Reader Question: What does ‘one coupon per purchase’ mean?
I received this question from a reader:
MapleMoney, do you have an article on restrictive wording on coupons?
I get this question a lot, so I figured it was due time that I write a post about coupon wording.
| Limit One Coupon Per Purchase: This means that you can not apply more than one coupon on one item.Limit One Coupon Per Transaction: This means that you can only use one of that particular coupon in one transaction. If you want to use more than one coupon, you will have to do multiple transactions.
Limit One Coupon Per Customer/Family: This means that you can only use one coupon per customer or family. If you want to use more than one coupon, you can only use one per store visit. Limit One Coupon Per Purchase, Per Customer: Just like above, this means that you can only use one coupon per customer. This offer cannot be combined with any other offers: This line means that you cannot use more than one coupon on one item. Not valid with any other coupon offer: Just like above, this means you cannot use more than one coupon on one item. No Facsimiles: You cannot make copies of this coupon. This is not always posted on every coupon out there, but it is expected that you never photocopy coupons. Photo: You may run into issues with a cashier where they state you must only use the coupon on the item photographed on the coupon. This is not the case, unless the coupon says so. If the coupon states that it can be used on “ANY” product, then you don’t have to use it on the item pictured. |
Comments
“Cannot be combined with any other offers” doesn’t necessarily mean you cannot use more than one coupon in Western Canada. Most staff at London Drugs allow us to stack this wording (some do not).
That is true, different rules may apply if you shop at a store that allows stacking. 🙂
I tried buy 3 full size cans of gillette satin care shave gel at zellers using the “save $5 when you buy any 3 gillette products or a gift set over $10” coupon and the store manager refused to let me purchase them as she said it wasn’t pictured on the coupon. I argued that it didn’t state that on the coupon, it stated ANY product, and they still refused stating that P & G wrote them and told them it had to be in the picture despite what the coupon said. When I wrote P & G, they apologized and gave me a FPC but didn’t deny that they sent the store that email (and I even saw it). Made me really mad.
Excellent – thanks for that!
I stacked at L D today with a coupon “cannot be combined with any other offer” and 2 other coupons $3 wub 2 Aveeno and a $3 aveeno and the lady (very nice Lady) explained to me that that particular coupon could be stacked it was only if it said couldn’t be used with any other coupon that you couldn’t use it. So had no problems.
PLEASE London Drugs come to southern Ontario -wahaaaaa!
@Maria :
I bought the satin care shave gel with the same coupon at walmart without problem and they we’re at 1,50$ each!!
Walmart by me has a new policy that states “One coupon per purchase” is One coupon allowed per transaction!! So if you want 2 and have 2 coupons your screwed!
While the list is all well and good (I completely agree with your interpretation of the meanings), stores (and cashiers) can still interpret the phrases to mean something different. Not really much you can do if that is the case. They have decided what it means and you must abide by it. The “one per purchase” is the one I have had the most issues with-purchase, to them, meaning transaction. And no, they won’t do multiple transactions.
Yea I find the wording “Limit One Coupon Per Purchase” is often confused by the cashier as one coupon per transaction and often causes alot of headaches!
Koolaid: That is ridiculous! I would call head office to confirm.. that doesn’t make any sense to me at all.
teachermum: You’re right, and they will. Unfortunetely, it’s up to the stores whether or not they will accept your coupons.
Thanks for posting this! I recently had a cashier at Superstore tell me that since my cereal and soy milk coupons said “one coupon per purchase” that it meant “per transaction”. I thought I was losing it! How did I not know that before?? So, I was coming on here to figure it out, good timing!
@maria- I was hoping to use that coupon to buy venus razors, since it said ‘any gilette product’, I hope that doesn’t happen to me!
this thread is great to pair up with ‘How To Handle Cashiers That Won’t Accept Your Coupons’ that Cassie wrote herself
https://mrsjanuary.com/frugal-living/how-to-handle-cashiers-that-wont-accept-your-coupons/
PS Cassie, ive looked for information like this for quite some time and thank you for your time and effort cause i find these to be VERY valuable posts.
Where I work, you can use as many coupons as you want (sometimes there is a limit to how many per a particular product) in a transaction as long as there is a coupon for each item. However, the “one coupon per purchase” and stating that if I bought 3 packages of so-and-so’s cookies, and I had a coupon for each of those, now that is where I’m confused and tell you why:
I contacted a manufacturer (Dare) a number of months ago about this wording. They told me that if I wanted to buy 3 packages of their cookies, and I had 3 coupons to use for those packages, that it could not be done in one transaction — it had to be 3 separate transactions.
Maybe this is why more and more I’m starting to see manufacturers putting “one coupon per purchase per transaction” on their coupons.