If you find you spend more time at your neighborhood home improvement store than you spend at your own home, you’ll want to discover all of the perks that await you if you sign up for a Lowe’s Pro Desk or Home Depot Pro Desk account.
To help you decide whether Lowe’s vs. Home Depot Pro desk services are right for your business or personal projects, review the benefits available and gauge what is vital to your bottom line and what falls into the category of “bells and whistles.”
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These programs are a great way to save time and money if you shop at either of the two largest home improvement retail stores in the country. Lowe’s and Home Depot contractor pricing, shipping discounts, business tools, credit card accounts, and many other options are helpful for small-scale or larger projects. The advantages of having a Lowe’s business account vs. a Home Depot business account vary widely, so we’ve compiled a helpful comparison of the two services to see which is the best fit for you.
Home Depot Pro Desk
Pinching a penny is a life skill that no one can afford to be without these days. Fortunately, most major retailers have come up with incentive programs such as the Pro Desk at Home Depot to provide their frequent customers with discounts and other loyalty perks.
What is the Pro Desk at Home Depot?
The Home Depot Pro account has a plethora of tools and other benefits for professionals and contractors alike. You could be saving big bucks if you spend a significant amount of money at Home Depot already, so you might as well be getting a return on those investments through the membership.
Home Depot Pro Desk Benefits - How To Save Money At Home Depot
Here are the perks to signing up for a Home Depot Pro account:
Bulk Pricing
Buy in bulk and save. The Home Depot Pro Desk membership comes with access to over 4,000 Home Depot volume price eligible products. Savings of up to 30 percent are available on the following products, and more:
Insulation
Water Heaters
Toilets
Drywall
Concrete
Plywood
Shingles
Paint
There are minimum purchase requirements when buying in bulk to receive a discount. You’ll want to make sure you have the storage capacity for your purchases before you buy. The savings could be hefty enough to offset the storage of items that you use often, so you’ll have to weigh those factors when buying in bulk.
To receive the bulk savings on bigger-ticket items such as toilets or water heaters, the bulk amount ranges from 3 to 4 units for the savings to apply. For items such as drywall, you’ll need to purchase 34 to 48 units for the discounts to kick in.
Shipping and Delivery Services
One of the most time-consuming aspects of going to pick up a few things from Home Depot is actually navigating through the mega-sized warehouses. Even when you’re familiar with the layout of your local store, it’s still quite the trek from department to department. This can add up to a good chunk of time, and time definitely equals money.
Being able to get items quickly and knowing that they’re in stock when you arrive at the store is a huge benefit.
Some of the shipping and delivery services Home Depot Pro Desk members receive with their membership include:
Free in-store pickup within hours. Order your items online and within hours your purchase will be ready for pickup at your local store.
Free 2-day delivery available on thousands of items.
Free delivery for over 1 million items available online.
Free curbside pickup. Save extra time by not even having to go inside the store.
Scheduled delivery times. Make sure that your delivery isn’t left unattended and know exactly when it’s going to arrive.
Tool And Equipment Rentals
Equipment that is expensive and highly specialized can be cost-prohibitive to buy if it isn’t used often enough to justify that upfront investment. If you need a forklift, auger, or carpet cleaner for a few hours, no need to track one down; it’s likely at your local Home Depot.
You can find hundreds of items for jobs that require:
Outdoor tools
Indoor tools
Large equipment
Moving and lifting equipment
Power tools
Damage protection options are available for an additional 15 percent of the price of the rental and coverage applies to any damage that the tool may incur during normal use.
Tool rentals are provided on a first-come, first-served basis, so that could be a potential downside if another contractor has rented out the tool you need for an extended period of time.
Rentals are available in 4-hour, daily, weekly, or monthly increments.
In addition to tool and equipment rental, you can also rent a pickup, van, or moving truck. Load n’ go rentals are available starting at $19 for the first 75 minutes in most areas. You can choose from flatbed trucks, cargo vans, or moving box trucks.
Expanded Assortment of Products
Yes, it would appear that there is a secret menu at Home Depot that is only available to Home Depot Pro members. Millions of products are available to members, including difficult-to-find commercial items that are not available in stores or online. A local Pro Desk associate can help you find those rare items that are not listed online.
