Coupons vs. Bargains Explained

Currently at Shopping-Bargains.com we designate our text link offers as either coupons or bargains. While on the surface these designations may sound like synonyms, there are subtle differences that might not be immediately apparent. Understanding them, though, can help you save money and avoid confusion during checkout.

With rare exception, we designate an offer as a coupon if it has a link that must be clicked or a code that must be entered during checkout. In both cases, our coupon link triggers, activates or leads to a promotion or discount of some kind — free shipping, dollar or percentage off discounts, free gift, etc. This discount or promotion is either noted immediately with reduced pricing or some other promotion shown on the store’s website or it is shown in the shopping cart as a discount (or free shipping, etc.) during checkout after entering and activating the coupon code published on Shopping-Bargains.

A bargain, on the other hand, generally does not trigger an additional discount but instead links shoppers to some kind of deal or special offer — often a short-term promotion, a sale, seasonal savings or special bonus of some kind. It also can link to a clearance section, the store’s online outlet, a popular section or something else entirely. It sometimes provides savings information such as specifying the store’s current free shipping threshold to help shoppers optimize order sizes. Whatever the case, a bargain provides information and a link to act on that information. It typically does not provide or activate an additional discount like a coupon (if it did we would likely designate it a coupon) but it can provide some valuable savings.

You can often enhance your overall savings by combining bargains and coupons. While sometimes a store’s terms and conditions exclude coupon discounts for items already on sale, often you can “double-dip” and enjoy a coupon discount on top of other bargains. You might want to read my article about “Stacking Coupons and Bargains to Save More” for some tips on combining coupons and bargains.

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