How to Read Coupon Lingo

You may have noticed on our blog (and other places where couponers gather) that we sometimes speak in the cryptic couponing lingo — where words are abbreviated.

I know this can be a little overwhelming when you are new to couponing. The good news is the couponing lingo is pretty easy to learn, even if they are a little awkward at first. Before you know it, you’ll be speaking fluently in “couponing” too. 🙂 Here we go:

• RP – stands for “Red Plum insert”. Example, RP 6/29 – this means find the coupon inside Red Plum insert that came out on June 29th.
• SS – stands for “Smart Source insert”. Used in the same way as RP inserts.
• PG – stands for “P&G insert”. Used in the same way as RP inserts. Typically, this insert comes out once a month.
• $X/Y – Short form for $X dollar off Y units. Example, $5/2 stands for $5 off two items. We use this shortcut to indicate the value of a coupon.
• BOGO – stand for “Buy one get one free”. This could be used to refer to the value of a coupon or a store sale on an item.
• x – stands for “expires on”. This is used with a date immediately following the little x, which stands for “this coupon or deal expires on this date”. For example: “PG 7/6, x7/31” means this coupon from P&G July 6th will expire on July 31st.

• IP – stands for “Internet printable coupons”. We cover this type of coupon previously on Printable Coupons.
• OOP – stands for “Out of Pocket”. This is the amount of money you actually paid (before receiving any rewards) for a transaction. We often use the word “Pay” in our breakdowns for OOP.
• MM – stands for “Moneymaker”. More than Free. This refers to the amount of money or reward you earned as a result of buying the product with coupons. For example, an item cost $1 and you have a $2/1 coupon for the item, that’s a $1 Moneymaker. Or another example: an item cost $1 and you have a $1/1 coupon, plus you get back $1 for future transactions, then that’s a $1 Moneymaker too.
• WYB – stands for “When You Buy”. For example, this can be used in a sentence like this: This product cost $3 wyb 2.
• YMMV – stands for “Your Milage May Vary”. This means that just because a deal worked for some people, doesn’t mean that it will work for everyone. This is frequently used in social media on rare deals such as Clearances, where everyone will have different experiences and finds. Thus, your result will likely vary.
• GC – stands for “Gift Card”

• ECB – stands for “Extrabucks”. These are reward money from CVS.
• RR – stands for “Register Rewards”. These are reward money from Walgreens. Read more here on couponing at Walgreens.
• +UP – pronounced “Plus Up” and its the Rite Aid wellnes member reward money.
• IVC – stands for “Instant Value Coupon/Code”. Its a walgreens coupon.
• DD – stands for “Double Dip”. When two sales overlap at certain stores and you can dip into both deals.
• EA – stands for “Early Activation”. When a weekly sale is activated early.
• MQ– stands for Manufacture Coupon.
• TQ– stands for Target Coupon

Similar to learning another language, the more you read it and are exposed to it, the easier and more natural they become.

Coupon Lingo Example:

► Buy (1) Tampax Radiant Tampons (16 ct) = $3.99
(or Pearl 18-20 ct)
Use (1) $2/1 Tampax Tampons (PG 7/6, x7/31) = -$2.00
Final Price: $1.99

Translation:

Buy one Tampax Radiant Tampons (that’s 16 count) or Pearl (18-20 count) for $3.99 (Sale price). And use one of the $2.00 off one Tampax coupon from P&G Insert that came out on July 6th, and will expire July 31st.

Lingos Used on Social Media:

In addition to the list above, here are some common lingo that I don’t use on the blog but are commonly used on social media sites. For sake of completion, I’ve listed them here just in case you encounters them:

• ISO – In search of – the coupon I am looking for.
• UFT – Up for trade – this coupon or thing I am willing to give up for something else I am ISO
• TIA – Thanks in advanced
• HTH – Hope that helps
• smh – Shaking my head. ☺
• LOL – Laughing Out Loud
• Q – Coupons

Homework:

• What is RP 7/31?
• What is MM?
• What’s BOGO?
• What does this mean? “$1/2 Tide (PG 7/31, x8/30)”

• Got a Question? Click Here to Ask Me. 🙂
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►NEXT: Step One: Get Inserts & Coupons