It’s less than two weeks until Couponing for Community 2012 begins! This week I’ve asked some fellow C4C participants to share how they have used coupons to GIVE and offer us tips on making our giving even BIGGER. Today, Sarah shares tips for new couponers on how to take advantage of store instant rebate offers, which is a great way to begin to learn the ropes of couponing!
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Figure them however you choose: Free money, reduction in your grocery bill or something else, but Off Your Next Shopping Order (OYNSO) offers are a great way to save money. These offers take many different forms depending on the store you shop at. Here are some of the most common ways you get them and some tips for how to use them. In most cases (check your store policy) you can earn these offers even if you are using manufacturer coupons and any dollar values that must be met are calculated before manufacturer coupons are deducted.
Grocery Stores – Typically you will find these types of offers advertised in the weekly flyer for your store. You can also find many of them listed under the Your Bucks offers on Coupon Network. You find them advertised two ways. Either “Buy $XX in Select Products, Get $X Off Your Next Shopping Order” or “Buy 2 Select Items, Get $ Off Your Next Shopping Order”. These offers print from the coupon printing machine next to register.
CVS – OYNSO offers are in the form of Extra Care Bucks (ECB’s). These offers come in the form of Buy $X, Get $X. These print out on the bottom of your receipt. When redeeming them, they are treated as store coupons with very few redemption limitations. If your ECB total value is higher than the amount due at the end of your order, the registers will automatically adjust the value down and bring your total to $0.
Rite Aid – These offers take the form of UP Rewards (UPR’s) that are issued at the bottom of your receipt after you pay. They also take the form of Buy a quantity, Get $$ and are treated as store coupons for redemption But unlike CVS, if your total amount due is less than the value of your UPR’s, Rite Aid’s register will simply deny any UPR’s that would cause you to go over, so you’ll want to include another item to absorb the overage.
Walgreens – OYNSO take the form or Register Rewards (RR’s) at Walgreens. They also come in the form of Buy a quantity, Get $$. But, unlike their competitor’s, they are treated as and redeemed as manufacturer coupons, so you will have a one coupon per item limit. There are conflicting reports as to if these are adjusted down or denied if you have more RR value than amount due. It seems to vary by store.
Tips for using OYNSO offers
- No matter what form your OYNSO’s take, you will want to make sure you are familiar with the policy of the store you are getting them from and redeeming them to. There are usually limitations (due to state laws) that prohibit the use of these offers on alcohol, tobacco and other items.
- It’s also a good idea to plan to use these offers to buy things that you normally wouldn’t see as many sales or large discounts on. Staples like bread, milk, meat and produce are great items if they are not restricted by your state/coupon.
Another way to think of these offers (if it helps your process) is as instant rebates. You still have to pay the money in, but instead of waiting weeks to get it back, your bonus prints out after the transaction is complete.
Plus if you are new to couponing, instant rebates are a great way to jump on the bandwagon right away!
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Sarah Jehnzen is the author of Sarah’s Deals, a West Michigan based blog that’s “Helping You Live Better, For Less”. She posts regular sale matchups, coupons, reviews, giveaways and freebies as well as a variety of cooking tips, household hints, craft/decorating ideas, and other helpful information. You can also find her at Sarah’s Deals on Facebook or @sarahs_deals on Twitter.
Note from Kaley: If you are new to couponing, you’ll soon learn that using coupons gives you the ability to GIVE freely. Let us know if you have any questions about how these offers work!
Learn more about Couponing for Community 2012 here and find out how YOU can join couponers nation-wide in GIVING 30,000+ items during the week of May 6-12. It’s going to be BIG.