30 days of purchase, while Lowe’s policy sends those questions back to its competitor match.

Lowe’s also won’t match discounts aimed at groups such as military or loyalty members, and a match can’t be combined with any other Lowe’s offer. Home Depot’s price match and price adjustment rules list the competitors it accepts online.

Military Discount Differences

Both stores take 10% off eligible purchases and verify service once online, through SheerID at Home Depot and ID.me at Lowe’s. Spouses need their own accounts at both.

The cap is the real difference. Home Depot’s military discount stops at $400 a year, which you hit at $4,000 of eligible spending. Lowe’s military discount FAQ says there’s no annual maximum.

Both exclude appliances and commodities like lumber and wire, and Lowe’s also excludes anything on sale. Under $4,000 a year, the two discounts pay exactly the same. For a veteran planning a bigger remodel, I’d price the full list at Lowe’s first.

Store Credit Cards and Rewards

Lowe’s card pays you on every purchase. The MyLowe’s Rewards Credit Card takes 5% off eligible purchases, or you can choose 6 months of no-interest financing on $299 or more.

Citi’s page for the Home Depot Consumer Credit Card lists no everyday discount. It offers 6 months of financing on purchases of $299 or more, up to 24 months during special promotions, no annual fee and a one-year return window.

Both cards’ financing offers are deferred interest. If the promotional balance isn’t paid in full on time, interest is charged back to the purchase date.

Lowe’s also runs a free loyalty program, MyLowe’s Rewards, that earns points toward $5 rewards. If you pay a card off every month, the Lowe’s card is the better deal, since 5% on $2,000 of purchases is $100 back.

Truck and Tool Rental

Home Depot’s Load ‘N Go pickups and cargo vans start at $19 for the first 75 minutes, with a $150 deposit and unlimited mileage. For one-way moves, Home Depot partners with Penske.

Lowe’s rents a three-quarter-ton pickup, a high-top cargo van and a 12-foot box truck at participating stores, first come, first served. Reservations happen in the store, the minimum is 90 minutes, the deposit is $200, and every rental is local only.

Lowe’s also asks for proof of insurance along with your license and credit card. Home Depot’s rental FAQ lists a license, a government photo ID and a credit card. For a quick mulch run, Home Depot’s posted starting rate makes it easier to budget, and its truck rental costs and sizes show what the bill adds up to.

Store Size and Brands

Home Depot is roughly twice Lowe’s size. Its fiscal 2025 results show $164.7 billion in sales and 2,359 stores, plus more than 1,250 SRS locations.

Lowe’s reported about $86 billion in fiscal 2025 sales and ran 1,761 stores at the end of July 2026.

Brands decide plenty of trips. Ryobi’s own site labels its store link “Only At The Home Depot,” while Lowe’s sells its own Kobalt tools and CRAFTSMAN outdoor power equipment. If you already own batteries for one platform, that usually settles the store.

Customer Satisfaction Rankings

J.D. Power’s home improvement ranking flipped in a year. Lowe’s ranked highest in 2025 with 680 points. In the 2026 study, released May 13, Menards led with 690, Home Depot ranked second with 679 and Ace Hardware third with 673.

Lowe’s wasn’t in the 2026 top three. The study average was 672 on a 1,000-point scale, and J.D. Power found satisfaction with value for price paid and trust both slipped as prices rose.

Holidays, Black Friday and Kids Workshops

Both chains close on Thanksgiving Day. Home Depot’s weekly ad starts its Black Friday tool deals on November 5, and Lowe’s announced 12 Days of Deals from November 16. Both run Doorbusters on November 27. The Home Depot Black Friday 2026 schedule tracks the dates as they firm up.

For kids, Home Depot’s free workshop runs on the first Saturday of each month. Lowe’s version is typically on the third Saturday, with registration through a MyLowe’s Rewards account.

Which Store to Choose

• Choose Lowe’s if you’re a veteran with more than $4,000 of eligible purchases a year.
• Choose Lowe’s if you’ll pay a store card off monthly and want 5% back.
• Choose Home Depot if you tend to lose receipts or you’re buying gas-powered equipment.
• Choose Home Depot for a pickup truck with a posted starting rate, or a one-way move through its Penske partnership.
• Choose by battery platform if you already own Ryobi or Kobalt tools.

For everything else, I’d shop the closer store. Each one matches the other’s price on identical, in-stock items, so the drive usually costs more than the difference.