[VawSwaspamups]

Coupons come in a variety of ways: in newspapers or magazines, in the mail, attached to products that you buy, in the store or downloaded online. Some retailers e-mail them to you when you sign up for their mailing lists. You can find links to legitimate coupons on manufacturers’ Web sites and at http://www.commissaries.com.

Most of us know to check the expiration date on a coupon. But be careful where you get your coupons, and make sure they’re not fake or counterfeit. Stores are looking closely for counterfeit coupons; they lose money if they redeem counterfeits because the manufacturers won’t reimburse them. This is especially true for military stores, where there is little or no markup to cover such losses.

Commercial stores pass the cost of these fake coupons on to their customers in the form of higher prices. But commissaries cannot raise prices to make up for lost revenue — by law, they have to sell items at cost. Officials do not keep statistics on the number of fake coupons received and the dollar amount of the loss, commissary agency spokesman Kevin Robinson said.

The Army and Air Force Exchange Service “loses thousands of dollars annually when manufacturers do not accept or reimburse us for fraudulent or altered coupons,” AAFES spokesman Judd Anstey said. That translates into less money pumped back into military morale, welfare and recreation programs on bases, which the exchanges help fund with some of their profits.

The Coupon Resource Center, operated by Coupons.com, works with manufacturers to provide coupons online and has a tool to help you determine whether your online coupon is legitimate at http://www.veri-fi.com.

The Coupon Information Center, an organization dedicated to fighting coupon fraud, features information on the latest coupon scams at http://www.cents-off.com/body_coupon_counterfeiters.htm. A number of scam artists have been and are being prosecuted for coupon fraud.

Some tips from the Coupon Resource Center:

• Print coupons only from the brand Web site of the product or from legitimate coupon sites you trust. (For some links, see http://www.commissaries.com.)

• You should never see the actual coupon on your screen — only an offer to print it. Legitimate coupons require special software to print proper bar codes and limit the number of prints of each coupon.

• Never pay for a coupon. That includes buying coupons on auction sites.

• Avoid coupon-swapping Web sites and sites that post images of coupons, and don’t make or use copies of coupons or printouts of scanned images of coupons.

• Be suspicious of coupons for free products or other offers that seem too good to be true.

Manufacturer coupons accepted by AAFES stores should always have a bar code, Anstey said.

In addition, they must:

• State “manufacturer’s coupon,” or state it is good only at your local commissary/exchange or AAFES BX/PX.

• State “will reimburse the face value of this coupon, plus $.08 cents handling.”

• Not be expired.

Coupons for “buy one, get one free” deals must have a dollar limit for the free item. Also, AAFES cannot accept Internet-sourced coupons or coupons from a copying machine.



Article: http://www.militarytimes.com/money/f...opper_071210w/
Coupon Resource Center: http://www.couponsinc.com/crc/index.asp

[SannyGlow]

Feeling the need to hunker down and save some money? Then fire up your computer.

Fifty cents here, $5 there — it will quickly add up.

Coupons are like money if you’re smart about using them. And as coupons have proliferated on the Internet, shoppers’ choices have expanded. You don’t have to wait for a $1 coupon for your favorite brand of diapers to show up, by chance, in the newspaper. You might find it online.

But saving money online isn’t just about coupons — it’s about finding the best deals and combining those with coupons.

Here are some starter ideas:

• At http://www.commissaries.com, authorized commissary shoppers can find prices of items on sale with extra savings at their local commissary, a new feature as of July 8. Click “Shopping” on the bar across the top, then “Savings Aisle.” After you enter your log-in information, choose your store from the drop-down menu, and choose whether you want to view all savings or one category.

You’ll see the name of the item; the brand name; the unit of measure for the product (i.e., a 14.5-ounce package of cereal); the percentage off the regular price; and the retail price.

• At http://www.groceryguide.com, plug in your ZIP code and pick a civilian grocery store from the pull-down menu, and the Web site will display the store’s specials. Compare with commissary specials.

I compared the sale price for a brand of fabric softener. In the commissary, a 120-count box was on sale for $3.99; in the civilian store, a 240-count box was on sale for $8.99. The commissary sale price is cheaper because I could buy two 120-count boxes, or 240 sheets, for $7.98 — a buck cheaper than the local store.

But a coupon might make the difference there, depending on the specifics of the offer.

• Some Web sites to look for coupons: http://www.coupons.com, http://www.mycoupons.com, http://www.coolsavings.com and http://www.couponmom.com. Also, at http://www.commissaries.com, click on “Links” for some Internet coupon possibilities. And you can check company Web sites for manufacturers’ coupons.

• Coupons aren’t just for groceries. Check out http://www.couponcabin.com. If you type “restaurants” in the search function, you’ll see offers for restaurants. Click on an offer, and it will take you to the Web site, where you can find offers available in your area.

Want to find the best deal on clothes at your favorite retailer? Browse that store’s Web site to find a deal. Then go back to http://www.couponcabin.com, type in the retailer and click the coupon you want to use. It will take you back to that retailer’s site with the coupon. Sometimes it will list a discount code on the site.

• The military exchange online catalog has ongoing specials, and each exchange system has its own specials listed on their Web sites at http://www.aafes.com; http://www.usmc-mccs.org; http://www.navy-nex.com; and http://www.cg-exchange.com. You also can sign up to get information about sales at the exchanges’ Web sites.

Remember to use only coupons for items that you’d normally buy. And do price comparisons to make sure that another product that would work just as well isn’t cheaper without a coupon.

Print coupons only from the brand Web site of the product or from coupon sites you trust. You should never see the coupon on your screen — only an offer to print it. Legitimate coupons require special software to print proper bar codes and limit the number of prints of each coupon.

Finally, never pay for a coupon, and make sure the coupon has not expired.

AAFES ‘tax holiday’ savings
Army and Air Force Exchange Service stores in states with “tax holidays” — often geared to help families with back-to-school purchases — will match local sales tax percentage discounts during these times, by category.

AAFES stores in Alabama, Connecticut, Georgia, Iowa, Louisiana, Massachusetts, Missouri, New Mexico, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia and Washington, D.C., will effectively double the exchange’s tax-free benefit by offering an additional percentage off AAFES prices, equivalent to the local sales tax rate.

Discover rewards on base
Discover Financial Services has announced it will give double cash-back bonus points or double rewards miles to people who use their Discover cards on military installations through Labor Day.

Double rewards will be given automatically on up to $1,000 in on-base purchases. A cash-back bonus normally is 1 percent, so 2 percent on $1,000 would be $20. The rewards miles will be two miles per $1 spent.

Remember to pay off the bill for your purchases at the end of the month to avoid paying interest.


Article: http://www.militarytimes.com/money/f...opper_081508w/

[melissa]

I consistently cut and use coupons. They are a great money saver. But you have to be careful that you are not buying stuff that you don't need just because I have a coupon. I may change brands because I have a coupon but I rarely buy something just because I have a coupon....not that I haven't been tempted.

[Lafclaria]

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