Let’s face it couponing has it’s own use of words and acronyms that can be confusing. So we wanted to lay out some of the commonly used couponing terms and what they mean.

Types of Coupons

Tearpad or TP these are coupons that tear off a pad usually found on coupon boards, in stores, or down the aisle in front of products.

Peelie  peels off a product so the coupon can be used at the cash. These can be found on many various products.

Rep Coupon is a coupon that is handed out by a representative of the company. Most often at an event or a demo display.

Inserts are found in a booklet in your local paper.

Mail Outs are usually mailed out by a manufacturer and usually by request.

Printables/Prints refer to coupons that are found online and able to be printed. For a list of printable coupons click here.

Replacement Coupons issued by a manufacturer when a product did not meet standards.

Hang Tags these are coupons found hanging on a product such as liquor store bottles and laundry detergent bottles.

Values of Coupons

BOGO this is a buy one get one coupon which makes makes the second product free. This can also be done as b2g1 or b3g1, meaning, buy 2 get one free or buy 3 get 1 free.

FPC this is a free product coupon.

Dollars and cents off typically these coupons have a value and tell you 1.00 off x, or 50 cent off x

WUB this stands for “when you buy”. Sometimes it is written as wub2 or wub3. Meaning, you save when you buy 2 or when you buy 3 products.

NLA means these coupons are no longer available. You would need to trade to get these ones if you are wanting them.

Information on Coupons

EXP  expiry date.

NED this stands for no expiry date.

Per purchase means for every item.

Per transaction per every receipted transaction.

One Per customer/Person this means you can only use one per shop.

Store Specific refers to a coupon can only be used at a particular store.

Shopping Break Down Terms

Breakdown/BD is the actual itemized list of savings and purchased items a person had while on a shopping trip. For instance, the retail price, coupons used, cash back and money actually spent.

OOP  is the amount of actual cash spent out of pocket by the person doing a shop after coupons and savings and cash back and points earned or spent.

Cash Back refers to money offered back by a cash back app such as Checkout51 and Caddle for the specified items purchased in a shop.

CO51 is shot form referring to the cash back app Checkout 51.

MIR is short form for mail in rebate. A mail in rebate is something a manufacturer offers you after you purchase their product and mail in proof of purchase. They issue you a rebate usually in a cheque form.

AC after coupon

PM short form for price match, check out our article on price matching.

RC  rain check

Stacking this is one of the commonly used couponing terms that refers to using more than one coupon on a single product, and in Canada, can only be done at London Drugs and only under certain circumstances. It is against the rules anywhere else in Canada.

SCOP  Scanning Code Of Practice as set out by the retail council of Canada. This is a voluntary (outside of Quebec) program.

Trade Terms

Often couponers will trade coupons with others to get certain ones they can’t otherwise find. So these are some terms used when doing so:

WL this is wishlist often people will comment w/l or wl? this is asking what your wishlist for the coupon is.

NFT not for trade. A lot of people use this when posting a coupon to show something they found but are not willing to trade.

ISO in search of

IDSO in desperate search of

LF means looking for

RLF  really looking for

Envie refers to an envelope of coupons

Unicorn hard to find or rare coupon

HV  short form for high value

SASE is a self addressed stamped enveloped

GC means gift card

UPC  universal product code or bar code. Often couponers are looking for a specific bar code on a coupon.

Stamps refer to postage stamps. This is usually a postage stamp containing a p for permanent rather than a dollar value.

RACK/ROACK  random act of coupon kindness usually done as a free giveaway of coupons or products.

Train when done in a coupon group this commonly used couponing terms is used to describe a group of people mailing coupons to the next person. One person starts the train and then mails it to the next ‘rider’ who takes the coupons they want and adds coupons sending it to the next ‘rider’.

It may take some time but you will get quite used to using these commonly used couponing terms!!