We read the Retail Council of Canada’s Code, its FAQ, the Competition Bureau guidance and Quebec’s official policy, then worked out what the rule is worth at common price points.

The short answer

If a scanned price is higher than the price displayed on the shelf, in a flyer or on in-store signs, a store that follows the Scanner Price Accuracy Code must give you the lower price and either give you the item free (if it is $10 or less) or take $10 off the lowest advertised price (if it is more than $10). In Quebec, a provincial policy applies instead, with a $15 limit.

The Code is voluntary, but the Retail Council of Canada participant list covers most large grocery, drug and big-box chains. It applies only in stores, and only to scanned items without their own price sticker.

How the $10 rule works

Under section 1.1 of the Code, the lower price is honoured whenever the scanned price is higher than the price displayed or advertised by the store. Then the compensation depends on the displayed price:

• $10 or less: the item is free.
• More than $10: you get $10 off the lowest advertised price.

The rule kicks in after the final sale price shows at the checkout, including any coupon or promotional discount. So watch the screen or check your receipt before you leave. The product also has to match the description on the shelf tag.

What it is worth at different prices

Here is what you would pay on five hypothetical items that scan above their shelf price. The free item or discount always comes off the displayed price, not the scanned one.

Hypothetical prices before tax. Quebec says no tax is charged when an item is given free under its policy.

The rule is most valuable on cheaper items. Anything up to $10 is free, so you save 100% of the shelf price. A $12.49 item drops to $2.49, an 80.1% saving. On a $49.99 item, the same $10 is only 20%.

Buying several of the same item

Section 1.2 of the Code says that if the same error repeats on several units in one transaction, the store must correct the price on every unit but only has to give one of them free or $10 off.

Say you buy four boxes of cereal with a shelf price of $5.99 that ring up at $6.99. The scanned total is $27.96. Under the Code, one box is free and the other three are charged at $5.99, so you pay $17.97. That is $9.99 less than the scanned total, and $5.99 less than the four boxes would have cost at the shelf price.

The Retail Council FAQ goes further. If a promotion covers similar items, such as one brand in several flavours, only one item qualifies for the free treatment and the rest are sold at the lowest advertised price.

What the Code does not cover

Many items fall outside the Code. The Code and its FAQ exclude:

• Price-ticketed items. Anything with a price on it, including sale or clearance stickers, clothing hang tags and printed price labels.
• Items priced by weight.
• Goods not easily reached by the public, such as prescription drugs and behind-the-counter cosmetics.
• Alcohol and tobacco, and any product with a legal minimum price.
• Gift cards, because the value is printed on the card.
• Loyalty or member pricing, such as Optimum member prices.
• Online purchases. The purchase has to be made in store.
• Tampered labels, and items the cashier enters by hand as a PLU.

Two more limits matter. Once a store posts a correction notice for a product, the free-item rule stops for that product. And an expired sale tag does not count if the sale dates and the regular price are shown on it.

Flyers and shelf tags

A flyer price counts unless the flyer says it applies only to certain stores and yours is not listed. If a shelf label with a product description and matching UPC sits under a big banner, the shelf label wins.

Quebec has its own rule

The Code does not apply in Quebec, where the Office de la protection du consommateur sets a price accuracy policy for stores that skip individual price labels. The Retail Council says the Quebec amount rose from $10 to $15 on May 7, 2025.

If the price rung up is higher than the advertised price, the merchant must give the item free when it is advertised at $15 or less, or sell it at the advertised price minus $15 when it costs more. The policy also covers self-checkouts and errors you notice after leaving the store. Like the Code, it applies to only one of several identical items.

Quebec excludes clothing and footwear, items without a barcode, drugs sold only in pharmacies, tobacco, and milk or grocery-store alcohol where the discount would break a legal minimum price. Price errors at the SAQ are covered.

The law behind it: double ticketing

Outside Quebec, the $10 rule is a voluntary industry code. The Competition Bureau says there is no specific law on scanned price accuracy, though some overcharges may break the Competition Act.

The closest rule is section 54 of the Competition Act, on double ticketing. It bars a seller from charging more than the lowest of two or more prices it clearly shows on the product, its packaging or an in-store display. The maximum penalty on summary conviction is a $10,000 fine, a year in prison, or both. It gives you the lower price, not a free item.

If the store says no

Ask whether the store takes part in the Scanner Price Accuracy Code. In Quebec, stores must post the policy near each checkout. If the item is not excluded and the store still refuses, section 7.5 of the Code lets either side refer the dispute to the Scanner Price Accuracy Committee, and then to an arbitrator on a cost recovery basis. In Quebec, complaints go to the Office de la protection du consommateur.

Small checkout mistakes add up, and so do fees at the till. Our guide to credit card surcharges in Canada covers the rules on extra card fees, and our Costco Executive break-even shows how another in-store saving works out.

Frequently asked questions

• Sources, checked November 1, 2026: Retail Council of Canada: Scanner Price Accuracy Code and participants; Retail Council of Canada: Scanner Price Accuracy Code FAQs; Competition Bureau: Scanner price accuracy; Office de la protection du consommateur: Politique d'exactitude des prix; Justice Laws: Competition Act, section 54.
• Method: Discount under the Code = the lower of the displayed price and $10. Quebec discount = the lower of the advertised price and $15. Prices in the table and chart are hypothetical. Calculated by script and checked with a second method in whole cents.

Important: This guide is general information, not legal or financial advice. Store participation and the Code’s terms can change, so confirm the policy posted in your store. Gizly has no affiliate links on this page. See our affiliate disclosure.