Stacking coupons — the way mom used to do it — has changed. But you can now get even bigger savings, and no longer have to clip and carry dozens of little paper coupons.
While many coupons have gone digital, some stores still allow customers to combine multiple discounts in a single transaction — and the savings add up fast.
"My sunglasses were $22, and I paid $8 dollars for them," said shopper Kari Edwards, who makes a sport out of finding deals at Kohl's.
She starts by hunting for markdowns, then stacks Kohl's Cash and extra coupons to pile on the savings.
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"Then they will send you emails when something special is going on," she said.
Watch as a shopper shows how she triples up on coupon savings at Kohl's:
How to start stacking savings
Kohl's Store Manager Cooper Osborne said the first step to stacking savings is joining Kohl's Rewards, which earns 5% rewards on store purchases. Those rewards turn into Kohl's Cash, which shoppers can apply to future purchases.
"A lot of coupons you see around are going to be percentages, and this is nice because it's actually a dollar off so you can get $10 off, $20, $30," he said. "You can go up to as much as you spend, and that's how much you're going to earn there."
Another benefit to signing up for rewards is additional coupons.
"Sometimes they tailor them to you. So if you're a big shopper in bedding, you might get exclusive bedding coupons, or you might get exclusive men's clothing coupons," Osborne said.
Savvy shoppers at Kohl's can stack four discounts in a single transaction:
- Store markdowns
- Kohl's Rewards discounts
- Kohl's Cash
- Paper or digital coupons
"You can use all that stuff together and get as much savings as you possibly can," Osborne said.
Other retailers that allow coupon stacking
Coupon stacking works with other retailers, too.
Target shoppers, for example, can apply the following discounts in a single transaction:
- One manufacturer's coupon
- One Target store offer
- An additional 5% off with a Target Circle Card
At CVS, shoppers can use the following on a single item:
- One manufacturer's coupon
- One CVS coupon
- Or two coupons for $3 off $15 on purchases of $30 or more
At Publix, shoppers can combine a manufacturer's coupon with a Publix coupon or with a competitor's coupon, but not both.
Stephanie Carls, a retail insights expert with RetailMeNot, said the key to coupon stacking is knowing each store's rules. Walmart, for instance, has a strict one-coupon-per-item policy.
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"Once you know which discounts can work together, then you stop leaving those easy combinations behind," Carls said.
After applying coupons, shoppers should also consider using a rewards credit card and signing up for a cash back platform like Fetch, Ibotta, Rakuten or RetailMeNot.
"Cash back is money back on a purchase you were already going to make," Carls said.
So stack those deals, so you don't waste your money.
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