Monday, June 15, 2015

Reverse Couponing at the Commissary!

Coupon Apps That Will Save You $$$ At The Commissary!


Within the traditional coupon schemata a person places an item in their cart at a store, presents a coupon at the checkout, and thus reduces the cost of the item with the coupon before or at the time of purchase. 

'Reverse couponing' is essentially using coupons or saving money on items after you purchase them. It is as simple as submitting a photo of your store receipt to verify your purchase and voila money goes back into your pocket (not quite literally of course ;) but almost).

In my opinion, one the the greatest advantages to reverse couponing is that it can be used IN CONJUNCTION with traditional couponing. This is very helpful when it comes to maximizing your savings at stores such as the military commissary that does not allow 'coupon stacking'. For an example of just how to do this keep reading. :)

For now, let us discuss some reverse couponing phone apps that can be used at the military commissary:





1. Ibotta 
Ibotta is perhaps one of the most well known money saving apps out there. I like that it offers money back on a variety of produce and 'any brand' grocery items (i.e. any eggs, any bread, any shampoo). One important thing to know about this app is that you must 'lock in' the coupons on the app before you purchase them & are required to scan the barcodes of items claimed. In order to 'lock in' to various offers you are required to watch short videos, or answer questions. You can submit a receipt only once, but can claim multiple offers on the receipt. 
Bonus Offerings: A large variety of bonuses are available.
Cash out minimum: $10.
Cash out options: Cash via Paypal or Venmo, or opt for gift cards such as Amazon, Best Buy, & Starbucks.
2. Checkout 51
Checkout 51 doesn't have nearly as many offers as other apps such as Ibotta, however, you can select your offers after you make your purchase which makes it quite convenient. No scanning of barcodes needed. I like that it consistently offers money back for various produce items. Offers run from Thursday through Wednesday but are in limited quantities. Some offers can be claimed multiple times. A receipt can only be used once, but you can claim multiple offers off of the same receipt. 
Bonus Offerings: Any grocery trip totaling at least $60 can enter a monthly contest to win $500.
Cash out minimum: $20.
Cash out options: Check via mail only.



3. Snap 
Snap was created by the makers of GroupOn. This app works similarly to the Checkout 51 app in that you claim your offers after purchase and no scanning of barcodes is needed. A benefit to this app is that many offers can be claimed multiple times on the same receipt. 
Bonus offerings: 'Refer a friend' program.
Cash out minimum: $20.
Cash out options: Check only. 



4. Mobisave
Mobisave is similar to Ibotta in that you must select your offers before checkout. In order to 'claim' your offers all you are required to do is to select it. Because of this I find it easier to use when compared to Ibotta. The less hoops I have to jump through when using an app the better in my opinion.
Cash Out minimum: There is no minimum which means no waiting for your $! It is conveniently delivered straight into your paypal account after receipt submission and approval. 
Cash Out options: Paypal only.


Okay, so I promised an example scenario. Here is a real life example of how to 'stack' coupons at the military commissary:

Example:

Product: Seventh Generation Laundry Detergent (100 fl oz) (~$9.99 original cost)
Commissary Rewards Card Coupon (or a clipped manufacturer coupon): -$2.00
Ibotta App Rebate: -$3.00
Cost: $4.99

Product: Seventh Generation Dish Soap (28 floz.) (~$2.89 original cost)
Commissary Rewards Card Coupon (or a clipped manufacturer coupon): -$1.00
Ibotta App Rebate: -$1.00
Cost: $.89 

*** BONUS Ibotta was also offering a bonus to earn an extra $1 off when you redeem two or more Seventh Generation rebates. So by purchasing these two items I also received an additional $1.00 back.

Original cost total for both products: ~$12.88
Total cost after use of the Commissary Rewards Coupon (or a paper coupon): $9.88
Total cost after inclusion of Ibotta App Rebates: $4.88!!!!!!!!

$4.88 total for both Seventh Generation products (laundry detergent and dish detergent). What a deal, right?! 

What are your favorite coupon rebate apps to use at your local military commissary? Leave me a note, I would love to hear from you! :)