You might remember that before Pesach, I posted briefly about the new Kroger manufacturer coupons that were Kosher for Passover?
Those Kroger coupons are what’s known as e-coupons, also called clipless coupons or electronic coupons. They get loaded onto your shopper loyalty card – and sometimes even right onto your Smart phone.
Most programs require you to create an account and input your loyalty card number; then you get a menu of coupons to choose from. You just pick the ones you want and they will be added to your card.
Ecoupons get deducted from your card once you swipe your card at checkout. Like with paper coupons, it’s always a good idea to make sure that you check your receipt to confirm that the right amount came off your total.
The most popular companies with manufacturer ecoupons for download are Cellfire and P&G ESaver.
In addition, a number of grocery stores and even big box chains like Target have started releasing store e-coupons.
At grocery stores, most often, you sign up for a loyalty reward card and then log into the store website to select and load the coupons.
Target’s ecoupons must be loaded directly onto your Smart phone. If you want to receive new Target ecoupons, you can sign up for Target mobile here.
While e-coupons will probably not ever completely replace paper and printable coupons, they are a great tool to add to your money-saving tool box.
Questions? Comments? Do you use e-coupons? What’s your impression of them?
How does this work for supermarkets that don’t have shopper loyalty cards? Or perhaps it doesn’t? We mainly shop at Shoppers Food Warehouse (I believe it’s local to the MD/DC/VA area), which is cheaper than the two other chains (Safeway and Giant). Shoppers, fortunately or unfortunately, prides itself on not offering a loyalty card, because then everyone can enjoy the savings.
Yes, unfortunately the stores without loyalty programs probably don’t have an ecoupon option – neither store nor manufacturer. 🙁 I know sometimes I do better even at the “more expensive” grocery stores when I use coupons and sales – than at the supposedly cheaper stores (like we have a Neighborhood Walmart).
The Krazy Coupon Lady maintains a database of active eCoupons on her website at http://thekrazycouponlady.com/ecoupons.