6 Easy Ways to Save on Dog and Cat Food

Having a furry companion can bring you endless joy. But the cost of having a pet is no joke, from vet visits to toys and treats. Pet food can be one of the most unexpectedly high expenses for pet owners — especially when inflation causes costs to skyrocket. Fortunately, there are many ways to save on pet food and make the cost of pet ownership just a little bit smaller.

1. Take Advantage of Autoship and Delivery Discounts

You set up recurring deliveries for things like face wash and soda cans. So why not set up a recurring delivery for your pet’s food, too? Some pet stores even have autoship discounts. (As a bonus, you won’t have to worry about lugging a heavy bag of dry food home from the store.)

Get 50% Off Your First Box From The Farmer’s Dog

— Editors Pick —

Prefer to buy your dog food online? You’re in luck. The Farmer’s Dog delivers gently cooked, freshly made pet food right to your door! And for a limited time, they’re offering pet owners 50% off their first customized box. The vet-developed food is made using human-grade ingredients and personalized to your dog’s individual needs. Each plan includes free and flexible deliveries, nationwide shipping, 24-hour customer service and other amazing benefits. Make the switch to The Farmer’s Dog today and get 50% off fresh, pre-portioned dog food that you and your pet will love.

Chewy Offers Plenty of Autoship Discounts and Promos

Check out the deals from Chewy, which offers customers 35% off their first Autoship order and 5% off every Autoship order after that. You can always skip a planned subscription if you need to — and you won’t have to worry about your cat or dog running out of food before you can get to the store.

This isn’t just for food, either — you can use Chewy’s Autoship deals to save on essentials including cat litter and flea and tick medicine, too.

Amazon’s Subscribe & Save Discount Is Great for Pets

Similar to Chewy’s Autoship program, Amazon offers customers a discount for recurring deliveries of pet food and treats. The online retailer carries plenty of name-brand pet food options in various sizes; you’re bound to find what your pet needs.

Consider Other Websites, Too

Chewy and Amazon are big players in the auto-ship game, but they aren’t the only options. PetFlow, for instance, offers a 10% discount on all auto-ship orders, including pet food — use the code AUTO10 at checkout. EntirelyPets and Walmart PetRX have similar auto-ship discounts. Even brick-and-mortar retailers, including Petco and PetSmart, have discounts for repeat deliveries.

2. Enroll in Rewards Programs at Your Local Pet Stores

Even if you frequent one more than the other, there’s no harm in joining the rewards programs at multiple pet stores. That way, you’ll get emails about promotions each store runs, including potential deals on your furry friend’s food of choice.

Petco’s Vital Care Program Has 2 Options

If you just want a basic rewards program, there’s Petco’s free Vital Care Core program. Customers can earn rewards points on every Petco purchase, which can be redeemed for a $5 reward. And for food, in particular, this is one pet rewards program you won’t want to miss out on. If you register your pet in the Petco app, you can get every 10th bag of dry dog or cat food free. Sign up on the Petco website.

Petco’s Vital Care Premier rewards program, meanwhile, costs $19.99 a month — but you’ll get $15 in rewards each month, too. In addition to all of the benefits provided by the Vital Care Core program, premier members get routine exams at Vetco Total Care locations, 10% off pet food, 20% off pet grooming and other perks.

Whichever Vital Care rewards program option you choose, be sure to sign up for Petco emails so you don’t miss any potential pet food sales.

PetSmart Treats Is a Must for Pet Owners

The PetSmart Treats rewards program is free to join, and you’ll earn rewards points on every purchase you make for your fluffy friends. You can redeem those points in store or online for pet-related purchases, including dog and cat food. Plus, members get a reward for their pet’s birthday. Sign up on the PetSmart website, and don’t forget to opt-in for PetSmart emails, too.

3. Buy Pet Food in Bulk

You might not think of your cat or dog when you head to a membership club like Costco or Sam’s Club. But warehouse stores can be a great place to find both name-brand and generic pet food at better prices than you’d find at a pet store.

For instance, a 48-pound bag of chicken-flavored Purina Dog Chow Complete Adult Dry Dog Food is $26.98 at Sam’s Club. But a 42-pound bag of the same dry food is $27.99 at PetSmart.

Just be sure to store bulk pet food in an airtight container so it won’t get stale before your pet gets to eat all of it.

4. Consider Using a Credit Card for Pet Owners

Countless major retailers have store-brand credit cards for loyal customers, and Petco is no exception. The Petco Pay credit card offers twice the Vital Care points as the free rewards program for purchases at Petco, meaning you’ll earn your way to that $5 reward twice as fast. 

Plus, you’ll earn Vital Care rewards points for purchases you make with the card outside of Petco — it’s a win-win. You can even personalize your card with a photo of your pet.

Don’t want to use a retailer-specific store card? Cash-back credit cards can help you save, too.

5. Check if Your Pet Store Has Buy Online, Pick up -in-Store Discounts

At Petco, you can get a discount on certain items, including some brands of pet food, by shopping online and picking up your order at your local Petco store.

Some of the products that are included in the 10% off $50+ discount include Hill’s Science Diet and Purina dry food options.

6. Earn RetailMeNot Cash Back

In addition to checking RetailMeNot for promo codes to use at Petco and PetSmart, you’ll want to get cash back for your pet food purchases, too. RetailMeNot’s cash-back offers give you a percentage of what you spend BACK via cash that you can redeem via PayPal or Venmo. You’re basically getting paid to shop. 

To join RetailMeNot’s cash-back program, you’ll just need to sign up for an account (it’s free!). Once you’re signed up, check if there’s a cash-back offer available for where you want to buy pet food, whether it’s Petco, PetSmart, Chewy or somewhere else. Then, shop at your favorite websites, including PetSmart and Petco, the same way you typically would, and you’ll receive a cash-back reward. Easy peasy! Check here for current cash-back offers.

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