Lots of talk this week about stacking multiple manufacturer coupons. It’s fun to do, yet very confusing to even the most experienced coupon users.
Here are the rules:
The 1:1 ratio always applies, even when you’re using multiple coupons.
There are basically 4 types of coupon offers:
- Cents Off
- Buy and Get
- On Your Next Purchase
- Free With Qualifier
Stacking is the art of using different offers, to ensure you have a coupon for each item in your cart. Mostly it refers to being able to use a coupon for an item that is not issuing any type of coupon at that time. IE, you have a Coupon for $-2 on Charcoal, offered by Coke. But you don't have a Charcoal coupon and want to save money on it. You “Stack” a Coke Offer.
The biggest confusion comes in when you have two offers to save money on the same type of product. Here’s an example we’ll use on Charcoal. Coca Cola is offering $2 on charcoal when you buy coke, and BBQ sauce offers $1 off Charcoal when you buy 1 bottle. Then Kingsford offers you $1 on 1 for buying Charcoal. Keep in mind these are ALL Cents off coupons.
The answer is to think like a scanner! If you scan the coke, your coke coupon will work. If you Scan in the BBQ, that coupon will work, then finally, the Kingsford will work on the Charcoal itself. Yet you end up with 3 items purchased and 3 coupons redeemed.
If you had an offer to Buy 2 Coke 24 packs and get a BBQ free, then your stack would be complete, and you’d be able to use it on your sauce, and keep the BBQ coupon on your charcoal. You’d need to drop out the Kingsford. Keep your 1:1:1 ratio.
I wish I could tell you that there is a right and wrong way, or some hard rule. Unfortunately, there is not. There are so many coupons and so many variables.
You will always be able to Stack so long as you have 1 coupon for every 1 item in the purchase. If you exceed that, expect to have some coupons handed back to you.
