What Does “Doubling Coupons” Mean?

Doubling and tripling coupons is one of the most confusing aspects of couponing when you’re starting out.  So, I am going to explain exactly how to double and triple coupons!

Double or triple coupons is a promotion offered by a store in an effort to get you to shop there. Doubling coupons is when the store will take your coupon and match the value of it up to a certain amount.  The amount will vary by store, but I will use $1 as an example. You bring in your $1 coupon to use and they will give you $2 off your purchase instead of just $1. Pretty good deal, eh?

The coupon doubling happens automatically at the register, however you may need to use your loyalty/rewards card to take advantage of the promotion (make sure to scan your card before any coupons or they may not double).  After you scan the $1 coupon, you will see another deduction right under it for another $1 off.

Most stores will only double a certain number of each of the same coupon. My Kroger store will only double three “like” coupons.  So, if you were to buy four boxes of Cheerios and use four 50¢/1 Cheerios coupons, only the first three would double. They will still accept the fourth coupon, but it will not double. You could, however, buy six boxes of Cheerios and use three 50¢/1 coupons and three 45¢/1 coupons and they would all double because they are different.

Stores will only double up to a certain amount. The amounts are usually 50¢, 99¢, or $1.  That means, if your store doubles up to 99¢ and you use a $1 coupon, your $1 coupon will not double.  So, in this situation, a 75¢ coupon would actually be worth more than a $1 coupon!

Some coupons state “do not double” on them. Manufacturers sometimes print this on their coupons to financially protect themselves.  They will reimburse the store for the amount of the coupon plus an 8¢ handling fee. However, some stores may get confused and think that the manufacturers should reimburse them for the full amount plus the doubled amount. This is not the case though. The manufacturer only reimburses for the amount on the coupon. The store is fully responsible for the doubled amount. Even though the store is paying for the doubled amount out of their own pockets, doubling coupons attracts a great deal of shoppers which usually more than makes up for any potential losses for the store.

Even though some coupons say “do not double”, most will still automatically double at the register. If you look at the coupon bar code you can tell if it will or will not double. If the coupon bar code starts with a “5” it will double automatically. If it starts with a “9” it will NOT double automatically. Even if it starts with a “5”, the cashier may still override the coupon to make it not double.

Some stores only double on certain days. All the stores in my area will double and triple coupons everyday. There are some stores though that will only double on certain days of the week or month.

Do your research! Check your store’s weekly sales flier, go online to their website website or even call directly to ask about their double/triple coupon rules and promotions.

See, doubling coupons isn’t hard at all!