How to use coupons as cash

Some supermarkets will accept money off coupons, even if you're not buying the product they're designed for. For instance, a coupon for £3 off shampoo could get you £3 off a bottle of wine, not just the mag. Yes, it sounds bizarre, but it works!.

However, Tesco now has a stated policy of not allowing coupons to be used for items they are not designated for (read Tesco coupons news story).

Which supermarkets let you do it?

It's a case of trial and error, supermarkets’ policies vary store by store and even cashier by cashier. Anecdotal evidence suggests Tesco is most likely to accept this, as long as it actually stocks the relevant product. Asda and Waitrose can be coupon-friendly too, while Sainbury’s and Morrisons are far less accommodating.

This isn't for the easily embarassed though, you need a thick skin to do this: supermarkets aren’t obliged to accept coupons on products they’re not designed for. If they say yes, bonus! If not, chin up, and better luck next time, don't be confrontational, you don't have a right to the discount.

The real disquiet from this comes from product manufacturers, as when supermarkets accept the coupons for other goods they’re still asked to pay for it (see the MSE News story Some voucher users branded thieves by industry body).

Warning! Don't sneak it through self-scanning machines

Some self-scanning check-outs let you scan multiple coupons even when you're not buying their products. Yet this is the worst way to do it, these machines operate based on trust, and by deliberately using incorrect coupons without permission you could be accused of fraud.

If you want to try and use coupons for goods you're not buying, be upfront and give them to the cashier, then you're being honest and it's the store's decision whether to allow it.

Be careful with in-store magazines

Coupons from supermarkets’ in-store magazines usually only work in that specific store and only on the product named. So a coupon to save £1 on pampers from the Asda magazine usually won’t work in Tesco or on chocolate in Asda.

Discuss your successes, and which stores are coupon-friendly in the:

Even more coupons

Coupons are everywhere. Root through junk mail; scout around tills; rip them out of magazines. They all add up.

The Magazine Offers Thread on this site's Forum is an excellent resource, where MoneySavers kindly catalogue all coupons and offers in current magazines. If the magazine costs more than the coupon's worth, it's not worth it. But if you were buying your fave glossy anyway, you're quid's in.

Daily updated newspaper coupons from every newspaper

Newspapers are an especially lucrative source of coupons, often worth £2 and up - a decent return on a 40p rag. The bonus is you can grab as many papers as you like and use the same coupons again and again (make sure it's on different shopping trips).

Every day, dedicated MoneySavers update the ‘Daily Newspaper Summary' with all the coupons from that day's papers. To find the info, go to the Discount codes ‘n' voucher Forum board and look at the NEWSPAPER SUMMARY thread.

Ask for a raincheck voucher

If a special offer item is out of stock, many supermarkets will give you a voucher entitling you to the same deal at a later date. Read a full how to in the Supermarket Savings guide.

Having trouble printing coupons?

For starters, make sure your printer is on and has enough paper! Many coupons use Flash Player software to print, first try downloading the latest Flash software

If you have a pop-up blocker installed on your web browser, disabling it may help. You may be asked to install a coupon software application before the voucher will print; just follow the instructions to do this.

Finally, coupons often work much better in the Microsoft Internet Explorer (IE) web browser than they do in others, such as Mozilla Firefox so even if you use another browser, have a copy of IE just for coupons.