Online Coupons

Printable Online Coupons

If you like saving money, the Internet is full of coupons that you can download and print from your home computer. Live a more frugal lifestyle, or just save a few dollars on your next trip to the grocery store.

Printable Coupon Sources

Cool Savings is a long-running website with links to an assortment of coupons. Even when other websites offer printable coupons, they're often provided by the Cool Savings service. Check back frequently for the latest offers. Cool Savings also offers free samples and online specials, although some of the "specials" are merely ads for products.

You may be familiar with the Valpak service as a blue envelope that arrives in the mail with coupons from local businesses. They've taken their operation online, and you can search by zip code for coupons on restaurants, travel, grocery, entertainment and more.

Some company websites offer customers printable coupons, especially when they're introducing a new product. Sometimes, you'll need to sign up for a newsletter or register for the site to access the printable coupons. Restaurants frequently create loyalty clubs and newsletters which sometimes give subscribers coupons, although these usually appear in your email rather than being directly printable from a website. You may want to create a free email address for online sign-ups to prevent spam in your primary email account.

Grocery and department stores also offer printable coupons directly on their website. Target occasionally posts coupons to be used at Super Target stores. Kroger has a unique system that takes the printing out of printable coupons. You select the coupons you'd like to use from a list on the store's website, and the coupons are placed on your Kroger Plus card.

Words of Caution

You may be asked to download a plug-in for you web browser to print online coupons. Only download from sites you trust, as you may receive a virus or spyware with even the most innocent program.

Unfortunately, some grocery stores will no longer take Internet coupons because of instances of fraud. You may want to check your local store's policy before attempting to use them. To avoid unintentionally using fraudulent coupons, you should be wary of anything sounding too good to be true. If you find a link directly on the product manufacturer's site or from a reputable coupon clearinghouse, then you don't have to worry about illegal coupons. If you find a PDF file on a random Geocities website with several high-value coupons, like $5 off any Tide or free any size Neutrogena product, these are definitely counterfeit coupons.

Online Coupon Codes

If you're shopping online, a common way to try to save money is to look for online coupon codes. A coupon code is simply a string of letters and numbers like HZ453MN232, or sometimes it's a word related to the promotion, like "springsale." When you submit a coupon code during checkout at an online shopping site, you receive a predetermined discount on your order, whether it's a $5 off, 30% off or free shipping. Coupon codes may start out in catalogs or special mailings to past customers, but they're soon spread throughout the Internet.

Several sites exist for the purpose of compiling coupon codes from various retailers. All Online Coupons, DealCatcher and Coupon Mountain are just a few of these sites. You can also look for coupon codes by searching for "coupon codes" and the name of the site you're about to make a purchase from.