Couponing at Target

Is Target more than a shopping trip for you?

Before we even dive into the specific tips on how to save, download the Target app if you haven’t already. Seriously, do it right now, I’ll wait…….

It’s that important. You’re going to want to follow along with me and locate the sections of the app I reference below, so it’s worth it to download it right now!

Cartwheel used to be a standalone app but can now be accessed through the Target store app itself. Cartwheel contains hundreds of deals and offers all digitally applied when shopping in the store, and scanning the app at check out. Some of the offers you can use online as well!

How to access Cartwheel:

• Simply download the Target app.
• Locate the “Cartwheel offers” tab on the main screen.
• Browse offers by a specific category, for example, “Adult Beverages” or choose “All” to see a list of every offer available.

Pro tip: Quickly find the biggest deals by choosing “All” then sort by>discount in the upper right corner of the app. This quickly sorts the best deals available by the highest discount. It’s very easy to identify the highest percentage off coupons organizing them in this way.

• You can see below the high-value offers I have added to my Cartwheel, found by sorting by “discount.”
• Simply hit the red + to add items to your Cartwheel.

Target Cartwheel Offers

Now that you have the Cartwheel app downloaded, check out the tips below to save when Couponing at Target.

1. Stack gift card promotions with manufacturer coupons

Target uses gift card promotions frequently. Gift card promotions are when you purchase a select number or dollar value of items, you will receive a Target gift card for use on a future transaction.

Examples:

• $20 gift card with select baby department purchase of $100 or more
• $10 gift card when you buy any three dog food, cat food or cat litter products listed
• $5 gift card when you buy any three select feminine care products listed (Tampax, Always, etc.)

The gift cards are Target gift cards that you can use on a future purchase. Note: you can’t use the gift card you just earned on the transaction you earned it on.  Meaning, once you receive the gift card during the transaction, you can’t immediately hand it back for use on the transaction you’re completing. Save the gift card for use during a different transaction in the future.

Purchasing items that include a gift card, especially if they are already on your shopping list is one of the easiest ways to save. But even sweeter, is when you have a manufacturer coupon you can stack with the deal.

You still qualify for the gift card as long as you purchase the minimum quantities or dollar amount of the items listed, even if you stack with manufacturer coupons, target coupons, Cartwheel or a combination of all. So the savings can be huge if the stars align on the right deal that has a gift card and another coupon.

Let’s look at an example using the $20 gift card when spending $100+ in baby

My daughter is still in diapers (we’re working on it). A box of her Pampers diapers costs around $35.00, so purchasing 3 boxes equals $105 before tax. I will receive the $20 gift card.

But you can also use manufacturer coupons! You can use three – $3.00 off  Pampers diapers coupon for an additional $9 savings, bringing the total down to $96.  Plus you’ll receive the $20 Target gift card for spending $100 for use on a future trip (even though the out-of-pocket was technically below 100)!

All in, the $35 box of diapers now averages $25.33 when factoring in all discounts – that’s a great savings!

Pro tip: Manufacturer coupons are located within the Target app in Cartwheel. I was able to clip one $3.00 off manufacturer coupon from Cartwheel to my “wallet.”

The fact that manufacturer coupons are in Cartwheel is awesome if you are looking for an additional copy of a coupon you cut from the Sunday paper. Or if you don’t get physical coupons and only use digital for shopping. You can save a bundle by scanning Cartwheel at checkout!

2. Stack Target store coupons with Manufacturer coupons

Did you know Target has their own store coupons you can use when shopping?

Target offers some pretty awesome coupons located in the “Cartwheel offers” section of the app. These are coupons that you can use above and beyond any sale prices listed in the store and you can combine with manufacturer coupons.

When you navigate to Cartwheel offers you’ll find both store coupons and manufacturer coupons. You know a coupon is a manufacturer’s coupon because it will state “MFR – single-use coupon” underneath it.

Target has a new feature on the bottom of the coupons you clip to better understand where and how they can be used. It’s an easy visual to understand once you’ve clipped the coupon, can it be used in-store, when picking up an order, when using the Target drive-through or when ordering online. They are so digital coupon friendly and make it really easy to save!

Target store coupons & offers

Store coupons for Target are usually offered as a percentage-off on specific products.

Percentage off offers are Target store offers and can be combined with manufacturer coupons. The manufacturer coupons you clip digitally cannot be combined with a printed manufacturer coupon since they are both manufacturer coupons. So if you clip $1.00 off Cheerios digital manufacturer coupon, you couldn’t also use a $1.00 off Cheerios manufacturer coupon you cut from the Sunday paper.

But if Cheerios were 40% off through Cartwheel as a Target store promotion, then you could use the $1.00 off manufacturer coupon on top it.

Also, you can use the percentage off Cartwheel offers over and over again as specified by the Terms and Conditions on each offer. You can use the same Cartwheel offer on a maximum of 4 qualifying items per transaction which is different from manufacturer coupons. Manufacturer coupons are only good on 1 item. But Cartwheel allows you to take the offer off on multiple items in your transaction, up to 4.

Using the Cheerios example again. If there is a Cartwheel for 40% off Cheerios, and you purchase 4 boxes of Cheerios, the 40% off will be taken off all 4 boxes! Cartwheel really is awesome!

How to use Target Store coupons

You’ve clipped offers to Cartwheel, but how do you actually get the offers to apply?

Have the cashier scan your Cartwheel bar code at check out when shopping in the store. Navigate to your “Wallet” at the bottom of the app, and scan the bar code. If you are at a self-check, you can use the wand and scan your own Cartwheel.

