What does "One per Purchase" really mean?

Whether you have been couponing for years or have just begun, you are bound to run across a problem at some point trying to redeem your coupons.

I have foung that the most frequent is how to interpret the verbiage on coupons. I have decided to provide you with a few tips on what the coupon really means, however you need to keep in mind that every store will have their own coupon policy and the store may interpret the verbiage differently than what the manufacturer really meant.

The most famous problem is
"One Coupon per Purchase"  You will at some point or another run into a problem where the cashier at the store will say that this means you can only use 1 coupon. Well that is not what this means. One Coupon Per Purchase means 1 coupon per item purchased. You can purchase 4 items and each item is a purchase, and together they make a transaction. When this happens to me I will explain to the cashier that each item is a purchase and everything that I have is a transaction, and usually the cashier will understand and accept the coupons. To better explain this, if you are purchasing 4 cans of tuna, you can use 4 coupons as each can is a purchase.

"One Coupon Per Transaction" - This means you can only use one coupon within that transaction for that particluar item, however you can use other coupons for other items within your transaction. For instance, if you have 1 can of Tuna, 1 can of Tomatoes and 1 can of soup. If each coupon (and the coupons are all different) indicates 1 coupon per transaction, you can use all 3 of them, since each coupon is for the specific item. However if you have 2 of the same coupons that indicate One coupon per transaction and it is for tuna, and you want to use both within the same transaction, you can  not do that. You will need to complete 2 separate transactions.

"One Coupon Per Customer/Family/Person" -  This means that you can only use one coupon within that transaction, within that day. If you would like to use more than one coupon just come back later that day or on another day and use the coupon.

"The Picture does not match the item that you are purchasing" - If the coupon you are using indicates "ANY" item within a brand category, you can purchase any of those items, even if it is not in the picture. For instance, if you have a coupon for Kraft "Any Shedded Cheese 312grams" and the picture is for mozzeralla and you want to purchase cheddar. As long as the Cheddar Cheese is Kraft Brand, is shredded and is 312 grams, you are good to go. Manufacturers can not possibly put a picture of every item on a coupon or the coupon would have to be a a full piece of paper, therefore manufacturers will only put a small sampling of items in the picture or even just one item on the coupoon. Any means just that, you can use the coupon on any item within the specific criteria that the coupon details. You can not go and use this coupon on a bulk size block of cheese made by cracker barrel, but as long as it is Kraft, shredded and the specific size that is listed you are using the coupon correcly.

"Coupon value is more than the price of the item" -  If you are using a coupon for an item that is on sale for .88 and your coupon is for 1.00, you may or may not be able to use the coupon. Some stores will still allow you to use the coupon and will enter it as 1.00 therefore making it a money maker (you made .12 which can be applied to the remaining items in your transaction). Some stores will say that they will reduce the coupon to .88, and some will say that they can not accept the coupon. Either one of these is acceptable as it is up to the individual store or Company to determine how they will handle this type of situation. It is best for you to undertand the coupon policy for the store that you are purchasing your items. If at all possible, have a copy of that store coupon policy with you when you are checking out in case you run into any problems. A store does not have to accept your coupon, it is up to them to decided how and when they will accept coupons. A company should just have a standard coupon policy and ensure that every store and each cashier adheres to it. Bare in mind that not all stores will have a published coupon policy and some are franchised therefore individually owned and each store can have their own policy. In this instance it is just best to know the coupon policy for that store.

Hope these few tips help you when using your coupons!

Happy Couponing!