of the day: What is coupon fraud? Is it serious?
Coupon fraud exists and it is illegal to use coupons improperly. There are many new couponers who are not
familiar with the rules and this is why SSFAM will try to help you understand
what a coupon is and using them safely. SSFAM fans should always follow the
wording on the coupon. Do not use coupons on products that are for the wrong
size or product. If you should happen to notice this once the cashier has
scanned and accepted the coupon, the right thing to do is to explain to the cashier
your error so they can be educated that they should never accept a coupon that
is not correctly in line to the wording on the coupon.
is an example of using a coupon incorrectly:
$2.00/1 box of Regular Rice Krispy Cereal from SS 1/3 and you purchase a box
of Chocolate Rice Krispy Cereal instead.
all coupons safely and read the wording carefully. If you get confused, there
are plenty of people to help. Remember, you can always join the Atlanta
Couponers group on Facebook, send me an email directly, ask the store manager,
contact the product company or ask other experienced couponers. We see many coupons throughout the year that
we can use provided in magazines, newspapers, internet, etc. If you happen to
miss a sale and are not able to use a coupon for an item that you love or need,
consider an alternative or wait for the next sale. Do not use coupons the wrong
way.
information to help you read the wording on coupons:
per purchase – means you can use one coupon per
product for each transaction. If you have 25 coupons for $1.00 off 1 box
of any Frosted Flakes cereal and you get 25 boxes of any Frosted Flakes cereal
off the shelf, you can all 25 coupons. Wonderful right? Plus you
can build a great stockpile, donate, etc. No limits but you just need to
have the same equal amount of coupons for the amount of products that you have.
*Be sure to read your store’s coupon policy on any other restrictions.
discount in saving your money.
coupon per customer – means only one coupon can be used per
customer in that shopping transaction.
Savings tip with this coupon– make sure
you have another partner with the same coupon to purchase in another shopping
transaction and then you will have 2 products.
coupon per Transaction- means you can only use one coupon per individual
product per one transaction {a transaction is when you complete the shopping
and receive the receipt}.
Savings tip with this coupon-You may be
able to split your transactions to 2 or more instead of one if you have more
than one coupon. Read the store coupon policy to see if multiple transactions
are allowed at the register. Be mindful of a line developing behind you
and be coupon courteous and friendly. {Let the person behind you and the
cashier know that you are using coupons and have multiple transactions}
double- means the store will not double the coupon. You will
only get the cents off on the coupon that is shown. For example Save
$0.50 off 1 item (Do not double). The store will only take off $0.50
instead of doubling to the usual $1.00 {0.50 ~coupon cents off + 0.50 ~store
match = $1.00}. The reason manufacture coupons may not allow doubling it
is related to the manufacture not reimbursing the cost of doubling and only
giving the store the face value of the coupon.
Savings tip with this coupon-Sometimes you
will see a “5” as the first number in the bar code area of the
manufacture coupon. See the example coupon barcode above. Even if the
coupon says do not double (DND) and the store policy allows, it will still
double. On the other hand, if the coupon barcode has a “9” as
the first number, it will not double.
item, per shopping trip- means you can only use a limited
number of coupons for the same product. For example, if the coupon reads
limit 4 coupons for Gain Fabric Sheet. You can only use 4 coupons for a
total of 4 packages of Gain Fabric Sheets in one transaction.
*SSFAM Savings tip with this coupon- You may be able to split the
transactions {complete one purchase and start a new purchase} and purchase 4
more Gain Fabric Sheets in another transaction. Then you will have a
total of 8 {Bam! that was super easy right?} Just be sure to read your coupon
and make sure that it does not say limit 4 per transaction per shopping
trip. This would mean that you are only able to use 4 coupons for the
product and not split any transactions on the same day. You would either
go to another store or come back to the same store on another day.
some fun and take a look at all these fancy digits and I will be glad to tell
you what they mean. When you look below at the diagram, you will see a total of
12 digits.
The Barcode is a number systems character (NSC)
of “5” identifies that the coupon is indeed a coupon. If you see
“99” it is another coupon NSC prefix that means the coupon will not
double. Pretty simple right?
Manufacturer ID – is
identical to the manufacture number on the product itself. It is usually not
specific to one variety or flavor of the product.
Family code– is assigned
by the manufacture for each of their products. It is the key to the store
that lets them know that the coupon is being used on the right product {this is
another reason why it is important to read your coupon and make sure you have
the right product}.
000– will not
beep on any product if the manufacture codes match.
XX0-any code with
1 zero at the end means the coupon can be used for more than one variety or
flavor of the product.
X00 – Any code with 2 zeros at the end can be used for more than one
product in the brand line.
992 – The coupon will beep every time or not beep regardless of
the purchase. Most retailers have programmed their registers to beep
every time the 992 code is used to help in the prevention of fraud and
encourages the cashier to check the coupon to make sure it is product being
purchased is correct.
code and value code (total of 5 digits) above the bar code symbol.
Value code– identifies
the redemption value of the coupon. It simply tells the register how many
products need to be bought and how much to deduct off the total price.
Here are a few common amounts. For a complete list, you can go here.
00- Manual Input from “cashier”
01- FREE Item (manual input usually required)
02-B4G1 Free
14-B1G1 Free (Tags to both products and if you use
another cents or $ off coupon with it, it will usually beep)
20-$0.20
24- $0.50
30-$0.30
40- $0.40
50-$0.50
55-$0.55
75- $1.00
99-$0.99
98-B2 $0.65
Disclaimer- I am not a code coupon specialist and just
want to share some great ways to read your coupon. In no way do I condone
copying or creating any coupons as this would be fraud. Have fun with your
coupons and use them with common sense.
Check digit-The 12th
digit which is the check digit is calculated based on the preceding 11 digits.
The most
important tip to remember is to read the coupon for any limitations on using
the coupon. Also, try not to damage your coupons in any way. You
want the bar code to be easily read and able to scan.
using coupons. If you enjoyed this post, leave me a comment. I love
the feedback and read each comment.
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Thank you so much for that information. I never understood what all of that information meant.
Wonderful and useful info thank.
Thanks for explaining all these terms! 🙂
A ton of great info, Thank you!
You are welcome Dawn. 🙂