Michaels gives verified educators 20% off their entire purchase, and it works on sale items. That last part is the whole point. Michaels runs a public 20% offer too, but the public one covers regular price purchases only. The teacher discount applies “including sale items”, which makes the same headline number worth considerably more.
Michaels’ own wording: “20% OFF* entire purchase including sale items!” and “We love teachers, so we’ve made it easy to save on everything you need for the classroom.”
How To Get The Michaels Teacher Discount
Verification runs through the Michaels Rewards program, and Michaels describes it as instant. Three steps, in their order:
- Create a Michaels Rewards account, or log into the one you have. It is free.
- Get verified. Michaels says you “provide your information to get verified instantly.”
- Shop. Sign into your account, or give your Michaels Rewards phone number at checkout.
The phone number route is the useful detail: you do not need the app open or a card in your wallet, just the number attached to your Rewards account.
Read the Exclusions Before You Fill the Cart
The exclusion list is long and it covers things teachers actually buy. Michaels excludes: the Everyday Value program, clearance, buy and get items, custom framing, beverages and candy, books and magazines, gift cards, and craft technology machines including Cricut and Silhouette.
Two more limits sit in the fine print and they shape how you shop: one teacher discount per product, and one teacher discount per day. So a single big classroom haul is treated differently than you might expect, and it is worth asking in store how the per-product limit applies to multiples of the same item.
One caution about Michaels’ own page, stated plainly because it affects you. The body says the discount works “online and in store every day”, while the fine print on the same page says “In store only” and “Valid only in Canada.” Those cannot all be true for a US shopper. The same contradiction appears on Michaels’ military discount page, so it reads like a fine-print error rather than the real policy. Treat in-store with a verified Rewards account as the reliable route, and confirm online eligibility at checkout before counting on it.
Q&A
Q: How much is the Michaels teacher discount?
A: 20% off your entire purchase, including sale items, once you are verified through Michaels Rewards.
Q: Is it better than the public 20% offer?
A: Yes. The public offer is limited to regular price purchases. The teacher discount explicitly includes sale items, so on marked-down stock it is worth more.
Q: Do I need a Michaels Rewards account?
A: Yes. Verification happens inside Michaels Rewards, and the discount attaches to that account. It is free to join.
Q: Can I use it on a Cricut or Silhouette?
A: No. Craft technology machines are excluded by name, Cricut and Silhouette included. This catches people out constantly, because those are exactly the big-ticket items worth 20% on.
Q: Does it work at michaels.com or only in store?
A: Michaels’ page says both, then its own fine print says in store only. In store with a verified account is the dependable route. Check at online checkout rather than assuming.
Q: Does it work on clearance?
A: No. Clearance is excluded, as is the Everyday Value program. Sale items are included, which is a different thing from clearance.
Q: How do I use it at the register?
A: Give your Michaels Rewards phone number at checkout, or sign into your account. Michaels also asks for a valid educator ID in store.
Q: Can I use it more than once a day?
A: No. The terms state one teacher discount per day, and one per product.
Other Places To Stock the Classroom
Worth comparing on a supply run: Target verifies teachers through SheerID and runs percentage events, Staples runs its own rewards program, and Apple covers classroom technology.
More Information:
Confirmed on Michaels’ own teacher discount page, which carries the 20% figure, the verification steps and the full exclusion list. Terms change, so check the exclusions before a big purchase.