Mobile Coupons
Exclusive member coupons sent by text help you save some cold hard cash. Mobile coupons are always on your phone, so no need to carry around a paper coupon that can easily be forgotten at home.
Pro Desk at the Home Depot-exclusive text alerts keep you in the know on deep discounts, coupons, product updates, and many other offers that can come in handy if you’re coming in over budget on a project or just looking to save a buck.
Pro Xtra - The Home Depot Pro Loyalty Program
This program has some added benefits geared toward painters specifically, but is a free service program that all Home Depot customers are able to join at no cost.
The Pro Xtra perks are plentiful and offer some advantages that painters will want to take note of, such as up to 20 percent off of paints, stains, and primers. Not only can painters save money on supplies, Home Depot Pro Xtra also offers free paint delivery directly to your job site.
Here are the other painter-friendly services that are included in the free Pro Xtra account:
Free factory tinting and color matching
Dedicated field support
Phone-in orders
Lifetime of color history by job
Should You Consider A Home Depot Pro Xtra Account?
You don’t have to pay anything to join and you reap the money-saving benefits of a Home Depot Pro Desk account.
Volume Pricing
Cash money is a good reason you should consider a Home Depot Pro Xtra account. If you buy $1,500 worth of qualifying purchases, you can potentially receive a discount on your order.
Purchase Tracking
Easily save and organize all of your transactions from any Home Depot store in the country. Not only is this tracking helpful for when you need to send employees to pick up supplies, but online account management is also an effective way to track your purchases for tax purposes. Missing receipts that can add up to a substantial amount of business-related tax write-offs can be a headache if you find yourself in the unlucky situation of being audited.
Exclusive Offers
Save on purchases with coupons and promotional offers that are exclusive to Pro Xtra members. Coupons are emailed directly to members and feature sale items, discounts, and special updates.
Business Tools From Home Depot Pro Xtra
Keeping track of project-related purchases that your employees make is easy with the business tools available to Pro Xtra subscribers.
Home Depot Business Cards
Home Depot business cards are reloadable gift cards that employers can issue to employees who are authorized buyers for purchases while out in the field. There are set spending limits and employers can access e-receipts for tracking job costs.
Text2Confirm Purchase Authorization
This account option allows employers to authorize employee in-store purchases by text instantly.
Pro Xtra Virtual ID
A fast and secure way to confirm your account at in-store checkout to help with tracking purchases, returns, and identity when checking out.
Stop by the ProDesk at Home Depot to talk to a team member who can walk you through your options and show you the pro rewards Home Depot can provide for your contracting needs.
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Lowe’s Business Account
Lowe’s Pro account holders can find many similar benefits to Home Depot’s offerings. There are however some notable differences in the services, discounts, and other options available through the Lowe’s Pro account.
Lowe’s rewards program is a useful tool for anyone who spends a lot of time and money at the home repairs retail giant.
The small differences between the Lowe’s Pro Desk and Home Depot’s Pro Desk might not be significant enough to be of concern to some, but if you’re seeking out specific benefits that one of the retail stores offer over the other, you’ll want to take note of the options that can save your business the most time and money.
Bulk Purchase Discounts
The Lowe’s Pro Desk offers bulk discounts that range from 5 percent all the way up to 50 percent off for Lowe’s Pros. With over 2,000 products that are eligible for Lowe's volume purchase savings, it’s likely that you’ll find plenty of eligible purchases available for volume discount pricingundefined.
Some of the items available for bulk purchase discounts through the Lowe’s Pro program are:
Roofing Supplies
Lumber
Water Heaters
Drywall
Supply Lines and Valves
Electrical Cord and Wire
Air Filters
Thermostats
HVAC Duct and Fittings
Irrigation Equipment
Lawn and Garden Supplies
The discounts for items come into effect at similar increments to the Home Depot discount bulk pricing program as well. The items that are available for bulk savings vary from retailer to retailer, so you’ll want to do a comparison of Lowe’s vs. Home Depot’s qualifying items to make sure that you choose the option that offers the largest savings.
