Ace Hardware logo
Retailer Report Card

Ace Hardware

Ace Hardware is a 100-year-old retailer-owned cooperative of ~4,500 independently owned hardware stores, consistently ranking #1 in J.D. Power's U.S. Home Improvement Retailer Satisfaction Study. The Ace Rewards program is one of the strongest in the category (effective ~5% back plus members-only pricing and birthday rewards). Ace offers a legitimate price match against Home Depot, Lowe's, Menards, and Walmart within 30 days. Online Trustpilot/Sitejabber scores are weaker due to big-item delivery issues, and store-to-store price variance is inherent to the cooperative structure.

A-
Overall Grade
Researched 4/24/2026
Return window
30 days
Price matching
Yes
Free shipping
$50+
Trustpilot
1.6 / 5
BBB rating
A+
Loyalty program
Ace Rewards

Return Policy

B
Return window
30 days
Holiday extension
No
Restocking fee
None
Return shipping
Online orders can be returned to any participating Ace store free, or shipped back (customer typically pays return shipping unless defective).
In-store returns
Yes
Receipt required
Yes
Final-sale categories
Hazardous materials, Special-order items, Items damaged through misuse, Clearance items (store-dependent)

30-day return window on acehardware.com. Online orders can be returned to any participating Ace store or shipped back. Because stores are independently owned cooperatives, individual store return policies may vary — some are more generous, some stricter.

Price Matching

A
Offers price matching
Yes
Competitors matched
The Home Depot, Lowe's, Menards, Walmart
Exclusions
Clearance / closeout items, Auction prices, Marketplace / third-party sellers, Bulk / commercial pricing, Going-out-of-business sales, Rebates and coupons, Items not identical in brand, model, size, color
Post-purchase adjustment window
30 days
How to request
Present the competitor's advertised price at the local Ace store or contact acehardware.com customer service within 30 days of purchase.

Ace Price Match applies to identical, in-stock items from Home Depot, Lowe's, Menards, or Walmart. Amazon and marketplace sellers excluded. Both in-store and online prices matched at store discretion.

Shipping

B
Free shipping threshold
$50
Standard delivery
2–5 days
Same-day delivery
Yes
Store pickup
Yes
International shipping
No

Free Store Pickup on orders $50+ shipped to local Ace store; home delivery shipping rates vary by item, size, weight, and location. Same-day delivery in select markets via local Ace store fulfillment. ~4,500 participating Ace locations. Large/bulky items (grills, mowers) delivered via freight with extended timelines.

Payment Methods

Apple Pay (online)
Yes
Apple Pay (in-store)
Yes
Google Pay
Yes
PayPal
No
Buy Now, Pay Later
Affirm
Store credit card
Yes
Gift cards
Yes

Loyalty Program

A
Program name
Ace Rewards
Free to join
Yes
Earning rate
10 points per $1 spent (effective ~5% back: 1,000 points = $5 reward)
Tier benefits
Exclusive member-only coupons and sale prices, Birthday reward, Instant Savings on select items, Free select items / bonus point promotions, Helpful Hardware Folks personalized offers

Widely regarded as one of the strongest loyalty programs in home improvement retail. Effective ~5% back plus frequent targeted bonus-point offers and members-only prices pushes real-world return higher than base earn rate implies.

Customer Service

Live chat
M-F 7:30am-8pm CT, Sat-Sun 9am-5:30pm CT
Phone support
1-888-827-4223
Email support
Yes
Avg. response time
Email responses within 24 hours; live chat under a few minutes during business hours. Ace ranks #1 in J.D. Power U.S. Home Improvement Retailer Satisfaction Study year after year.

Pricing Transparency

A
Fake sales frequency
low
Strikethrough honesty
accurate
Dynamic pricing used
Yes

Sale pricing is generally legitimate; Ace runs scheduled Red Hot Buys and Instant Savings promotions with real discounts. Strikethrough 'was/now' pricing is accurate and tied to documented regular price. Prices vary by store and region because stores are independently owned cooperatives — this is disclosed and structural to the co-op model rather than algorithmic dynamic pricing.

Privacy & Data Practices

Sells customer data
Yes
Targeted advertising
Yes
Account required to shop
No

Third-Party Trust Ratings

Trustpilot
1.6 / 5 (2,400 reviews)
Better Business Bureau
A+
Sitejabber
2.1 / 5
Knoji
4.4 / 5
Apple App Store
4.8 / 5
Google Play
4.7 / 5

Company

Legal name
Ace Hardware Corporation
Headquarters
Oak Brook, Illinois, USA
Founded
1924
Annual revenue
$9.5B
Employees
13,000

Sources