Ace Hardware Survey: 6 Best Steps to Win $500

If you have just walked out of an Ace Hardware store with a receipt in your hand, that small piece of paper may be worth more than you think. The Ace Hardware Survey is the company’s official customer feedback program, and completing it enters you into a monthly sweepstakes for a chance to win a gift card you can spend on your next project.

What Is the Ace Hardware Survey?

The Ace Hardware Survey is a short customer satisfaction questionnaire run on behalf of Ace Hardware Corporation. It asks about a recent visit to a participating store: how helpful the staff were, whether you found what you came for, how clean and organized the store felt, and how smooth checkout was.

Ace Hardware is a retailer-owned cooperative, which means most stores are independently owned and operated by local owners. That is why your feedback matters: comments about a specific store go back to the people who run it, and they can act on them directly.

The survey itself takes only a few minutes. It is not a test, and there are no right or wrong answers. Your ratings do not affect your chance of winning, because winners are chosen at random.

Ace Hardware Survey Reward: What You Can Win

The portal page states that, at the end of the survey, you will have the opportunity to enter a monthly drawing for a chance to win one of two $500 gift cards.

The same portal page states that no purchase is necessary to enter, that the sweepstakes ends on December 31, 2026, and that entrants must be 18 years old. It also notes that the offer is void where prohibited, which is standard language for sweepstakes of this kind.

One caution is worth flagging. Older guides about this survey mention different prize amounts, including $50 in much older articles and larger figures on some third-party sites. Prize structures change between promotion periods, so treat the portal itself as the current source.

What You Need Before You Start the Ace Hardware Survey

You do not need much, but having everything ready before you begin makes the process smoother.

First, decide whether you have a receipt. The portal’s opening question is simply whether you have a receipt from your recent visit. If you answer yes, you will be asked for details from it, such as the journal number printed on the receipt. If you answer no, you can still continue through the no-receipt route, explained below.

Second, you need an internet-connected device. The survey works on a phone or a desktop browser, so you can complete it in the store parking lot or later at home. There is no app to install.

Third, you need a valid email address for the sweepstakes entry form at the end. This is how winners are contacted, so enter an address you actually check, and double-check the spelling before you submit. A typo here is one of the easiest ways to lose a prize you actually won.

Finally, set aside about five minutes of uninterrupted time.

Ace Hardware Survey: 6 Best Steps to Complete It

Follow these steps in order, and you will be done in a few minutes.

Step 1: Go to the Official Ace Hardware Survey Portal

Open your browser and go to talkto.acehardware.com. Be careful with lookalike domains: several third-party guide sites use very similar addresses, but the portal linked from Ace Hardware receipts is the one to use. Check that the page shows the “Talk to Ace” branding before you enter anything.

Step 2: Answer Whether You Have a Receipt

The first screen asks, “First, do you have a receipt from your recent visit?” Select “Yes” if you have one, or “No” if you do not. This choice does not disqualify you. It simply routes you to the right version of the form. Our screenshot below shows this opening screen exactly as it appears, including the monthly drawing notice and the red “Begin Survey” button.

Step 3: Enter Your Receipt Details Carefully

If you have a receipt, enter the requested details exactly as printed, including the journal number. Receipt codes are unforgiving: a single wrong character can stop the code from validating. Read the numbers directly from the receipt rather than typing them from memory, and watch out for characters that look alike, such as the letter O and the number zero.

If you do not have a receipt, use the store-selection route instead. You will be asked to identify the store you visited, typically by state, city, and store location, and then you complete the same satisfaction survey.

Step 4: Answer the Survey Questions Honestly

You will be asked a short series of questions about your visit: staff helpfulness, product availability, store cleanliness, checkout speed, and overall satisfaction. Answer honestly and from your actual experience. There is no benefit to giving every question a top score, and your answers have no effect on your sweepstakes odds.

Step 5: Complete the Entry Form and Submit

After the questions, fill in the entry form with your name and contact details. This step is what actually registers your entry for that month’s drawing, so do not close the browser before you submit it. Wait for the confirmation screen, and take a screenshot of it for your records.

