Fine Print On Coupons Explained
FINE PRINT ON COUPONS EXPLAINED
Some coupons have a lot of writing on them. It is a good idea to read the fine print on your coupons. Lots of times it tells you what products you can use them on and the sizes. Also there are other fine print “rules” that you should be familiar with.
ONE PER LIMITS
PER TRANSACTION: Some coupons state “Limit one per transaction”. What that means is you can only use one of that particular coupon for that transaction – no matter how many of that item you may have purchased. A Transaction is defined as everything you are purchasing during your shopping trip. This restricts the number of coupons you can use in a single shopping trip. In order to use more than one of these coupons with this wording you would need to ring up separate transactions (or orders).
PER PURCHASE: Lots of coupons state “one per purchase”. If your coupon says this then you can use one coupon on each item bought. Not to be confused with transaction. Each item you buy is considered a purchase. So if you buy 3 packages of razors, you have 3 purchases.
PER VISIT: If the coupon includes this wording, then you can only redeem one coupon each time you visit that store. For example, if you were buying 3 cans of formula using coupons that stated “one per visit” you would only be able to use one coupon with each visit. If you wanted to use more than one coupon at a time, you would have to make additional trips, or visits, to the store in order to use all of them.
PER CUSTOMER: If the coupon has the words “one per customer” then each customer is limited to using just one coupon. You are one customer. Your spouse or significant other is another customer. So you both can the coupon once that visit.
LIMITS: If you read the super tiny fine print some coupons may have exclusions on them. For example all P&G coupons now have Limit 4 like coupons per household per day. That’s probably to deter “shelf clearers” and purchases in large amounts, if I had to guess. It is in bright red print now. As if they are yelling at you, “hey couponer read this and follow please!” So what that means is you are only supposed to use 4 like coupons at a time of that kind, if stated. Does that mean the register will beep?? Well no…but as always with coupons we all should try to follow the rules as closely as possible to ensure things don’t change in our coupon world.
Other coupons may have other limitations on them as well. So please remember to read that fine print!!
(above is an example of a coupon where the wording states “ANY” and the picture shows only so many kinds)
PICTURES
When you look at the coupon, you should disregard the photo you see printed on it. Why? The wording always identifies what product(s) the coupon can be used on. Many times the manuacturers will put a photo of the most expensive item in the product line, in hopes you will use it only for that item. This is difficult for some cashiers to understand. Many look at the coupon and automatically think that the pictured item is the only item you can use it on. Also, in most cases there are far more products available to use a coupon on than able to put a picture on a tiny coupon! So just keep in mind that reading the coupon fully is important to know what to use it on.
REDEEMABLE AT, ONLY AT…what does that mean??
REDEEMABLE AT: This wording means that you can redeem the coupon at that store. The important thing to note is that the coupon may state this, but it does not mean that is the only store where you can redeem it. For instance, it may say “Redeemable at Walmart” but you can still use it at Target. Keep in mind that some stores may have policies that state they will not accept any coupon with another store’s logo on it – so you may not be able to use them at these locations.
AVAILABLE AT: This does not indicate where you need to redeem your coupon. This is basically an advertisement for the store letting you know where you can find the product. You can use these coupons anywhere. Again, store does have the right to refuse.
ONLY AT: If the coupon has these two words listed, then that is the only store where you can redeem it. If it states “Redeemable only at Walmart,” then you can not use it Target, or any other store.
REDEEM AT: I believe this also means that the coupon can only be used at the store indicated. I think that only the particular store listed will get reimbursed for this coupon.
As for Catalina coupons, if they print with store logos on them, I am pretty sure they are intended to be used only at those stores; however this may vary from store to store. But that is the way I view it, as most of the catalina coupons I have received with store logos on them also say “Redeem At”.
EXPIRATION DATES
Just about all coupons include expiration dates on them. The coupon can be redeemed through midnight on the date the coupon expires.
Having expiration dates helps the manufacturers see what offers are working and which offers are not. They will know then whether to offer that same coupon again or if they need to try something different.
DO NOT DOUBLE / TRIPLE
How does doubling work? Basically, a coupon that is worth $0.50 would now be worth $1.00 for when doubled. The store will cover the additional savings. In this case, the store would be reimbursed $0.50 for the coupon — but the additional $0.50 savings you received would be a loss to them. Check your local stores to see if they double coupons. The only stores in our are are Tops Markets and Wegmans.
Some coupons state “DND/DNT” at the top or in the fine print. This means Do Not Double or Do Not Triple.
Why do some coupons say that you can not double or triple? This was done to save the stores. If they offer doubles or triples, this can be an additional expense to the store. This feature allows the stores the right to not have to double or triple them all. Many stores can ignore the wording, but that is up to each individual store.
STORE VS. MANUFACTURER’S COUPONS
There are coupons which are store coupons and others that are manufacturer’s coupons. How can you tell the difference?
Left – Old Bar Code of Manufacturers Coupons Right – Store (Rite Aid) Bar Code
Bar codes. Many store coupons do not include a scannable bar code on them. They usually can only be scanned at their store.
Bar code numbers. Most store coupons will begin with a 0 or a 4 in the number. Manufacturer’s coupons begin with a 5 or a 9. (but with the new bar codes I’m not sure if the numbers are there still)
Remit to address. A manufacturer’s coupon will include a remit to address in the fine print. This is the address the retailers send the coupons to in order to get reimbursed for them. Store coupons will not have this listed as they do not need to send the coupon off for reimbursement.
Read More about Coupons Explained Further here
I Hope you Found this Useful! Thanks for Reading! 🙂
Kristy
Thanks!
Welcome!