If your purchase is at least $1,500, stop by the ProServices desk before you head to the checkout to get a quote. Pricing quotes are good for 30 days.
Contractor Packs
This convenient special option for contractors offers discounts on bundled items that you use the most. These Contractor Packs give you the bulk pricing you’d receive if you used volume purchasing, but with this option, you get some variety with the volume. Items that have a yellow and black Contractor Packs label on them are eligible to be bundled. Thousands of items are included in the packs; a Lowe’s Pro Desk team member can help you find the items that you use the most so you can bundle and save.
Shipping Options
Ordering online doesn’t mean that you need to pay an exorbitant amount for shipping and wait a week for delivery anymore.
Options such as in-store pickup, Pro parking, and remote checkout mean you can purchase your item online and your local Lowe’s Pro team will have the item ready for pick up within hours for most products.
Free Standard Shipping
Lowe’s ProDesk members receive free standard shipping on eligible orders. To qualify for free shipping, your order must be over $45 before taxes, fees, or shipping costs.
Items can be expected to arrive within 1 to 4 business days after an order is processed.
Free shipping is restricted to items that weigh less than 150 pounds, or 70 pounds if being delivered to a P.O. box. Some other restrictions apply, so be sure to review the shipping rates for your items before ordering.
Other options available for shipping at an additional cost are:
2-Day Shipping—delivered within 2 business days
Next-Day Shipping—typically items will arrive the next business day
Truck Delivery—have items delivered directly to your job site
Lowe’s For Pros Exclusive Pricing
Lowe’s Pros receive exclusive pricing on essential items that are used the most frequently in their respective fields through lowesforpros.com.
Quick Order Lists
Save time when ordering supplies by using the Lowe’s Pro Desk account quick order lists. These handy lists show your most frequently ordered items so you’re only a click away from having your order ready to process.
You can also copy and paste items from spreadsheets into the quick order lists for uploading.
Catalog Shopping
When you use the catalog shopping feature, you can separate your previous orders into catalogs to help direct spending and product selection. Predefined lists make the process quick and easy.
Lowe’s Business Account Organization Management
For business owners, being organized is key. Everything from the way you arrange your truck to how you process your payroll needs to be considered.
These helpful business tools offered through the Lowe’s Pro Desk can help you stay organized and on top of employee purchases through settings and permissions management. These tools let employers approve purchases being made by staff and provide budget controls like spend restrictions when activated.
Some of the options available through a Lowe’s business account are:
Address Book—securely add, edit, and store shipping addresses for projects
Accounts Receivable—save time while organizing your finances with the Lowe’s Accounts Receivable (LAR) Business Credit Center
Tax Exemptions—make tax-exempt purchases in-store and online
Stop by your local Lowe’s for Pros desk to speak to a team member about the business tool options that could save you money and time so you can focus on growing your business.
Lowe’s Pro Sales Support Specialists
Lowe’s ProServices team members are ready to help you with purchases, setting up of tax exemption, finding the best pricing for items, purchase approval orders, and online account setup.
The Lowe’s Pro Desk hours vary by location, so calling ahead can not only ensure that there’s a Lowe’s Pro Desk team member available but could also save you a trip to the store if you can get the answers you need by phone and purchase online at Lowes.com.
Your local Pro Desk team can help you with everything from construction calculators to setting up partnerships with other local contractors.
The Lowe’s Pro Desk specialists have options for all organization sizes. Smaller businesses may just need an account specialist, while larger companies may want to consider a sales manager who can help on a regional level. National account managers are also available for building nationwide customer programs, corporate partnerships, and much more.
The benefits of a free Lowe’s business account could save you more time and money than other retailers, depending upon your specific needs. Stop by your local Lowe’s Pro Desk to speak to a team member about the options that you’re looking for in a loyalty rewards program.
Home Depot Vs. Lowes Pro Card, Which Card Is Best For Your Business?
This might be the deciding factor for you in choosing which home improvement retailer you frequent the most.
