Do you have to buy the actual product your coupon is for

Woolwich_Kim

Hi,

I've just read an article of some 16 year old who got £600 worth of food shopping for just 4p using loads of coupons and donating it to a charity food bank.

I've always wondered about 'extreme couponing'.

Firstly, isn't it right that you can't use coupons with other offers? e.g. if you had a coupon for a free loaf of bread, you can't use that with a bogof bread offer and get 2 loaves free.

Secondly, someone in the comment box of that article said that you can redeem the coupon if you don't actually buy the product therefore getting the money off your shopping instead? e.g. using a £1 pampers coupon when you're not buying pampers.

Chris25

Woolwich_Kim wrote: »

Hi,


Firstly, isn't it right that you can't use coupons with other offers? e.g. if you had a coupon for a free loaf of bread, you can't use that with a bogof bread offer and get 2 loaves free.

Secondly, someone in the comment box of that article said that you can redeem the coupon if you don't actually buy the product therefore getting the money off your shopping instead? e.g. using a £1 pampers coupon when you're not buying pampers.

I don't think I've had a problem with giving a coupon when an item has been on an offer like BOGOF or 3 for 2 - sometimes you can use 2 coupons. You need to check the t&c's on voucher.

I don't know of any supermarkets in this country that still let you use a voucher if you don't buy the item. Waitrose used to, as long as they sold the product but they stopped that a while back and I think they were the last shop to let you do that.

thick_tom

you should only get what is on the coupon

LaaCaz

It used to be the case that you could use a coupon on something else if the store stocked the item on the coupon itself - NOT anymore! You have to buy the item as detailed on the coupon.

Most supermarkets will allow you to use coupons when the product is on offer.

I also saw these articles today and someone wrote in the comments that you could only use 5 vouchers per transaction and only 10% of the final bill - this is NOT the case. You can use as many coupons in a transaction as long as you are buying the products detailed. Some coupons do say 1 per transaction so you could only use one of those type per transaction but some say per product/purchase, this means you can use as many of these coupons on as many of those items. The 10% thing is not true either.

Just remember that the lad that has got the shopping for 4p was doing it for charity. He has been in the newspapers before and so the companies involved would have known him. He wrote to them telling them what he was going to do. He also visited his local tesco first to explain. They probably did waver some of the transaction rules for the trip involved to save time, knowing that all the coupons would be legit anyway.

HTHs

cheerfulness4

I read that article too and it would never have been allowed at my Tesco that has rigid rules about couponing. It was obviously Tescos playing up to the press for a favourable report but my experience has been that they'd refuse this kind of couponing from others without a doubt.

My Asda also quoted me their 'no more than 10% of your total bill in coupons' rule and I've seen numerous quotes from head offices covering their backs by saying its an individual stores policy.

Woolwich_Kim

Thanks guys, I thought extreme couponing would be too good to be true.

I have also heard of schemes where a certain supermarket promises to "double the difference" if another major supermaket had something cheaper and some people would buy loads of a product that was cheaper, claim the double the difference deal then get a refund in the original shop thus making free money. Anyone tried this? Gosh, why do I hear about these things when it's not available anymore!!!

lovetowinacar

cheerfulness4 wrote: »

I read that article too and it would never have been allowed at my Tesco that has rigid rules about couponing. It was obviously Tescos playing up to the press for a favourable report but my experience has been that they'd refuse this kind of couponing from others without a doubt.

My Asda also quoted me their 'no more than 10% of your total bill in coupons' rule and I've seen numerous quotes from head offices covering their backs by saying its an individual stores policy.

I also wondered where the 2 people in the recent newspaper article on extreme couponing shopped. It was in the UK but in my experience none of the supermarkets I use will accept coupons unless you have bought the item and you certainly could not get over £400 of grocery shoping for a mere 4p.