When times are tough, the old fashioned staple of coupons tend to experience resurgence. Coupons have been around as long as the concept of marketing has, and in recent years the internet has helped create a whole new universe for coupon hunters.
Coupon Aggregators
Some web sites specialize in providing a one-stop shop for coupons from all sorts of stores, both online and brick and mortar stores. Similar to travel web sites, these coupon aggregator sites can save you a lot of time clicking around looking for the best deal. Why go to hundreds of sites when one site can deliver what you need? That's exactly what sites such as RetailMeNot.com do for you. Beyond simply searching for stores of interest on their site, they also provide other convenient ways to access their online coupon services. For example, why not use their Mac Dashboard Widget to keep track of the latest free online coupon codes? If you don't have a Mac, simply download their Internet Explorer or Firefox web browser add-ons and have free online coupon codes sent directly to your web browser. Jumping on the expanding popularity of Facebook, they also offer a plug-in for the popular social networking site.
Other useful free online coupon aggregator web sites include CouponMountain.com, DealCatcher.com,Ebates.com and BestOnlineCoupons.com. Do a search on Google or your favorite search engine for "free online coupons" and you'll be amazed at the different sites out there.
Company Coupons
Businesses have long recognized the power of the coupon. Not only does it help them increase sales, but from an analysis perspective it can help their marketing departments figure out what types of promotions consumers you like respond to the best. Thus, you can find many coupons directly from company web sites.
The easiest way to see if there are savings of what you regularly buy is simply to type the brand name and the word "coupon" into any search engine. Chances are the free online coupon you're looking for is out there. Many may have expiration dates, so make sure you take note of when the coupon is good until.
Free online coupons have two main ways of redeeming them. The first is the good old fashioned way. Print out the coupon and take it into the store of your choice. Present the coupon at the point of purchase. Another popular way to use free online coupons is by typing in a coupon code during an online purchase. If you regularly purchase over the internet, this can be more convenient (and save a lot of paper and printer ink too).
Make sure to read the fine print of any web site offering coupons. Most will ask for your email address and other personal information. Give out only what you're comfortable with. It's a good idea to open a separate email account just for these types of online promotions. This will prevent your personal inbox from getting flooded with spam.
Finding free online coupons is not only a great way to save money, it can be a lot of fun as well!
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