Online Coupons Can Save You a Boatload of Cash

As any person who has ever at any point in time purchased products and services at any location in our modern industrialized society will surely know, there are such things as coupons and there are many types of them. Broadly speaking, however, by the simplest definition, a coupon is essentially a code that allows buyers to take advantage of special offers and deals when making purchases at stores in person or online digitally. Though coupons typically do not grant huge reductions in price for individual items or afford completely free transactions, shaving even small amounts of money on everyday items and appliances that may be purchased frequently can provide long-term cost-effectiveness. Coupons can also be used to get a sense of the true value of items to their manufacturers. In short, coupons can help consumers save money and get them to shop smarter, getting the biggest bang for their buck given their own individual preferences and budgetary discretion.

Common Types of Coupons

Though coupons can be used for a wide and exponentially increasing number of services and products, they can be essentially narrowed down to their most basic types based on when and how they can be used. There exist five primary types of coupons:

• Discount
• Presale
• Automatic
• Complementary
• Reserve

Discount coupons are perhaps the most commonly known, and let buyers buy items and services at a reduced cost or have a percentage taken off the total cost of all purchased items. Presale coupons allow buyers early access to items and services not yet released. Automatic coupons are those that take effect when a buyer has paid a certain amount or for a certain quantity of tasks. An example would be saving money after an order has reached a certain payment amount or quantity of items have been purchased, allowing for the next to be free or at a reduced cost. Complementary coupons allow for free purchases, usually in tandem with a prior subscription and will often have back-end fees still applicable. Reserve coupons allow early and exclusive access to items or services.

Finding Coupons Online

Many coupons are made of paper and can be removed from booklets and other sources. Though convenient, this can quickly lead to clutter. With the proliferation of technology and digitization of transactions, electronic coupons allow unlimited access to deals while taking up no physical space. While the learning curve for online technology can be steep for some, the convenience and benefits can really pay off in the long run. Visiting the websites of purchased products' manufacturers can allow access to printable coupons and others available with subscriptions to that company's newsletter. If the latter option is chosen, signing up for a free email account solely for use for that subscription can prevent spam from filling one's personal email. Some companies specialize in providing coupons, some of which can be printed twice. These can be found both online via the companies' websites and in print via newspapers. Stores themselves may also provide coupons on their websites with deals varying by day that can be printed or downloaded and applied toward pickups and deliveries.

Coupon Apps and Programs

As mentioned before, the ubiquity of digital technology, particularly in the form of cell phones, allows great deals to be literally in one's own hand at all times. Apps that are easily and quickly downloadable from the app store can be used to photograph receipts, scan barcodes and keep buyers informed about local deals. Several similar such apps, often free, can also be downloaded and stacked together in such a way that multiple deals can be available for any transaction at any given moment. Reward and loyalty programs work similarly via ongoing subscriptions that provide, as a perk, access to coupons. These can even be tailored to a customer's specific needs based on purchase history. Coupons can be found for everyday items like those you’d get at the pharmacy or a Walmart. They can also be found for rarer transactions like an oil change for your car. These can be found through coupon apps, or straight from their websites.