Did You Know About Online Coupons?

Did you know that you could save money almost every time you shop online by using online coupons? Most people donôt.

Next time you buy something online, take a careful look as you take your shopping cart through the checkout process. If you see, õenter your coupon or gift certificate hereæ, youôve found an online merchant that uses online coupons. A quick search at CouponMountain.com can tell you if weôve found any coupons or special promotions for that retailer at this time. We can also tell you what, if any, restrictions are on those coupons. And even if you donôt find a coupon for the online merchant you want to shop at, you might find another online store where you can buy the same item for less.

What Is An Online Coupon?
The most popular online coupons are clickable and can be redeemed online. As the name implies, you click on the coupon and are taken to the website of the online merchant. Usually you will be given a specific coupon code (e.g. SAVE20) which must be entered during the checkout process at the online merchant to receive a discount, or the coupon value will be automatically entered into the shopping basket.

There are also printable coupons available online. These are usually printed on your laser printer and then taken to a merchantôs physical store for redemption. We have found it easier to use clickable coupons for online merchants, and not found a great source of valuable local coupons. When we do, we will post them on CouponMountain.com

Where Can I Find Online Coupons?
Simply type www.couponmountain.com into the address bar of your browser, and youôll be taken to our home page.

From our home page, you can search for coupons by merchant or by shopping category. If you know which online retailer you want to shop at, just click on õSelect Merchantæ and drag the list down until you find it. This will lead you to a webpage that features all the latest coupons, sales and promotions for that merchant.

If you are more interested in browsing coupons for a general shopping category, click on a category link. From there you can select the coupon or promotion that best matches your interest.

Each coupon will include whenever possible:

• The offer amount or savings
• The restriction or terms of conditions
• The dates during which the offer is valid

To redeem a coupon or offer that meets your interest, simply click on õuse this couponæ, and you will be taken to the merchantôs web site. A CouponMountain.com window will pop up with the coupon code, and a link to the restrictions if any. For our most popular merchants, we will also offer a link to demonstrate where to enter the coupon code during the merchantôs checkout process.

See visual examples of How To Use CouponMountain Take A Tour

What Do I Need To Know About Using Coupons?
Because merchants can, and do, change their coupons and promotions frequently, make sure you see the discount in your shopping basket before you make your order final. If the shopping basket does not show a discount, it can mean that either:

• The coupon code has not been properly entered. Enter the code once more.
• The restrictions for the coupon code have not been met. Check the fine print to make sure your purchase should be covered by the coupon code.
• The coupon has been withdrawn by the merchant or is no longer valid. Some merchants do not indicate how long their coupon codes are valid for, so if the code does not work, it is safe to assume that the coupon code is no longer valid.
• The merchant website is not functionality properly.

If you have already made an order without the discount, We recommend you cancel the order or call the merchant and give them the coupon code. If the merchant cannot provide you with a discount, you can always cancel the order at no cost.

Why Do Merchants Use Online Coupons?
One of the biggest challenges facing online merchants is persuading consumers to use their site. A coupon can be compelling enough for a consumer to make a purchase that they would not have made otherwise. For merchants, online coupons represent a cost effective way of introducing customers to their website. Similarly, merchants like to keep frequent shoppers and therefore might offer special offers to existing customers.

We see several different standard types of coupons and promotional offers:

• Coupons valid only for new customers like, õGet $10 off your first purchase of $50 or moreæ. Barnes&Noble.com and Half.com use these coupons frequently. We do not encourage or condone this behavior, but sometimes simply using a different email address or clearing the cookies on your computer can enable an existing user to use a coupon for new customers only.
• Free shipping coupons. Online merchants believe that the cost of shipping is an inhibitor to shopping online, and therefore often have these promotional offers. Itôs a great way to save $10 or more, and sometimes may be a better deal than a dollar off online coupon.
• Coupons for a new product or category like, õGet $15 off any purchase in our new baby storeæ. Amazon.com has done this when they introduce a new shopping category.
• Coupons that encourage customers to spend more like, õGet $15 off an order of $100 or moreæ. This is great if you are planning to spend this anyway.
• Free gift with purchase. Merchants in certain categories like beauty and cosmetics frequently do this. Because we donôt really consider these coupons, we often place them under promotions and display a graphic.

How Can I Help?
If you receive special coupon codes or promotional offers from online merchants, please send them on to us. We will be glad to give you credit for finding the offer on our website if you wish, and youôll be happy in knowing that hundreds or thousands of other shoppers will benefit from your generosity.

We also ask that if you find that one of our coupon codes posted on our website does not appear to work, please give us feedback by clicking õNoæ on the window displaying the details of the coupon. This enables us to make sure that the coupons posted are valid, and provides a better user experience for everybody.

Finally, we invite your suggestions. If you want to share your experiences in using coupons online or have an idea of how to make CouponMountain.com better, let us know about it. We look forward to hearing from you. Email us here.