Online Coupons 101 - Guest Post - Kyle at Rather Be Shopping

/> As most of you know by now, my site is all about online coupons. Online coupons are not a new trend, they have been around for over 10 years. Even though they are not a new thing, it continues to amaze me how many people are not aware that they exist or how to properly use them. I get emails from online shoppers all the time confused on what to do with their coupon code or how to find one. So I thought I would back up the train and use this post to help you better understand how these things works. I call it my Online Coupons 101 seminar. Here are the highlights:

~ Find Your Coupon Code - Not all online retailers have coupons available every day. But I would venture an educated guess that at least 75% of all online stores have coupons available at some point in any given month. You would be remised if you did not at least look for a coupon before you make your online purchase. Bookmark the good coupon sites that you stumble across. I define a good site as one that does not have expired coupons and makes themselves available to help their users either find or use a coupon code. I like to think Rather-Be-Shopping.com is in that category, but I have no problem pointing out some of my competitors that do a terrific job. These include CouponCabin.com, FlamingoWorld, and DealCatcher.com.

~ Security Concerns - If you are interested in buying from a retailer that you are not familiar with, try and find a review of them or do a search for them with the Better Business Bureau. Also, in order to protect your credit card information, make sure the website you are buying from uses the proper security measures. First, look for a little locked padlock (often yellow) at the bottom of your browser window. Secondly, always verify that the url (web address) at checkout changes from http:// to https://. These two security checks verify the website has performed the proper measures to ensure their website is SSL Secured and makes it safe to enter your credit card information.

~ Where To Enter The Code? - Where you enter your coupon code changes by retailer. You will be prompted to enter your coupon code anywhere from the 'shopping cart' page to the 'billing' page. Look for a box saying coupon code, promotional code, discount code, or any variation of these terms and enter it in the corresponding box. Also, some of my discount coupons are embedded in the actual link that you click so you will not have to enter a coupon code, the discount will automatically show up when you are checking out. To eliminate any confusion, I clearly designate these types of coupons on my website.

~ Verify Your Discount - After you enter your coupon code, make sure the discount is taken off your order total before you finalize the transaction. I get email from folks that don't do this and it turns out the coupon had expired early, they didn't notice, and they finalize the transaction. I can't do much at that point. But if you notice that for whatever reason, the coupon did not work, don't finish your order, instead email me and I can find you one that does! I will get back to you with a coupon pretty quickly as I check my email several times a day.

~ Print Your Receipt - You will want a copy of your receipt in case a problem arises with your order. Typically the store will email you a receipt as well that you will want to keep until your order arrives.

You now have no excuse to ever pay full price again! Now on with some of the more popular coupon codes on my website right now.

American Eagle Outfitters
Save 20% Off your Entire Online Order
Coupon Code: 46561422
Expires: 5/31/08
See Additional: American Eagle Coupons

Ann Taylor Loft
Save 25% Off your Entire Online Purchase + Free Shipping
Coupon Code: 104010029
Expires: 5/20/08
See Additional: Ann Taylor Loft Coupons

Catherine's Plus Sizes
Save 20% Off your Entire Online Order
Coupon Code: 776930802
Expires: 8/27/08
See Additional: Catherines Coupons

Dell Computers
Save $300 Off your Inspiron Desktop Computer purchase of $999+
Coupon Code: Q4MVHZTFT04Z1W
Expires: 5/29/08
See Additional: Dell Coupons

Chadwick's (Popular Women's Apparel/Swimwear)
Save 40% Off Any Item in your Online Order
Coupon Code: CHMAY40
Expires: 5/31/08
See Additional: Chadwicks Coupons

JCPenney.com
Save 20% Off your $75+ order of Window Coverings, Bedding, Bath, Decorative, and Apparel
Coupon Code: WKIT842
Expires: 5/25/08
See Additional: JCPenney Coupons

Time Life.com (Great for Father's Day)
Save 10% Off your Entire Online Order
Coupon Code: AFDAD
Expires: 6/15/08
See Additional: Time Life Coupons

Hanes Store.com
Save 15% Off your Entire Online Order (discount appears at chckout)
Coupon Code: None Needed
Expires: 5/31/08
See Additional: Hanes Coupons