Savings & Investment, Smart Spending

Understanding Coupon Lingo

If you are thinking about searching for coupons and sales information online, understanding coupon lingo is going to be beneficial for you.  With many abbreviations and sometimes confusing combinations, it can be tricky to comprehend what coupon savvies are discussing on online forums and the top coupon websites.  By reviewing this list of common abbreviations and shortened forms of usual coupon terms, you will get a leg up in understanding the information you find online.  Then you can apply your findings to your shopping trip and save your family lots of money on groceries.

  • $1/1, $1/2 : Save one dollar when you purchase one item, save one dollar when you purchase two items
  • 2/$1, 3/$2 : get two items for one dollar, get three items for two dollars, etc
  • B1G1 : stands for “buy one get one”, which means you get one item free when you purchase one item
  • B2G1 : stands for “buy two get one”, which means you get one item free when you purchase two items
  • Balance Rewards : a new rewards program for Walgreens
  • Beep : this means the cashier may have to enter in certain information, like the price of a product that you might be getting for free with a B1G1 coupon
  • Blinkies : In-store coupon dispensers that typically have blinking lights
  • Catalina : coupons that print at the register at the end of your transaction, which can be used on future purchases
  • CRT : stands for cash register tape, usually in reference to catalinas
  • DND : stands for “do not double”
  • Ea. : stands for “each”
  • EcBs : stands for “extracare bucks”, which print with your receipt at CVS when you use your loyalty card
  • ETS : stands for “excludes trial size”
  • Exp. : stands for “expires”
  • GC : stands for “gift card”
  • IVC : stands for “instant value coupons”, these are Walgreens coupons
  • MFR : stands for “manufacturer”
  • MIR : stands for “mail in rebate”
  • NLA : stands for “no longer available”
  • OYNO : stands for “on your next order”
  • OOP : stands for “out of pocket”
  • OOS : stands for “out of stock”
  • Peelie : coupons found directly on the product in the store that can be peeled off for use at time of checkout
  • P&G : stands for “Proctor and Gamble”, which is a Sunday insert
  • PSA : stands for “prices starting at”
  • Q : coupon
  • R : regional coupon
  • RP : stands for “Red Plum”, which is a Sunday instert
  • RR : stands for “register rewards”, this is what Walgreens calls their catalinas
  • SCR : stands for “single check rebate”, this is Rite Aide’s monthly rebate program
  • SS : stands for “Smart Source”, which is a Sunday insert
  • Stacking : using both a manufacturer’s coupon and a store’s coupon for multiple savings on a single product
  • UPC : stand for “universal product code” or bar code
  • Tearpad : these are in-store coupons you tear from a pad located on a shelf, display, or fridge door
  • +Up Reward : Rite Aid’s reward program
  • WYB : stands for “when you buy”
  • YMMV : stands for “your mileage may vary” or “your manager may vary”, which means that only some stores will give you a discount