Want to save money but don’t know where to start? Here’s the basics on how to find and use manufacturer coupons!
In a Nutshell:
Manufacturer coupons are money savings offered to consumers directly from the brand that makes them. You can find free printable manufacturer coupons in store ads, directly on the brand site, or on coupon databases online. You can ask for manufacturer coupons by contacting the company if a product doesn’t meet standards. Coupons can be a great way to save money on food and household products when money is tight. However, learning to stack coupons with sales and rebate offers is the best way to stretch your money.
I routinely look for coupons and sales on household and grocery items to stay on budget but couponing has been a learning process over the last year. I’m still learning and actually I just recently came across customer complaint coupons by accident. After buying 2 bags of stale cereal this month, I was really bothered that the money spent had been lost over no fault of my own. I decided to write to the company to ask for a refund and I ended up with 2 manufacturer coupons for free cereal within 2 weeks! Here’s what I’ve learned about manufacturer coupons so far.
What is a Manufacturer Coupon?
A manufacturer coupon is a savings offer from the brand that makes the product. They are specific to a certain product and can be used at any store that accepts them. Brands like P&G offer free printable coupons on their website. Other times you can find manufacturer coupons promoted in weekly ads from the companies that sell the product.
Where to Find Manufacturer Coupons
If you’re looking for a coupon for a specific product you should first try looking up a free printable coupon on the website of that brand. Proctor and Gamble are a parent company of many other brands and offer a variety of coupons directly on their site. They also offer money-back rebates throughout the year.
If you want to browse the selection of manufacturer coupons available without any specific brand in mind, I recommend you check out the Krazy Coupon Lady database. You can also look at the weekly ads of your favorite places to shop to see what coupons are available. Stores like Hy-Vee and Walgreens routinely promote manufacturer coupons.
Customer Complaint Coupons
Another way to get a manufacturer coupon is to write to the company directly. I recently bought 2 large bags of Post brand cereal that were both stale but opened well before the Best By date. I contacted the company from the website listed on the product package. After I answered a few questions about the product and sent a picture I was given a manufacturer coupon by mail for 2 whole new bags of cereal!
To be clear, I am not promoting false complaints to get free products. However, complaint hotlines and emails advertised by the company are legitimate ways to get a free product to replace what you already bought if it was not right. In my experience, it was a very minimal-effort task with a positive outcome.
Maximize Your Money With Coupon Stacking
Want to save even more? See if you can stack the manufacturer coupon with a sale or rebate! Also, look to see if there are any cash-back offers for the same products on sites like Ibotta or Fetch. Combining manufacturer coupons with sales and rebates is the bread and butter of extreme couponing. While it’s tricky to learn in the beginning, coupon stacking can save you loads of money! The only store I’ve personally coupon stacked at is Walgreens but I’ve heard good things about couponing from others about Target, CVS, and, Dollar General