Greetings, fellow couponer! Since you’re here, my guess is that you now have a least a few successful coupon trips under your belt and are now ready to take your skills to the next level. (If this is your first time couponing, I’d recommend checking out my beginner’s guide, which can be found here.)

Now, my second guess is that you’ve come to find that you possess a strange attachment to Target. You know what I’m talking about. 😉 Sadly, I have to inform you that if you’ve been trying to pull yourself away from this magical store and all of its alluring properties, you’ve come to the wrong place. The following guide will introduce you to the vast world of Target couponing and provide all the information you need in order to save BIG at your favorite department store, as if it wasn’t already amazing enough!

As you read through this guide, you may like to take a look at and familiarize yourself with the Target coupon policy found here.

To start, there are three types of coupons that are available to use at Target: manufacturer coupons, store coupons, and cartwheel coupons. Now, the awesome part is that you can combine and use all three on a single item!

Store Coupons

Target frequently puts out new store coupons online that can be used on top of any manufacturer coupons to get you even more savings. Printable store coupons can be found at coupons.target.com. Simply clip and print! Mobile coupons are another form of store coupon that can be obtained via text message, which you can sign up for here. You should receive your first text within a few days, which will contain a link to access your coupons. Just open the link and have the cashier scan the bar code at checkout and you’re golden! Because printable and mobile coupons are both store coupons, you may not use them together on a single item.

Cartwheel Coupons

So, between the manufacturer, printable, and mobile coupons, you would think that that would be enough to save a ton of money, right? Well, believe it or not, that’s where Cartwheel comes in and steals the show! (Cartwheel can be downloaded onto most smart phones from the app store, and gives you the option to sign up through email or Facebook.)

Like mobile coupons, cartwheel coupons have a bar code that can be scanned directly at checkout. However, you can load any amount of offers onto the bar code that your account allows. The more you use cartwheel, the more spots you can unlock. Offers will display as percentages off certain products.

Typically, cartwheel coupons are valid on up to four of the same items per transaction. One of the most important things to remember about cartwheel coupons is that they must  be scanned at the end of the transaction, after all other coupons have been scanned. Also, the percentage savings are always taken off after store coupons but before manufacturer coupons. Take the following deal for example:

Buy two body washes at $3.50 each = $7.00 total
-Use (2) $1.00/1 manufacturer coupons 
-Use (1) $1.00/2 Target store coupon 
-Use 10% Cartwheel 

Total: ______

Now, to get the total, the Target store coupon would be taken off first, putting the total down to $6.00. Then, the 10% cartwheel would come off for a total of $.60 ($.30 off of each one), and then finally the two manufacturer coupons would take off, making the grand total $3.40 for both items. (Note that the computer does all this calculating for you at the register, so as long as your cartwheel coupons are scanned last, everything will take off perfectly :D)

Still with me? I know all this information may be a little overwhelming to you right now, but trust me it gets easier! Now that we’ve covered all the different types of coupons available at Target, there’s just a few more things to touch on before you set out!

Target REDcard

A personal favorite of mine is the Target REDcard, which is available as either a credit or debit card. Using your card saves you 5% on all purchases made both in store and online and gives you free shipping on all orders made online. The great part is that if you’re not looking to sign up for the credit card, the debit account simply links to an existing checking account and works just like any other debit card. Pretty cool, huh? To learn more about the REDcard, you can find all the info here.

Gift Card Deals

As a Target shopper, I’m sure you’ve seen the signs throughout the store offering a gift card for meeting certain purchase requirements. This is a great way to score an even sweeter deal on top of all your coupons! That’s right, gift card deals and coupons go hand in hand. Let’s take a look at this example deal:

Buy 2 boxes of Huggies diapers at $24.99 each = $49.98
Buy 2 and get a $10.00 gift card
-Use (2) $2.00/1 manufacturer coupons
-Use (1) $2.00/2 Target mobile coupon

Total paid: $43.98, but you will receive a $10.00 gift card, making the final price $33.98

Since gift cards received at checkout are good toward your next purchase, it is common to do separate transactions and apply the gift card(s) received in the first one to purchases made in the second. 

Price Matching

One of the newest ways to save at Target is price matching. Target’s price match policy states that  they will match the price of a qualifying item if an identical item is found for a lower price in the following week’s ad or within seven days at several online retailers, such as Amazon.com, Walmart.com, BestBuy.com, ToysRUS.com, and BabiesRUS.com. They will also match to local competitor’s ads. 

To do a price match, simply bring the item you want matched to the customer service desk and bring up the website of the retailer with the lower price (or show the competitor’s ad which the product is located) and they will match it! An important thing to note on price matching is that it Target coupons are applied before the price match is made. If the competitor’s price is still lower after the Target coupons are applied, the price match will occur. This is why the use of Target coupons is a bit unnecessary when it comes to price matching. However, manufacturer coupons will take off after the price match, making for a better deal in the end! To find out more about price matching at Target, you can find their full policy here.

So, think you’re ready to take on the world of Target couponing? All of this, like I said, may seem a bit overwhelming, but with a little practice, you’ll be a pro in no time! If you have any questions about this guide, feel free to comment below! Thanks for reading!

So, you want to start getting serious about saving money, huh? Well, If you’re anything like I was when I first looked into couponing, you’re probably completely lost already and thinking it may not be worth it after all. Wrong!

Couponing can be a very rewarding (and fun!) hobby when done properly. And trust me, I know how frustrating it is not knowing all the rules and then going to the store after hours of planning just to have my coupons be rejected.

