PENNSYLVANIA COUPON REDEMPTION SERVICES

Sample coupon policy

Create your policy

PCRS strongly recommends that retailers create and advertise a policy that informs customers what coupons the store accepts and under what conditions. The policy should be at a minimum posted at the customer service area and on the company’s website. All cashiers and customer service personnel need to know and follow the policy.
 
Counterfeit coupons deserve special mention as they are a significant problem for retailers today. The current generation of high-quality fakes can easily turn a 50-cent coupon into a $10 offer that is hard to detect at point-of-sale. Bogus coupons have high—even free—face values. Counterfeits that aren’t caught by the retailer at POS create financial harm because manufacturers will not pay for coupons they did not issue. Counterfeits that are detected and rejected at checkout pose their own challenge: customers, who may or may not know a coupon is illegitimate, will likely be upset when a coupon is refused by store personnel. To reduce the likelihood of redeeming counterfeit coupons, a retailer’s coupon acceptance policy should specify that:

• A manufacturer coupon is only acceptable if it scans properly at checkout. If the coupon does not scan, that may indicate the barcode was manipulated.
• Other than legitimate free item manufacturer coupons, we do not accept any manufacturer coupon for more than 75% of an item’s value. Be wary of coupons that have a high value relative to the cost of the item. For example, a $2 coupon is acceptable for a product that normally sells for $5 or more, but a $5 coupon for a product that sells for $5.99 is unlikely to be valid.
• Internet/print-at-home coupons for FREE product are prohibited. It is industry practice not to produce Internet coupons for free product. BOGO coupons and other values that have a purchase requirement are acceptable. 
• There is a maximum value allowed for any internet/print-at-home coupon.  Internet coupons with unusually high values are often bogus. Retailer needs to select the cut-off value based on their risk tolerance for not getting paid from the manufacturer for a fraudulent coupon vs. the potential of alienating a customer by refusing the coupon. Most retailers set the maximum value between $5 and $10.
• Reserve the right to refuse any coupon that does not appear to have been properly redeemed or for which you are concerned you may not receive reimbursement from the manufacturer.

Here is a sample Coupon Policy that you may use and modify to fit your needs:

Manufacturer Coupon Acceptance Policy:

1. We gladly accept paper and digital manufacturer coupons (omit digital if that media type is not applicable).
2. Any paper manufacturer coupon must be presented by the customer at the time of checkout and retained by the cashier or self-checkout terminal.
3. We accept only manufacturer coupons that scan accurately at the checkout register.
4. We do not accept altered, tampered or Xerox copied manufacturer coupons. 
5. The customer must purchase the specific item(s) to which the coupon applies.
6. All manufacturer coupons must clearly indicate that they are a manufacturer coupon and have a valid manufacturer address on the printed coupon.
7. Only one manufacturer coupon may be used on each individual item purchased.
8. Digital coupons cannot be combined with manufacturer’s paper coupons on the purchase of the same item.
9. To ensure product availability for all customers, we reserve the right to limit individual coupon quantities. Maximum number of coupons allowed is 5 for each identical item.
10. Manufacturer coupons must have an expiration date and not be expired.
11. The value of a FREE manufacturer coupon cannot exceed the price of the item.
12. Other than legitimate FREE manufacturer coupons, we do not accept any manufacturer coupon for more than 75% of an item’s value.  
13. Manufacturer coupons are subject to advertised offer limitations and all other limitations and restrictions printed on coupon.
14. We do not accept coupons from competitors.
15. Manufacturer Coupons have no cash value and cannot be exchanged for cash or gift cards.
16. Any applicable sales tax, bottle deposits, etc. must be paid by the consumer.
17. We reserve the right to refuse any coupon or to limit the number of coupons being used in a transaction.

Double Coupons:

1. In order for a manufacturer coupon to be doubled, the customer must use their (insert name of store loyalty card).
2. Only manufacturer coupons with a face value of up to an including $X.XX will be doubled. 
3. We do not double the value of FREE manufacturer coupons.
4. The total doubled value cannot exceed the price of the item.
5. Only one manufacturer coupon for the same item will be doubled, all others will be redeemed at their face value.  

Note: If the store does not offer double coupons, the Double Coupons section should be omitted and the following clause should be added to the store’s overall Coupon Policy: “We do not offer double coupons—all coupons will be redeemed at their face value only.” 

Internet/Print-at-Home Coupons:
We gladly accept valid Internet/Print-at-Home manufacturer coupons (the same coupon rules above apply to all Internet/Print-at-Home coupons) with the following exceptions:

• No FREE item coupons.
• Coupon face value cannot exceed $X.XX.
• Coupon value cannot exceed 75% of the sale price of the product.

Note:  If the store does not accept Internet/Print-at-Home coupons, the Internet/Print-at-Home Coupons section should be omitted and the following clause should be added to the store’s overall Coupon Policy: “We do not accept Internet/Print-at-Home coupons.”

Online coupons

With respect to the online print-at-home coupons (any offer that is a one-sided black & white or color coupon printed by the consumer on “plain” paper) that are most vulnerable to fraud, minimum standards should include:

• Internet coupons are only acceptable if they scan properly at checkout. If the coupon will not scan, that may indicate the barcode was manipulated.    
• Internet coupons for FREE product are prohibited. It is an industry practice not to produce Internet coupons for free product. BOGO coupons and other values that have a purchase requirement are acceptable.
• Set the maximum value of any Internet coupon between $5 and $10. Internet coupons with unusually high values are often bogus. Retailers need to select the cut-off value based on their risk tolerance for not getting paid from the manufacturer for a fraudulent coupon vs. the potential of alienating a customer by refusing the coupon.
• Do not accept coupons for more than 75% of an items value. Be wary of Internet coupons that have a high value relative to the cost of the item. For example, a $2 coupon is acceptable for a product that normally sells for $5 or more, but a $2 coupon for a product that sells for $2.25 is unlikely to be legitimate.

STAY IN TOUCH

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email

pfma@pfma.net
​

phone

(717) 731-0600
(800) 543-8207

address

1029 Mumma Road
Wormleysburg, PA  17043