The complete beginner’s guide to coupon stacking online: How to use 2+ promo codes to save big

When you’re using SimplyCodes, often you’ll get to the checkout page of an eCommerce store and see the message “We found 11 storewide coupons”  or “8 storewide coupons” or “287 storewide coupons” (shoutout to Shein on that last one).

Unfortunately, in most cases, you can only use one of those codes to make your purchase.

The exception: When a store allows for coupon stacking, i.e., allows you to use more than one coupon on the same transaction. Those stores are rare, but they do exist. And when you find one, and understand how to properly stack your coupons, you can rack up phenomenal savings.

Here is what you need to know about how to stack coupons, the best ways to do it online, and some of the best websites to use to get the best deal!

What is coupon stacking?

Coupon stacking is where the buyer uses two or more coupons in a single transaction. Shoppers can layer promotions, coupons from different sources, sales, and rebates to get the best deal on their purchase.

Most consider coupon stacking an art form because it requires skills and know-how. It requires reading the fine print of each coupon and understanding store policies, but for those who know how to do it, they can save a lot.

Buyers have been using in-store coupon stacking for years (largely at grocery stores and drug stores) to save on their purchases. However, coupon stacking online is a whole new ballgame. Many of the websites have algorithms in place that prevent shoppers from using more than one coupon. However, if you know where to look and how to use coupons well, you can find a great discount on your favorite items.

How coupon stacking works at brick-and-mortar stores

There are a number of ways that buyers can stack the deals when they shop in person, and with each subsequent step, they can save more and more money.

Level 1 in-store coupon stacking: Use a store coupon and manufacturer’s coupon

The simplest way that many buyers save on their purchases is by stacking manufacturer coupons along with the coupons offered by the store.

Manufacturer coupons are those you can get from the company that makes the product. For example, sometimes Tide will issue coupons on their detergent. These are the coupons you’d find in the pile of glossy ads inside a Sunday newspaper or you’d get through direct mail. (Yes, coupon stacking in-person often requires going old school.)

Via: Coupon Fairyland.

Store coupons, on the other hand, are coupons issued by the store where you shop. If you were stacking on the detergent example above, then you could also use a Target store coupon.

Stacking coupons usually means using both store and manufacturer coupons for the same item. You’ll generally need to stack with one store plus one manufacturer since most stores do not allow two store or two manufacturer coupons for the same item, which is called doubling coupons.

Level 2 in-store coupon stacking: Use a store coupon, manufacturer’s coupon, and store loyalty program discount

Beyond using both store and manufacturer coupons, store loyalty programs let you get even more money off your purchase.

For example, Target RedCards give you 5% off a purchase, even if you used coupons on that purchase. If there is a store you shop at regularly, joining their loyalty program can save you a lot of money and is a great way to get an extra deal out of your purchases.

Level 3 in-store coupon stacking: Use a store coupon, manufacturer’s coupon, store loyalty program, and rebate

Once you’ve made your coupon-stacked purchase, you can still save even more money. Rebate apps like Ibotta, Fetch Rewards, and Coupons.com all let you get cash back on your purchases via simple rebates.

Keep in mind that you can stack rebate apps too! All rebate apps allow you to scan a receipt once, even if you’ve scanned it in another app.

Level 4 in-store coupon stacking: Use a store coupon, manufacturer’s coupon, store loyalty program, rebate, and discounted gift card

Now we arrive at the final stage of coupon stacking mastery. Before you go to the store, check to see if you can get a discounted gift card to make your purchase to stack yet another deal.

Websites like Raise and Gift Card Granny buy unused gift cards and sell them at a discount. And those websites themselves sometimes offer coupon codes when you’re buying their already-discounted gift cards. So you might be able to get a Target gift card for a total of 5% to 8% off.

(You can get discounted gift cards on more than just grocery stores and drug stores, too. They offer gift cards on airlines, hotels, entertainment, and more. If you have a fast food restaurant you love, consider investing in a gift card to save each time you go.)

The grand total of in-store coupon stacking

So playing out our example, here’s how much you could save with coupon stacking.

• Target sells an 81-pack of Tide Pods for $21.49.

• You’d save $3 with a manufacturer’s coupon.

• Assuming your order had more than $50 worth of products in it — which would be easy to do at target — you could use the $15 off in-store coupon. The portion of that devoted to the Tide Pods is around $6.50 off. (Tide Pods are 43% of your $50 purchase.)

• You get 5% off with your RedCard, which is another roughly 60 cents off the Tide Pods.

• You get a $2 rebate on a rebate app.

• You get a $50 Target gift card off Raise for 5% off, which saves you $2.50. We’ll give $1.08 of those savings, proportionately, to the Tide Pods. 

So the grand total off the Tide Pods with all this coupon stacking is… $13.18. That takes the price down to $8.31, or more than 61% off.

That’s great savings… but was it all worth it? Your mileage may vary, however, for many coupon stackers, this process is a challenge and a hobby — the money saving is a byproduct of the entertainment value of the journey. 

But beyond that, if you could save 61% on everything you buy for your household over the course of a year — or a decade or two — that could really add up. The average family spends around $600 per year on cleaning supplies and $707 on personal care products. If coupon stacking could even shave 50% off that, you’d save $654 per year. That’s more than $6,500 in a decade through, really, just paying attention, putting in a little effort, and devoting a few minutes of your daily mindless smartphone usage time to coupons and rebates.

