Paper coupons are a hassle. Clipping, keeping track of expiration dates, losing them or forgetting them, or holding up the line at the cash register, they can be inconvenient. Like almost everything else, coupons have stepped into the digital age and are not only saving time, they are saving trees.
Save Money With Paperless Coupons on a Savings Card, Plus Card or Frequent Buyer Card
Many retailers are now offering the option of loading coupons on to a frequent buyer or savings card. Grocery stores like Kroger and Safeway already have the program implemented and being used with success. Shoppers can go online, look through available manufacturer's coupons and click which ones they want stored on their Kroger Plus card. There is a limit of storing 150 coupons at a time. The coupons will be removed from the card after their expiration date. A much better option over 150 paper coupons and having to keep track of them.
Here's How Paperless Coupon Websites Work:
Cellfire, Shortcuts and Zavers are free websites set up to use coupons for saving on groceries, shopping, restaurants and entertainment. To easily set up a phone to use digital coupons, specific information must be entered. There are several ways to get the most out of the sites. Registering online takes less than a minute.
- Enter savings card number OR enter the phone number associated with the savings card account.
- Use an APP like iPhone, Blackberry or Android. Through their website, cellfire has apps set up to make using the coupons even easier.
To start saving, look online through the websites or even from a phone for savings.
To redeem coupons, simply show the cell phone to the cashier. Soon, some fast food restaurants will have the technology in place so consumers can simply shake or wave their cell phone at the register to redeem coupons.
As of summer 2010, participating grocery stores listed with Cellfire include:
- Baker's
- Cala Bell
- City Market
- Dillons
- Fry's
- Gorbes
- Hilander
- JayC
- King Soopers
- Kroger
- Owen's
- Pay Less Groceries
- QFC
- Ralph's
- Scott's
- Smiths Food and Drug
Cellfire updates their compatible phone list frequently
Zavers list of grocery retailers as of summer 2010 include:
- A & P
- Waldbaum's
- Superfresh
- The Food Emporium
- Pathmark
- Cooke's
- Harris Teeter (Coming Soon)
Other Ways to Save Online
Sites like Retail Me Not, or RetailMeNot, offers online savings at over 50,000 websites, updated frequently. In addition, RetailMeNot has coupons that can be printed but that could change soon as many retailers and coupon sites are shifting to paperless.
Digital Coupons and Privacy
The barcodes on digital coupons have the potential to contain a lot of information about the shopper using them. Consumer advocacy groups are working with the Federal Trade Commission to create guidelines that would require mobile marketers to reveal exactly what personal information they collect and use for digital coupons.
Elizabeth Richards - Elizabeth Richards has published almost 200 articles for Suite101 since 2007 as a Contributing and Feature Writer.
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