There is no easier way to save at Target!

Where to find Cartwheel Wallet to scan at checkout

Are Target store coupons only available digitally?

Yes! There used to be a link on target.com that hosted a database full of coupons that you could print at home.  Earlier this year Target stopped offering coupons you can print from their website and are solely offering them from the Target app. It’s nice and convenient to use the app and you’re saving some trees!

3. Get yourself a REDcard!

I put this one off for so long because I thought it was only offered as a credit card. You can open a REDcard and link it to your debit card. Or you can treat it like a credit card. It is a literal card with a chip that you use to pay at Target. By paying with your REDcard at the Target checkout you can get 5% off automatically every single time you purchase just by using this card.

Note, the 5% comes off at the very end, so if you scan, look at the total and it hasn’t adjusted yet, don’t fret. It will come off!

Benefits of the “REDcard:

• You can link it to your checking account which helps with budgeting and to not spend what you don’t have (it’s also offered as a credit card).
• Save 5% in the store every single time you shop (on top of sale prices).
• Save 5% online every single time you shop and get FREE 2-Day SHIPPING!
• Extended returns – you can return items for an additional 30 days beyond Target’s normal return period.
• Receive a 10% off coupon on your REDcard anniversary! This one just popped into my inbox this morning and is valid for a one-time use through 11/20 (30 days after receipt).
• Receive special coupons & savings in the Target App just for REDcard holders.

Related: 10 Kohl’s Hacks you will Actually Use

4. Watch for Target’s annual gift card sale

This is one of the few times I make an exception to using the REDcard and that is to purchase discounted gift cards directly from Target.com. For the past few years, the Sunday after Cyber Monday, Target has offered 10% off gift cards up to $300. Note, I’m making an assumption they will do it again in December 2018.

It’s as easy as it sounds: Purchase a gift card in any denomination up to $300, and you will receive a discount of 10%. So purchasing a $300 gift card will cost you $270 – an instant 10% savings.

You know you’ll use it. It’s a total of 10% discount which is twice what you will get using a REDcard, so stock up!

Reasons to buy:

• Instantly save $30 on $300 – a no-brainer
• Use it purchase any last-minute Christmas gifts at a discount
• Consider it your gift budget and use it to purchase gifts for others throughout the year
• Treat yourself to that new expensive item you’ve been eyeing up and needing a discount on.
• Get ahead on grocery expenses by buying now – save $30 on $300 and use it for groceries immediately.

5. Use apps to save even more

There are so many apps you can use to save even more when grocery shopping. Below are two of my favorites and the ones I use most often after Cartwheel.

Fetch Rewards

Fetch works like most of the other grocery receipt-scanning apps but what I love about it is that you don’t have to clip offers in advance, and you can shop at any qualifying store to redeem offers.

To use Fetch simply save your grocery receipts and scan them with the app. You earn points to cash in for gift cards. It’s so easy! You can be a couponer and save money without having to actually clip coupons! It’s an easy app for anyone to use to save money.  This is especially convenient because you literally scan your receipt and you’re done.

New to Fetch? Sign up and enter my referral code M2CNU and you’ll get 2,000 Fetch Points ($2.00 in points) when you complete one receipt.

How to get started with Fetch:

• Download the Fetch app for free and create an account (enter my referral code M2CNU and you’ll get 2,000 Fetch Points when you complete one receipt.)
• Browse the brands and offers prior to shopping so you have a sense of what you can earn points on.

Examples of brands available from Fetch

• Scan your receipt post-shopping trip
• Earn points when you purchase specific products. Or as you can see below you can earn on “Special offers” which may be simply uploading a receipt – any receipt!
• Cash-out when you hit a minimum of 3,000 points (equates to a $3.00 gift card)

Fetch Special offers

If you want to learn more, check out a review on the Fetch app here. 

Ibotta (old reliable)

Ibotta is a free mobile app that pays you cash for purchasing select items at a number of participating stores. Basically, you get cashback for the things you are already buying. You need to select the specific store you are shopping at.

Once you select a store you can view hundreds of cashback opportunities available by purchasing the specific item and uploading your receipt.

Before you  “unlock” an offer and add it to your account you are typically asked to take an action. It usually just takes a second or two and may consist of watching a short commercial, answering a question or taking a survey. The actions don’t take a lot of time but know with Ibotta, there is a barrier between you and the offer you are interested in.

How to get started with Ibotta:

• Download the Ibotta app for free. Click here
• Open the app and browse offers before you go shopping (or wait until after if you don’t want the app to sway your purchases)
• Unlock rebates of interest by watching a video, taking a survey, answering a question, etc.
• Shop at the store as you normally would
• Click “Redeem” in the app to take a pic of your receipt once you are done shopping. The app will automatically match items you bought with the offers you saved
• Cash-out once your account hits a minimum of $20.00

If you want to learn more, check out a review of Ibotta here.

Bonus Tip: At Target, if you bring your own bag instead of using one of their plastic bags at check out, you will receive a credit of $.05 for every bag. If you bring one or two bags on every single trip, you can save some change and also reduce the number of plastic bags being used.  Try it! Simply bring in one (or more) of your own bags, and the cashier will give you a five-cent credit for each bag, it really is that easy!

Conclusion

Couponing at Target is really easy if you take advantage of the in-store sales and specials and marry them with gift card promotions and Cartwheel. It may seem a little daunting at first to get the hang of it, but the more you use the Cartwheel app, the easier it becomes!

Do you use Cartwheel? What do you like best about Cartwheel?

Steph

Related: 15 money saving apps you should use right now