Let’s Understand Coupon Vocabulary

If you are as crazy about couponing as we are, then you must have come across some terms often and couldn’t make sense of them all. We had that issue too and then we decided to put it to rest once and for all. A little bit of research and asking here and there helped us so, we have a complete list of terms used for couponing along with the meanings. First, it will help a lot if we know about the types of coupons.

Types Of Coupons

Manufacturers Coupons

These coupons are available with some products or on the company’s website. They are offered directly by the manufacturers as the name suggests. The purpose of such coupons or voucher codes is to entice the customers. The smart thing is to redeem them at the stores which offer promos as well to double the discounts.

Store Coupons

Most retailers offer discounts on the items they sell. The vouchers for these discounts can be found inside the store flyers, website, social media, or a store coupon book. They are obviously store-specific and can be stacked with the manufacturer coupon to get a double discount on a single purchase.

E-Coupons

The most recent and the easy to avail are e-coupons. They can be downloaded on loyalty cards and mobiles. If they are downloaded on the cards, they are automatically redeemed when the card is swapped. They are mostly available on the retailers’ websites. They are often offered in the form of online promo codes and voucher codes.

IP

IP here doesn’t mean Internet Protocol; it means Internet Printable. These coupons can be printed even from the home computer. However, it is illegal to photocopy these tickets they can send you to jail or make you pay a hefty fine. Each computer can print two of them.

IVC

It means an Instant Value coupon and can be found in the coupon booklets.

Purchase-Based Coupons

These tickets specify a certain dollar amount of the specific minimum dollar purchase such as $1 off $10 or $2 off $15.

Peelie

It is a sticker-type coupon that can be found on the products at discounts.

Catalina

It is also known as CAT. It is a voucher printed on the back or at the bottom of the store receipt.

Acronyms

Now, we should move forward to the jargon other than the types of coupons. To begin with, we have some abbreviations.

ISO

In Search Of.

NLA

No Longer Available.

OOP

Out Of Pocket. It is referred to the amount paid by the customer to a store in order to make a purchase.

OYNO

On Your Next Order.

PSA

Pricing Start At.

UPC

Universal Product Code.

WYB

When You Buy.

YMMV

Your Mileage May Vary.

Terminologies

After these acronyms let’s have a look at some other terms used in couponing.

Stacking

Stacking coupons is using a manufacturer and a store discount at the same time. Almost all stores allow stacking coupons.

Tear Pad

It is a pad of manufacturer coupons usually placed near the shopping aisles. The tickets you tear from these pads can be redeemed at any store as they are not store-specific.

Rain Check

It is a written slip that customers can request a store. It is provided when a sale item is out of stock and can be used after the re-stocking of that item. If you have a rain check, you can get a particular item at the sale price even after the sale is over. Many stores mention expiry dates on rain checks and set quantity limits.

Handling Fee

Manufacturers pay an amount to the stores for accepting coupons which is called a handling fee.

$1/1, $2/1, etc.

It is simple; one dollar off one item and two dollars off one item, etc.

$1/2, $2/2, etc.

Again a simple one; one dollar off two items and two dollars off two items. It specifies that you have to buy two items to avail of this discount.

Coupon Database

It is a resource where online coupons can be searched and found.

Wrap Up

These are the terms that anyone interested in couponing should know. Couponing is not an old-school hobby it has been digitalized long ago, and it can be extremely beneficial if you know how to take advantage of the discounts offered. We hope that these terms will help you in the future. Good luck!