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Where to Fill Up Balloons with Helium for Free (5 Places)

In this article, we shall look at some of the stores where you can get balloons filled with helium, either for a low price, or free.

Here is a table showing some of the most popular stores on get balloons filled with helium:

Store NameDo They Fill Helium Balloons?
Dollar TreeYes
Wal-MartYes
CVSYes
Party CityYes
TargetNo

Dollar Tree, Party City , CVS, and Walmart fill balloons with Helium for free, provided they are bought at their stores. Of course, this is not an exhaustive list. In fact I’ve covered more than 15 places to get balloons filled. Here’s the link to that entire collection.

Here’s a list of other stores that sell Helium balloons and/or fill balloons up with Helium

Home Bargains // Hobby Lobby // Argos

Michaels // Dollarama // HobbyCraft //

Tesco // Canadian Tire // Family Dollar //

Walgreens // Kroger // Morrisons //

Dollar General // ASDA // Dollar Tree //

CVS //

Compilation of ALL Popular Places to Get Balloons Filled

…and here’s a list of my other guides involving balloon decoration

How Many Balloons Do You Need To Lift 1 Pound

Storing Helium Balloons Overnight

How Long Your Balloons Will Stay Inflated

Most stores may charge a minimal fee to get your balloons filled with helium if the ballons aren’t bought from their stores.

Dollar tree store fills your balloons for free when you buy their balloons online.

Party City also fills your balloons with helium free of cost, no matter what size they are.

Do a survey and compare which location is more convenient and price-friendly for you to get your balloons filled with helium. If you cannot find one that suits your demands, you can get a helium canister and get your balloons filled at home.

However, they may require you to buy the balloons from the store itself to get them inflated for free or to get them inflated at all.

In this article I’ve compiled a list of dollar stores and big box stores that fill up helium balloons.

1. Dollar Tree

Yes, you can get balloons filled with helium at Dollar Tree. When you purchase balloons at Dollar Tree, they will fill up your balloons with helium for free.

As of now, Dollar Tree can only fill foil balloons and not latex balloons. They also sell a few balloons already filled with helium which makes your work easier for you.

You can come into their store and take a look at all their pre-filled balloons and take your pick.

There is a catch though. If you have already bought balloons elsewhere, Dollar Tree will not fill those for you.

You will have to purchase the balloons from Dollar Tree to avail the helium filling service for free.

It will cost you about $1 to get your balloons filled with helium at Dollar Tree. It doesn’t matter what type of balloon you want to be filled, the cost will remain the same.

If you’re looking to fill up foil/metallic balloons, the price can range from about $1 to about $3 for each balloon. This is relatively low when you compare prices to other similar competitors

If you buy the balloons from the Dollar Tree online site, you can get them filled at your nearest Dollar Tree store at no extra cost.

They only require you to show them the receipt of your purchase, and they will fill your balloons with helium for free.

WHERE TO GET BALLOONS FILLED WITH HELIUM

2. Walmart

Yes, Walmart can fill your balloons with helium, but only at a few stores.

So if you want your balloons filled, it is best to check online or call their customer helpline number to know if the store offers this service before you go to the store to get your balloons.

They also require that you buy the balloons at their store to get them filled. Balloons that have been purchased from other retailers are not accepted to be filled at the store.

You can get balloon filling done at Walmart for just $0.25 per balloon. The price is subject to change depending on the size of your balloons as well.

The bigger the balloon, the more will be the charge for filling up the balloon.

Additionally, you can also buy helium tanks at Walmart if you wish to fill up your balloons on your own or if the stores near you do not offer this service.

Or you could also buy helium tanks at Amazon. Make sure to check out reviews first.

I’ve heard of complaints from acquaintances stating that these are not filled with pure helium due to shipping restrictions.

3. CVS

Yes, CVS can fill your balloons with helium for free as long as you buy the balloons from their store. It is important to note that CVS does not fill up balloons if you have purchased them from another retailer.

However, you can also contact your nearest CVS and see if they can fill up the balloons you have bought from another store for a small charge.

This service depends on the location and the size of the balloons you want to inflate.

If you have bought the balloons from the CVS store itself, you won’t have to pay any extra money to get them inflated with helium.

The cost for helium inflation is included in the total price of the balloon, so if you fill up your balloons, you will be making full use of the money you pay them for the balloons.

You can also find pre-filled balloons at CVS that you can buy if you want. 

4. Party City

Yes, Party City stores can fill your balloons with helium. If you buy the balloons from the Party City store, you can get them filled for free.

If you buy the balloons from another store, you will have to pay for them. You can even purchase balloons of your choice from the Party City site online and take them to the nearest Party City store to get them filled for free.

These prices may vary depending on where you are as well.

Prices for filling up latex balloons with helium start from 99 cents and foil balloons start from a few dollars. Prices can change, depending on their size.

5. Target

No, Target does not fill balloons with helium. However, they do sell helium canisters and tanks that you can buy and fill independently.

The price of helium tanks at Target can range between $24 and $49, depending on the size of the canister. Depending on how many balloons you want to fill, you can choose the size of the tank at Target.

If Target is not an option for you, you can always shop for helium tanks from Amazon. Always check the reviews first, since the sellers change quite frequently for products such as these.

Near Your City

Calgary

  1. Your Dollar World
  2. Balloon Boutique
  3. Party City
  4. Dollar Smart
  5. Party Town

Toronto

  1. Party City
  2. Lolliloot Balloon & Party
  3. Zest for Living Party Pros
  4. Balloons On Bloor
  5. Custom Balloon Printing Toronto

New York

  1. Party City
  2. Balloon Saloon
  3. World of Balloons
  4. Balloon Kings
  5. Life O’ The Party

Dublin

  1. Balloonman
  2. Mr. price
  3. Celebrations party shop  
  4. Fun place
  5. Woodies party zone

Filling Your Own Balloons

Most stores do not fill balloons with helium if they are bought elsewhere. You have three options:
1. Reach out to the nearest Party City, who will fill up the balloons for a low price.
2. Order or rent a Helium tank from Amazon, or any other big box store, and fill the balloons yourselves.
3. Reach out to your local party supplies store, or a craft store, and they may fill up balloons for you for a price.

Filling Foil Balloons

Stores like Dollar Tree, CVS, Walmart and Party City can fill foil or metallic balloons with helium for free. These balloons are extra durable and will stay inflated for up to 2 weeks.

Filling Latex Balloons

You can get your latex balloons filled with helium at Party City, CVS and Walmart. Latex balloons are elastic and can stretch a lot. They will gradually lose helium as time passes, after being inflated.

Why Do Stores Charge For Helium?

The helium that is used in party balloons is a scarce resource. Helium is an inert gas, which has irreplaceable use in MRI machines, welding, leak detection, aerospace engineering, and more.
In order to conserve helium for these purposes, many businesses have started charging for the service of filling an empty balloon with helium gas.
As I write this, there is a looming Helium shortage across the world, and the price are set to soar!