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You Asked: All About eCoupons

By Shellie on November 17, 2009
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You Asked

This week’s question comes from Hailey:

I don’t understand the eCoupons you talk about. Do they double? Can I use them multiple times?

eCoupons are a great tool to save additional money. Just to give you a little introduction, there are 3 main eCoupon sites: Cellfire, PG eSaver and Shortcuts.

About the Sites

  • PG eSaver is a site only for Proctor and Gamble products. These coupons refresh every month.
  • Cellfire is a site for a variety of products. These coupons refresh every 2 weeks. You only have two weeks to load the coupons to your card but you have the entire month to use them.
  • Shortcuts is similar to Cellfire in that they have a variety of products. New coupons seem to be available fairly often, usually every two weeks and they typically last for 2 months.

About the Coupons
The eCoupons are single use. This means they can only be used one time on one product. Once you’ve used them, they disappear from your list. They also don’t double. The value on the coupon is the value that will come off at the register.

The good thing about them is that you can stack them with manufacturer coupons. If there’s a coupon for $1/2 boxes of Chex cereal loaded onto your card and you find a $1 printable coupon, then you can use them both to get $2 off. This is a great way to really maximize your savings.

Also, it may vary by stores but often Shortcuts and Cellfire coupons will come off for the same item. Use the manufacturer coupon too and that’s like using 3 coupons on one product. Find a store coupon and it’s like using 4. It really can add up to a great deal. So even though they are single use, you can often use them to get a free items.

How to Get the Coupons
These coupons are only available to load if your store participates in the program. Right now Safeway and Kroger family stores are the most common, though if you have a loyalty card for another store you may want to check. They are working on adding new stores and you could always contact them and try to get them to add your store. When you go through the registration process, you will be asked for your store card number. Make sure you enter it correctly so the coupons get attached to your card.

Once you’re set up, you just click the button to add the coupon to your card. It’s pretty easy. Shortcuts has a 100 coupon limit so you may need to be a little discerning in the coupons you load. Once a coupon is loaded it can’t be deleted until it is used. So if you won’t be purchasing a product, you may not want to load the coupon.

How do I Know it Worked?
Usually on your receipt immediately under the item, you’ll see manufacturer ecoupon listed and the amount. I’ve occasionally seen them reflected at the bottom of the receipt. If you don’t see them, then it didn’t work. Call the respective eCoupon company and find out why. If you purchased the right products, they will reimburse you for the coupons that didn’t work.

Do you have any additional eCoupon tips for Hailey?

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