But fear not! This handy guide I have prepared contains all the basic fundamentals of couponing; every thing you absolutely need to know before you embark on your money-saving journey, packaged up nice and neatly in one single post. 🙂

Couponing Basics: A Beginner’s Guide

Types of Coupons

• Manufacturer coupons- are put out by companies and can be redeemed at any store that accepts coupons
• Store coupons- are specific to certain stores and can usually be printed out from the store’s website (i.e. coupons.target.com)
• Catalina coupons- print out from the register following a transaction. Catalinas typically print out after buying a certain quantity of items from a specific manufacturer
• Mobile coupons- are typically single use coupons that can be accessed straight from your phone and scanned at checkout. These are often delivered to your email, but you can also have them delivered via text message for some stores

Parts of a Coupon

1. Expiration date
2. Quantity- how many items must be purchased per coupon
3. Size- most coupons will state a specific size that it will work for
4. Valid items and restrictions- this is a very crucial section as many coupons restrict certain products or sizes (a very common one you’ll see is excludes trial/travel sizes)
5. Photo- this is an area of confusion for some. The photo on a coupon does not determine which products it is valid on. For example, if you have a coupon that states: $1.00 off ANY Huggies product, but the picture only displays a pack of diapers; you could use it to purchase a pack of wipes instead, or any other product in that brand!
6. Bar code- this is, of course, where the coupon gets scanned! Because of this, it is super important that it is completely in tact and readable.

Whew! Now that we’ve got the basics down, it’s time to move on to the more complex concepts. (Only a little more complex… you’ve got this! 🙂 )

Coupon limitations and what they mean

The following limitations are going to be printed on most of the coupons that you come across, and can usually be found near the bar code. It is important to know the difference between them, as they can cause confusion if not understood properly.

• Limit one coupon per purchase- This is probably the most tricky. A lot of people, myself included when I first started out, interpret this as you only being able to use one coupon total. However, what it actually means is that only one manufacturer coupon can be used per item(s) purchased. As an example, you could use four of the same coupon that are valid on one item if you’re buying four items total.
• Limit one coupon per person/household- Now, this is the one that most people think the previous limitation is referring to. What this one means is exactly what it states; if it states person, then each person you are shopping with who is purchasing that item could use the coupon once. If it states household, only one coupon can be used, period.
• Cannot be combined with any other coupon- This is another one that can be kind of tricky. What it means is that you can’t use one manufacturer coupon on an item in along with another, different manufacturer coupon. For example, a manufacturer coupon that states $1.00 off the purchase of one couldn’t be used with one that states $.50 off of one, even though they are completely different coupons. This is often interpreted as that the coupon cannot be combined with any coupon at all, including store coupons, but don’t let it fool you! It simply means that two manufacturer or two store coupons cannot be used on the same item.

Stacking Coupons

That last point brings me to my next section, which involves the stacking of coupons. A coupon stack refers to the use of multiple types of coupons for a single item. The most common type of coupon stack would be the pairing of a manufacturer and store coupon. Unless otherwise stated in a store’s coupon policy, coupon stacking is almost always accepted in any store that accepts coupons.

Printable Coupons

In this day and age, a majority of the coupons that are available can be found online. This makes couponing just that much easier for those who are already busy and may not always have the time to search through the inserts. The following are a few things to remember when using internet coupons:

• Internet coupons have a print limit- Most online coupons can be printed out twice per computer, although some can only be printed once. In my two years of couponing, I’ve never seen a coupon that can be printed more than twice from a single computer.
• Some coupons will become unavailable once a certain number of prints has occurred- Sometimes, a coupon is just so amazing, it gets printed too many times and becomes unavailable. When this happens, don’t be sad! A lot of times, the coupon resets a within a few days. 🙂
• Don’t copy coupons- This is a big one! Because you can only print two coupons, it can be a bit frustrating if you’re planning on buying more items than that. However, copying coupons is not the way to go. Although it may seem like a good idea in order to get basically unlimited amounts of any coupon, it is actually highly illegal. Each coupon has its own individual serial number and if copied, multiple amounts of the same coupon are being run through the system and this can cause problems for the store that it was used at as well as for the manufacturer that distributed it.
• Coupons.com- One of the best sites to find printable coupons! There are different categories to choose from and it gives you the option to type in your  zip code so you can find coupons that are more specific to the area in which you live.

Rebate Apps

Many new couponers believe that the savings stop once the transaction is complete. But other, more seasoned, savers like myself, know that this just isn’t the case! Modern couponing has introduced a new way to save in the form of rebate applications on your smartphone. Basically, the way it works is:

1. Complete your transaction
2. Snap a photo of your receipt
3. Claim your qualifying purchases
4. Receive credit!

Different apps have different minimum payout requirements, but the typical amount is $20. Payment options also vary, from PayPal to check by mail. A couple of my favorites that are definitely worth checking out are Ibotta and Checkout 51. You can find out more about these and a bunch of others on my Top 10 Money Saving Apps post!

And that’s all there is to it, folks! Well, it’s not all there is, of course, but hopefully this guide has given you the knowledge to at least get your foot in the door of the wide world of couponing! All you have to do is clip a couple and give it a try 🙂 And it’s okay to be nervous when you first start out, just remember everything you’ve learned and you’ll do fantastic!

Please feel free to share your questions or experiences below, I’d love to hear from you. 🙂 Thanks for reading!