Step 6: Check the Rules and Wait for the Drawing

Read the full contest rules linked from the portal page. They confirm the entry limits, the drawing schedule, and how winners are notified. Entries do not roll over between monthly periods, so if you shop at Ace again in a later month, you can enter again with a new visit, subject to the daily entry limit in the rules.

Ace Hardware Survey Entry Methods Compared

There is more than one way into the monthly drawing. This table compares them at a glance.

Entry method	What you need	Best for
Survey with receipt	Receipt journal number and visit details	Shoppers who just bought something
Survey without receipt	Store location (state, city, store)	Shoppers who lost the receipt or paid without keeping it
Mail-in alternate entry	Handwritten entry card sent by post, as described in the official rules	Anyone who prefers not to enter online, or has no internet access

Promotion guides describe a free mail-in alternate entry route, which is how the “no purchase necessary” promise is honored for people who cannot enter online. The exact mailing address and format are set out in the official rules linked from the portal, so always use the current rules rather than an address copied from an old article. Guides also describe a limit of one entry per person, per email address, per day across all entry methods, and one use per receipt code.

Who Can Enter the Ace Hardware Survey?

Eligibility is straightforward. The portal states that entrants must be 18 years old, and promotion guides describe eligibility as legal residents of the United States or the District of Columbia. The offer is void where prohibited.

Employees of the sponsor and their immediate families are typically excluded from sweepstakes of this kind, and each receipt code can generally be used only once.

Ace Hardware Survey Tips That Protect Your Entry

A valid entry is simple to protect, and most lost entries are lost for avoidable reasons.

Enter promptly. Receipt codes are tied to a survey period, and once that period closes, there is no rollover.

Use one entry per receipt. Trying to reuse the same journal number will not give you extra chances.

Keep your receipt until the drawing. If there is any question about your entry, the receipt is your proof of the visit.

Beware of copycat sites. Only enter your receipt details on the genuine portal. A legitimate survey will never ask for your credit card number, bank details, or Social Security number.

Watch your email after the drawing. Winners are contacted using the details given on the entry form, and prizes typically need to be claimed within the window set out in the rules.

Frequently Asked Questions

How long does the survey take?

Most people finish in about five minutes. The questions are short and multiple-choice, and the entry form at the end takes under a minute if your contact details are to hand.

Do I need a receipt to take the Ace Hardware Survey?

No. The portal’s first question asks whether you have a receipt, and answering “No” routes you to a version where you select your store instead. You can also enter without a purchase through the mail-in alternate entry described in the official rules.

What is the Ace Hardware Survey reward?

The portal page captured in November 2026 states that each monthly drawing offers two $500 Ace Hardware gift cards. Prize amounts can change between promotion periods, so confirm the current amount on the portal itself before you enter.

How many times can I enter the Ace Hardware Survey?

Promotion guides describe a limit of one entry per person, per email address, per day, with each receipt code usable only once, and no rollover between monthly periods. The official rules linked from the portal are the final word for the current period.

Is the Ace Hardware Survey legitimate?

Yes. It is the official feedback program run on behalf of Ace Hardware Corporation, and the portal page is powered by Gallup, the survey platform shown at the foot of the page. A fake will ask for payment, bank details, or Social Security numbers, none of which the genuine survey asks for.

When does the current sweepstakes end?

The portal page states that the sweepstakes ends on December 31, 2026. If you are reading this after that date, check the portal for the current promotion period and prize details before entering.

Final Thoughts on the Ace Hardware Survey

The Ace Hardware Survey is one of the more shopper-friendly feedback programs around, mainly because it does not shut out people who have lost their receipt. You get a short, honest say about your local store, and in return you get a genuine monthly chance at a $500 gift card that is actually useful for anyone who buys tools, paint, or garden supplies.

Keep your receipt, enter promptly, and double-check your contact details. If you enjoy store feedback programs, our JCPenney survey guide walks through another popular retail survey in the same step-by-step style. And if you want to check whether a survey offer is genuine, this guide to verifying the official Ace Hardware survey covers the security checks worth running first.