Top 3 Questions to Ask Your Mobile Coupons

You’ve downloaded SnipSnap. You can hardly wait to snip your first deal. And then you discover all the thousands of coupons at your finger tips. And then you quickly get very SnipSnap happy. Look, all coupons are wonderful things, but some are more rich with potential than others. You want to snip the absolute best deals possible, but you don’t want to spend a lot of time trying to figure out which coupons are your best bets. Thankfully, with the ability to preview a coupon before you snip it, and the following know-how for what to look for in a promising deal, you’ll only snip the best of the best and your mobile couponing success rate will soar. Here’s what you need to look for when you’re scrolling through your options.

Questions to Ask Your Coupons:

  • “Are you expired?” Nearly all coupons have expiration dates. Most retailers and restaurants require customers to use current coupons, but some stores will allow you to redeem expired coupons, especially if the coupon in question is one the store frequently reissues. Because some deals never die, we leave them in the app so you always have access to every possible opportunity to save. But, if you want to have the best success rate at the register, you’ll probably only want to snip current coupons. You’ll certainly want to know the difference between current and expired offers and you’ll definitely want to know which you’re attempting to redeem. You can set SnipSnap to automatically delete your expired coupons and even remind you before a deal goes bad. But some coupons’ expiration dates don’t capture when they’re uploaded into the app. You’ll probably want to avoid snipping these “never ending” deals because, chances are, they’ve already ended. (You could always give them a shot though – they just may work!) If you don’t see an expiration date listed on the coupon home screen, check the coupon’s preview to see if you can find it on the coupon itself. Then you can manually edit it.Screen Shot 2013-02-26 at 2.28.37 AM
  • “Are you a manufacturer coupon?” Sometimes, I’ll search for specific items or brand names in the SnipSnap search bar. For instance, last weekend I wanted some Nestle chocolate to whip up some chocolate covered gummy bears, so I typed “Nestle” into the SnipSnap search bar. I found lots of great search results, but not all of them were “store” coupons, even though they were only redeemable at, let’s say, Target. In preview mode, I’m able to tell if a coupon is really a store coupon (which SnipSnap supports) or actually a manufacturer coupon (which stores are only able to accept in paper form). (For a quick tutorial on store coupons vs. manufacturer coupons, go here.)Screen Shot 2013-02-26 at 2.11.36 AM
  • “Do you have someone else’s name on you?” If a coupon has someone else’s name/address/account number on it, you A) probably shouldn’t redeem it B) probably won’t be able to redeem it. This is pretty straight-forward. Some personal coupons, however, don’t actually have other people’s names on them, but the language on the coupons implies they’re only for use by certain people in certain situations. For instance, coupons that were issued for a customer’s achievement or bad experience should only be redeemed by the recipients themselves.Screen Shot 2013-02-26 at 12.36.13 PMScreen Shot 2013-02-26 at 12.36.03 PMCheck it out! Follow these guidelines and you should have the best SnipSnap experience at the register, every time.

SnipSnap Quick Tip: Can I Snip it? Manufacturer Coupons Vs. Store Coupons

Hey, SnipSnappers! If you haven’t already, make sure you update to SnipSnap 2.1 and take advantage of all the latest and greatest the app has to offer. Some of SnipSnap’s coolest new features: auto-deletion and increased intuitiveness about which coupons to hide from general search results. Earlier today, I blogged about store ads vs. store coupons and how to avoid snipping the former. Now I want to talk about manufacturer coupons, why they may not work, and why you should avoiding snipping them or uploading them in the first place.

What are manufacturer coupons? Manufacturer coupons are different from store coupons in that manufacturer coupons are funded by the maker of the product and not the store that’s distributing that product. When you redeem a paper manufacturer coupon at the grocery store, the store will use the physical coupon to claim reimbursement from the manufacturer. For the reason, mobilizing manufacturer coupons is a little tricky (we’re working on it!) so SnipSnap only supports store coupons for the time being. 

How can you tell the difference between manufacturer coupons and store coupons? It’s pretty simple, once you know what to look for.

A simple search for Rite Aid coupons will show you the difference between coupons that will work and coupons that might not.

Both manufacturer coupons and store coupons may feature a specific store’s logo. But, manufacturer coupons will clearly state that they are manufacturer coupons, while store coupons will state “store coupon” or “valuable coupon” or the name of the store department the coupon is for, such as: “photo coupon.” You can see the difference between these two coupons here:

Manufacturer coupon
Store Coupon
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Manufacturer Coupon

You’ll want to steer clear of uploading and snipping manufacturer coupons because, since stores need a physical copy of the coupon to be refunded, you’re much less likely to have success redeeming a mobilized print manufacturer deal. Many manufacturer coupons will actually contain instructions for how retailers can be reimbursed for manufacturer coupons by mailing them to a specific address.

It’s simple! Avoid snipping manufacturer coupons, and you’ll see your SnipSnap success rate soar. And, remember, many SnipSnapped store coupons can still be combined with physical print manufacturer coupons (depending on your store and specific store location), as well as mobile manufacturer rebates, like the kind you can score with Ibotta.


SnipSnap Quick Tip: Can I Snip it? Store Sales Vs. Store Coupons

We did it! With SnipSnap 2.1, now more than ever, we’re purging more coupons which might not work. We’ve seen our succScreen Shot 2013-01-24 at 1.17.26 PMess ratings for many retailers soar, because we’re more effectively curating your search for the best possible coupons to your favorite stores. The system isn’t perfect (yet), however, are there are still some guidelines you should follow when snipping a coupon.

Which coupons should you avoid snipping? The first type isn’t actually a coupon at all. I’m talking about store circular advertisements. These block advertisements in store circular ads may look like coupons, but they’re actually just advertisements for store sale prices you’ll pay without needing to redeem a paper (or mobile) coupon. The main problem with SnipSnapping store advertisements is they won’t help you save any money at the register. Store advertisements (unlike store coupons) also don’t have bar codes, expiration dates, or even retailer names on them, so there’s no information for SnipSnap to capture. Ads without expiration dates can’t auto-delete, so they stick around much longer than they should.

How can you tell the difference between a store ad and a store coupon when you’re searching the SnipSnap database? It’s easy. Today is National Peanut Butter Day, and I had a craving for some of the stuff, so I typed “peanut butter” into the SnipSnap search bar. I discovered this great store coupon for peanut butter and jelly at Target that’s current and contains a bar code for easy redemption. This is a valid store coupon.

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I also found this store ad for peanut butter.

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If you take a look at the store ad that was snipped, you can see it sort of looks like a coupon. The trick to avoid snipping ads for coupons is to look for the words “store coupon,” as well as an expiration date, store logo and (sometimes) bar code. Valid coupons will have this information.Screen Shot 2013-01-24 at 2.21.08 PMIt’s that simple! Avoid snipping store ads, and you’ll have a much easier time redeeming SnipSnapped store coupons at the register. If you, like me, love peanut butter and want to take the Target coupon for a spin, make sure you follow me in SnipSnap and subscribe to my Target Top Picks coupon bundle for more great grocery deals!