Coupon stacking: when a manufacturer and a store coupon combine

"Stacking" is the couponing word for using more than one discount on the same item. The version most stores allow is simple: one coupon from the manufacturer and one coupon from the store. It works because two different companies are paying for two different discounts. Where people get into trouble is assuming that any two coupons can stack, or that the discount can go past the price of the item.

Why manufacturer + store is the combination that works

A manufacturer coupon is a promise from the brand to reimburse the store. A store coupon is the store's own markdown. Since they come from different pockets, many retailers let you use one of each on a single item. What retailers generally don't allow is two coupons from the same issuer on one item, such as two manufacturer coupons. That includes a paper manufacturer coupon plus a digital manufacturer coupon for the same product: Kroger's policy limits you to one coupon, paper or digital, per item, and Dollar General says a digital manufacturer coupon can't be combined with another manufacturer coupon on the same item.

Steps: building a stack

1. Start with the store coupon. Check the weekly ad and the store's app. Store coupons are often category-wide or item-specific offers you clip to your account.
2. Look for a matching manufacturer coupon. Check the brand's own website, the paper inserts and the manufacturer section of the store app. Make sure the size and variety match the coupon's description.
3. Read both coupons' fine print. Either coupon can forbid combining. Look for phrases like "cannot be combined with any other offer."
4. Check the store's policy. CVS and Dollar General state the manufacturer-plus-store rule plainly. Target and Walgreens address it too, with their own limits.
5. Count your items. Some policies tie the number of manufacturer coupons to the number of items, so two coupons on one item usually means you need more items in the basket for other coupons.
6. Watch the receipt. If a coupon didn't come off, ask before you leave.

The ceiling: the item's price

Stacking doesn't let you earn money on an item. CVS's policy says a coupon's value can't exceed the value of the item it's applied to, and gives the example that a coupon worth more than the item is reduced to the item's price. Walmart and Target both say they do not give cash back or apply the excess to the rest of your order when a coupon is worth more than the item. Assume the same at any store unless its policy says otherwise.

Store coupons on top of store coupons

Some retailers let you use more than one of their own coupons on a purchase, especially when one is an item coupon and another is a spend-threshold coupon, such as a dollars-off-a-total offer. CVS's policy, for example, gives an example of using two CVS spend-threshold coupons together on a large enough purchase. Dollar General says store coupons can generally be stacked with each other. These rules are specific to each retailer, so check before you plan around them.

What stacking is not

Stacking is not combining a coupon with a cash-back app offer, which is a separate rebate paid after the purchase. It's also not "doubling," where a store adds extra value to a manufacturer coupon. Walmart says it does not honor double or triple coupons. A few regional grocery chains have offered doubling in the past; if your store does, it will be spelled out in its own policy.

When a cashier says no

Cashiers are working from the same policy you are, but not every edge case comes up every day. If a stack is refused, stay polite, show the relevant line of the store's published policy on your phone, and ask for a supervisor if needed. Remember that every policy we read reserves the store's right to refuse or limit coupons, so the final call is theirs.