Lowe’s Business Credit Card
The Lowe’s business rewards card offers plenty of credit card options. Here are the different categories of Lowe’s business credit cards that users can choose from:
Monthly Or Revolving Payment Options
If you’d like to have a traditional credit card option with monthly minimum payments on balances, these Lowe’s business cards may be right for you:
Business Account Card: This Lowe’s business credit card option features no annual fee, the ability to share a credit line between multiple cards, purchasing control (meaning the card can only be used at Lowe’s), product-level billing with PO/job name tracking options, and you can download up to six months of activity to Excel, Quicken or QuickBooks for record-keeping.
The Business Rewards Card From American Express: This Lowe’s business card offered through American Express provides cardmembers with a low introductory APR, no annual fee, and has a rewards program that gives users:
3x points on select business purchases
2x points at Lowe's
1x points on other purchases
The card can be used at Lowe’s and everywhere American Express is accepted. You can also track purchases, view itemized statements of purchases by additional cardmembers, and set up mobile alerts.
Pay In Full Monthly
If paying your account balance in full each month makes the most sense for your business needs, you’ll want to consider the Accounts Receivable card.
Lowe’s Accounts Receivable Card: With this card option, your entire balance must be paid in full every month. There are no annual fees, you have purchasing control since it can only be used at Lowe’s stores, and billing is upon delivery. The account provides some account management tools such as purchase tracking Lowe's purchases by user and location, ability to limit spend amounts on purchases, and many of the features provided in the other Lowe’s business credit card options.
Prepaid Lowe’s Business Card
Keeping track of how much money is being spent is simple when you opt to use only Preloaded cards from Lowe’s.
PreLoad Card: This card option allows for no credit check (just a verified ID), a 5 percent statement credit, purchase control due to set amounts being loaded onto cards, and organization of purchases by cardholder with custom categories.
All Lowe’s cardholders receive 5 percent off of everyday purchases (some exclusions apply), larger lines of credit or prepaid accounts, discounted delivery, invoicing options, and exclusive cardholder events.
Home Depot Credit Card Options
The Home Depot credit card options are designed to give cardmembers variety when it comes to choosing the card and payment plan that’s right for them.
Consumer Credit Card: Card features include six months of financing on purchases of $299 or more, up to 24 months of financing during promotional periods, and a full year for returns (as opposed to 90 days for non-cardmembers).
Project Loan Card: The Project Loan Home Depot card offers six months to purchase everything that you need for your project, loans up to $55,000 for project materials, and no annual fees. Low monthly payments make this card a good option for contractors who won’t be able to cover costs until they’re paid for the completed work.
Commercial Revolving Charge Card: This card operates like a standard credit card and features the option to add authorized user cards for employees, itemized statements, purchase tracking, 1 year to make returns, Pro Xtra Membership, fuel savings, and 60 days with no interest on all purchases.
Commercial Account: The Commercial Account card requires payment in full each month. Cardmembers can issue cards to authorized users with set spending limits, itemize pay invoices, access detailed statements, track purchases, and have a full year to make returns.
Each card provides cardmembers with a variety of payment, statement, tracking, and account management tools. You’ll want to review the fine print on each option to decide which card is right for you.
Lowe’s Vs. Home Depot: Which Retailer Offers the Best Rewards Program?
This is all a matter of preference. While each retailer’s loyalty rewards programs has a variety of features that could entice service providers to stick exclusively with one or the other, there’s no reason you can’t have an account at both Lowe’s and Home Depot.
With free rewards programs offered at each store, there’s no harm in having rewards piling up at each retailer.
The final takeaway on which home improvement retailer has the best rewards program depends on your individual needs. If you need to rent tools, Home Depot may be where you want to shop. If you’re looking for an expanded selection of discounted items for members, Lowe’s may have that assortment of products that you’re looking for.
No matter what retailer you decide to shop with, there are great perks and savings to be had by signing up for a Pro Desk account at both stores. Your best bet is to sign up for both programs and do comparative shopping online before you go to the store to make sure that you’re getting the lowest prices.
Each discount program offers price matching guarantees (some restrictions apply), so if you do your research, it doesn’t matter where you shop, you can opt for a price match (if available) and stay loyal to your choice of Lowe’s or Home Depot.
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