Deal Seeking Mom

coupon lingo

Coupon Basics: Learning The Lingo

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Photo by BigBreaks

SS, RP, P&G, WYB — say what?!? I often hear that one of the most confusing aspects of couponing is learning what all of those abbreviations that are used in the weekly deals mean.

Not sure what I’m referring to? Take a look at a deal that you might find posted in any given week:

Buy (4) Scrubbing Bubble Cleaners @ $2.49
Use (4) $1/1 Scrubbing Bubbles Product
Use (1) FREE $5 Target GC wyb Scrubbing Bubbles Products (SS 6/27/10)
Pay $6.96 OOP & get $5 Target GC
$0.49 ea. after coupons and GC!

Looks confusing, doesn’t it? But I promise you that it’s really very simple, once you learn the coupon lingo.

The list of coupon terms and abbreviations has been recently updated to include all of the abbreviations and lingo that I use in coupon matchups. But I have this niggling suspicion that I’m leaving something important off the list, so I’m hoping I can rely on you coupon pros to give it a quick once over and let me know if I’ve missed anything!

But back to those of you who are still wondering exactly how to read that deal, let’s take it line by line:

  • Buy (4) Scrubbing Bubble Cleaners @ $2.49 — Buy 4 Scrubbing Bubbles Cleaners priced at $2.49.
  • Use (4) $1/1 Scrubbing Bubbles Product — Use 4 of the $1/1 printable Scrubbing Bubbles coupons, available when you click on the underlined link.
  • Use (1) FREE $5 Target GC wyb Scrubbing Bubbles Products (SS 6/27/10) — Also use the FREE Target gift card coupon from the Sunday SmartSource insert on 6/2/10. This is known as “stacking” coupons.
  • Pay $6.96 OOP & get $5 Target GC — You’ll pay $6.96 out of pocket and receive a $5 Target gift card.
  • $0.49 ea. after coupons and GC! — Your final price is $0.49 each after coupons and factoring in the gift card received.

This can get a little more complicated when you start factoring in ECBs and RRs, but we’ll cover reading the deals in more depth as we go on.

Homework assignment: Review and familiarize yourself with the list of coupon terms and abbreviations. If you think I’ve left off an important term or abbreviation, please let me know!

Coupon Lingo Quick Reference Guide

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Probably one of the most frequent emails I receive is in regards to all those abbreviations that we “couponistas” use when posting store deals, so this list has been a long time in the making.

Sunday inserts:

P&G = Procter & Gamble Sunday insert
RMN = RetailMeNot Sunday insert
SS = SmartSource Sunday insert

:: Coupon Insert Schedule

When I list the store deals and refer to a coupon from a Sunday insert, the information on where to find the coupon is in parentheses. For example, (SS 12/2/18) would indicate that a coupon came from a SmartSource insert that was distributed in the 12/2/18 Sunday newspaper.

Coupon lingo:

$1/1, $1/2: One dollar off one item, one dollar off two items, etc.
2/$1, 3/$2: Two items for one dollar, three items for two dollars, etc.
B1G1: Buy one item get one item free
B2G1: Buy two items get one item free
Beep: Sometimes the register will beep when a coupon is scanned to indicate that the cashier need to take an action, like entering a price.
Blinkies: Grocery/drugstore coupon dispensers with blinking lights
Catalina: Catalina coupon, prints from a separate machine when your receipt prints
CRT: Cash register tape, usually used when referring to CVS coupons that print with receipt
DND: Do not double
Ea.: Each
ECBs: ExtraCare Bucks, CVS loyalty rewards system
ETS: Excludes trial size
Exp.: Expires
GC: Gift card
IVC: Instant Value Coupon, Walgreens’ store coupons found in ads and monthly booklet
MIR: Mail-in rebate
NLA: No longer available
OYNO: On your next order
OOP: Out of pocket
OOS: Out of stock
Peelie: Peel-off coupon found on product packaging
PSA: Prices starting at
R: Regional coupon, will be listed after insert date as applicable
RRs: Register Rewards, Walgreens’ Catalina coupons
Q: Coupon
SCR: Single Check Rebate, Rite Aid monthly rebates program
Stacking: Using both a manufacturer’s coupon and a store coupon on one item
UPC: Universal product code, bar code
Tearpad: Pad of coupons attached to a display, shelf, or refrigerator door.
+UP Reward: Rite Aid reward program
WYB: When you buy
YMMV: Your mileage (or manager) may vary, meaning some stores might give you a deal but others might not