22 Apr

10 Types of Discounts You Can Get with Voucher Codes

There are many different tricks that you can do with discount codes and coupons to make sure that you are maximizing your savings. Comparison shopping, searching for free shipping codes and combining different types of coupons to get a higher savings are all methods that smart money-saving shoppers will make use of when they are using coupons. However, you aren’t really going to save as much as you can with coupons until you understand the basics about them. The very first thing that you should learn (or brush up on if you’re already a regular user of voucher codes) is just what types of savings and discounts are available with the use of these online coupons.

Here is a look at ten of the most common types of discounts that you’ll encounter when using voucher codes along with some information about the pros and cons of each type of savings:

1. Specific amount taken off of total. This is the most common type of discount code that you will find. It is the type of code that allows you to get $5 or £15 or some other specific amount taken off of the total cost of the purchase. The best thing about this type of voucher code is that it is a very straightforward type of coupon that allows you to easily see exactly how much you are saving when using this discount code. The drawback to these types of codes is that you often have to spend a certain amount of money to get the discount. If you weren’t already going to spend that amount at the online store that the coupon is for then you aren’t actually getting a savings of that amount but instead are spending more money than you are saving. When using these types of coupons you should always ask yourself if you are spending more than the savings just to use the coupon; if you are then don’t use it.

2. Percentage off of the total. This type of promotional code is similar to the first type of voucher code. It has the same basic pros and cons. However, it has the additional drawback of being slightly more difficult to calculate the actual savings because you have to do the math in your head to find out what dollar amount you are saving. For example, you may have a coupon for 10% off of your total and you would need to calculate what ten percent of your total is to know exactly what you are saving. On the plus side, you can save a lot of money with these types of coupons especially on the more expensive items that you might be purchasing.

3. Buy one get one free. This is an interesting type of coupon that we often see. It confuses some people because they aren’t sure whether or not they’re getting a true savings and how much they are saving. The answer is that you are getting two items for the price of one (or getting each item for half price) but that this is only a good value if you would have bought two of the item anyway. For example, buy one get one free toilet paper is a great buy since you will certainly use that toilet paper. A buy one get one free DVD isn’t as good of a deal if you only wanted one DVD to begin with. The only catch here is to make sure that there isn’t another similar item that is lower in price than the half price you are paying. To figure this out you simply have to look at the price of your item, cut it in half and then see if there are other similar items priced lower than that. For example, if the cost of your toilet paper is $2 then the coupon would make it $1; if there is another brand of toilet paper that is less than $1 then the coupon isn’t a good deal even though it tells you that you’re getting something for free.

4. Buy one get one half off. This is a variation on the last coupon and one that’s even more confusing for some folks because the math is slightly more complicated. With this coupon you have to pay full price for the first item and you get the second one for half the price. In most cases, you’ll find that this is not a very good money-saving coupon. All that you’re saving is one half off of one of the items. You can usually get a better deal by purchasing an item that is lower priced (such as a store brand item). However, these can sometimes be good coupons for people who are buying things they already would have bought anyway so they should be completely ignored.

5. Buy three or more and get one free. This is another variation on the “buy one get one” coupon. It has the same pros and cons as the “buy one get one half off” type of deal. If you understand how these coupons work and can do math easily in your head then you can sometimes benefit from these promotional deals but they’re definitely at the bottom of the list in terms of general coupon values.

6. Free gift with purchase. This is an interesting coupon that you see sometimes in which you are encouraged to make a specific kind of purchase and are enticed with the offer of a free gift. In most cases, the gift is a cheap sort of gift that you’re not going to want anyway. However, it’s great when you find these types of coupons for places that you were going to shop anyway because you really do get a free item just for spending your money with the store. Those items can then be sold or given as gifts to others or used in some way so you earn a bit of money for your spending efforts.

7. Get something entirely for free. There are some coupons that offer you a completely free item. These coupons are hard to find but they are created sometimes by manufacturers and stores that want to bring attention to a specific product. They give a limited number of the product away for free to generate a buzz. In most cases, this is a great coupon since you don’t pay anything for the item. However, you need to make sure to read the fine print because these deals sometimes aren’t what they seem. You should also avoid getting junk that you don’t actually want just because it is free.

8. Free shipping coupons. This allows you to avoid paying the shipping costs on items that you purchase online. The best thing about these coupons is that they’re easy to find and they can be combined with other coupons to enhance your total savings. The only drawback to these is that you may sometimes find that an item is cheaper at one store even when you pay shipping than it is at the store that offers free shipping. See our article about saving money on shipping fees to learn more about how to properly use these types of discount codes.

9. Discounts for members or for new memberships. In some cases you’ll see promotional codes advertised that have fine print which lets you know that you have to be a member of a store, club or website in order to get the deal. Alternatively, you may get a discount for using a certain type of credit card. It’s important to read through the details of these memberships to see if you’re really going to be saving any money. If the membership costs money then you need to weigh the cost of ongoing savings for members with the cost of the membership itself. As a general rule it’s good to keep the number of your memberships limited to maximize savings; the more memberships you have, the more thinly you spread your savings around.

10. Rebate discount code offers. Rebate coupons are not nearly as common online as they are in stores but you will sometimes see them offered as promotional codes. The drawback to rebates is that you have to pay out of pocket for your purchase and then you get the money back as cash weeks or even months later. Also you have to make sure that you properly submit the rebate forms or you won’t get the savings at all. On the other hand, rebates often offer you a nice chunk of change back for your efforts and are particularly great for high-priced items that you were planning to purchase with or without the coupon.

The main thing to remember when using any sort of promotional code or coupon is that you need to read the fine print and think carefully about whether or not you are truly getting a savings when you are using the deal that is offered. Common sense and some basic skills with math go a long way towards making sure that you truly get a good deal with coupons like these.

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