Loadable Online Coupons Means Bigger Grocery Savings for Savvy Shoppers

I have been using coupons for almost six years now and I've been an "extreme couponer" for about three years. I am always looking for new ways to increase my savings. Through the years, I have heard many people tell me that they just don't have the time for clipping and organizing coupons. Admittedly, it can become overwhelming at times. The good news is that those who are overwhelmed by paper coupons can still save at the grocery store using loadable online coupons. If you're already comfortable using "paper" coupons, you can save even more using loadable coupons because you can typically use both!

How it works

Companies have partnered with various stores that offer customer loyalty savings cards. The two biggest chains include the Kroger family of stores and the Safeway family of stores. You register your card online and then select coupons to load to your card. When you scan your loyalty card at the grocery store and purchase participating items, the savings come off automatically. It typically takes one hour for the coupons you have loaded to your card to become "active."

Typically, if there is a "paper" manufacturer's coupon that also matches up with the participating item, you can use both coupons which means greater savings at the register! Also, at some stores, if you have coupons loaded for the same item from different sites, all of the loaded coupons will come off at the register. I have been able to get items for free or close to free when this happens.

The coupons do have expiration dates. Typically, these dates are toward the end of the calendar month.

Here are some companies that allow you to load coupons to your customer loyalty card:

Cellfire - At Cellfire.com, you register your mobile phone number and your customer loyalty cards. You get an initial text to "verify" your enrollment. I have been a member for over a year now and have not gotten any additional text messages from them and I also have not received any solicitation phone calls. You can load coupons for both Kroger and Safeway stores. Each month, new coupons become available and they will typically send you an e-mail to let you know about the new offers. They also have offers for other services such as Sears photo discounts and Hollywood Video movies which you can save to your phone and then show in the store to get discounts.

Kroger - Register your Kroger Plus card at Kroger.com and add valuable money-saving offers to your card. I recently loaded a coupon for $5 off 5 Healthy Choice frozen entrees to my card. I also had a manufacturer's coupon for $5 off 5 Healthy Choice frozen entrees. I bought 5 frozen entrees for free using both coupons!

Shortcuts - Register your Safeway and Kroger cards at Shortcuts.com and each month, you will be able to load money-saving coupons for popular products to your shopping card. The discounts come off automatically when you use your card at the register and purchase participating products. They will also e-mail you to let you know when new coupons are available, they will let you know when your coupons are about to expire, and they will e-mail you a summary statement to let you know what coupons you have redeemed.

Upromise - Upromise allows you to save money for college when you purchase participating items. Register your customer loyalty cards for CVS, Kroger, and Safeway at Upromise.com. When you purchase participating items (there is a list available on the site), you earn a percentage of cash for college savings. You can earn additional bonus money by loading e-coupons to your customer loyalty cards. This money does not come off automatically at the register the way the other loadable coupons do. Instead, it is added toward your Upromise college savings account. You can save additional money for college by shopping through the retail affiliate links on the site.

What if I had coupons loaded to my card and they didn't show up on my receipt?

Sometimes the coupons you have loaded to your card may not show up on your receipt. If you have coupons loaded to your card that are not expired and you purchased the correct product, keep your receipt (you will often have to provide a transaction number or other details to verify your purchase) and click on the "Contact us" link on the company's website (Cellfire, Shortcuts, etc.) to contact them. Typically, they will issue a credit which will be deducted on your next purchase.