So coupon stacking can be great when you’re shopping at Target or Walmart, at Dollar General or other dollar stores, at your local grocery store like Kroger or Safeway, or at a drugstore like Walgreens or CVS. But you also want to stack coupons at other types of stores as well. In the next section, we’ll dig into coupon stacking online.

How coupon stacking works when shopping online

Coupon stacking is possible online, but it is a bit trickier. The online world is not built the same way to encourage stacking — plus eCommerce checkouts usually don’t allow couponing loopholes like brick-and-mortar stores.

However, if you know where to look, you can still take advantage of multiple deals.

Find stores that offer coupon stacking online

If you are flexible about where you need to shop, do a little homework beforehand to see what online stores allow coupon stacking.

Fortunately, you don’t have to go digging all across the internet to find out which stores you can use coupon stacking. On our website Knoji we’ve put together a comprehensive list of stores that let you do coupon stacking online. Be sure to keep your eye on this list: it is updated with new stores all the time that allow coupon stacking.

Use brick-and-mortar coupon stacking techniques online

Although you might not be able to use multiple coupons on the same purchase at any store you choose, there are still ways you can use the techniques we described earlier in this article to lower the price.

To save on online shopping, use a coupon on a product that is already on sale or buy discounted gift cards. Loyalty points can be used in-store or online, so be sure you are signed in and a part of the store’s loyalty program to cash in on it. Also, don’t forget that you can use rebate apps on online shopping. 

How to use coupon code stacking online at six popular stores

Many of the popular online stores offer ways to lower the price and stack coupons. Here are five of the most popular online stores where you can stack to save:

How to use coupon stacking at Kohl’s

Kohl’s is a popular department store alternative for clothing and home goods. It is also a great website to stack up the deals! The store allows up to four coupons per order. Plus, unlike most stores, you can stack sitewide sales with category-specific coupons.

Your best bet is to start by adding a sitewide coupon, then adding department-specific coupons next. Also, be sure to add a free shipping code at the end. Be sure to use your desktop instead of a mobile device or their app when shopping. You’ll be limited to two stacking coupons then.

How to use coupon stacking at Old Navy/Gap/Banana Republic

Old Navy, Gap, and Banana Republic are all owned by Gap, Inc. and have the same coupon policies. They do not allow coupon stacking in-store, but their online shops will let you use up to five codes per order.

Although not all coupons can be combined with other offers or discounts, you can use deals and promotions for different parts of the order. For example, you can use 10% off and get free shipping.

How to use coupon stacking at Newegg

If you are looking to find a discount on electronics, Newegg is where you want to go, as they allow unlimited coupons per single item. Newegg is a great website if you’re not brand loyal and have only specific specs in mind while you’re shopping. You can find luck here stacking a product-specific coupon with a sitewide coupon; you can also purchase multiple products that have their own coupons and utilize those coupons in the same transaction. 

How to use coupon stacking at Amazon 

With Amazon, you can use an unlimited number of coupons per order; as long as each item you’re buying has an associated coupon code, you can keep on dropping in those coupon codes to save. However, since Amazon essentially never offers sitewide coupon codes, it’s rare that you’d get multiple discounts on the same item.

You can also use coupon stacking at Amazon’s other stores, like Amazon Music and Amazon Fresh. And of course, make sure to check out our deep dive into ways to save money at Amazon for every possible strategy to get your cart prices down.

10 more popular stores that offer online coupon code stacking

There are many other stores where you can get a better discount with coupon stacking as well. Here are 10 major retailers who offer some form of coupon stacking online.

• Sears. Sears allows as many coupons as you want per order, but they can’t both be the same (for instance, two sitewide coupon codes). For example, you couldn’t use two 10% off coupons, but you could use 25% off and $10 off shoes.

• Target. Target allows unlimited coupons on every order, but they do not allow coupon stacking on single items. Of course, as we discussed earlier in this article, there are plenty of ways to stack discounts at Target beyond using two coupons on an item.

• BJ’s Wholesale Club. BJ's Wholesale Club can offer you extra savings if you want to get the most from your bulk purchases. Their website states that buyers can use one store coupon with one manufacturer's coupon on any purchase.

• Walgreens. Walgreens is currently the most popular store for in-person coupon stacking and you can do quite a bit of that stacking online as well. The store accepts manufacturers coupons, in-app digital coupons, and in-store rewards so you can really rack up the savings — sometimes even making money on a deal.

• Staples. If you need to refill your home office supplies, try Staples. Staples accepts both manufacturer and store coupons. Also, you can use Staples Rewards online with other coupons since they work similarly to a gift card.

• CVS. CVS allows you to stack coupons online using manufacturer's coupons, app coupons, and email coupons. Also, be sure to sign up for a CVS ExtraCare account before shopping. It’s store credit you can use for future purchases!

• T-Mobile. If you want to take advantage of coupon stacking to save on your phone plan, look no further than T-Mobile. They allow customers to combine coupons and promo codes.

• LOFT. You can stack coupons at LOFT online and still get significant discounts. If you shop at LOFT often, consider getting extra perks with their credit cards, where you can get deals such as 15% off the first Tuesday of the month and $15 off one purchase during your birthday month.

• shopDisney. Not only can you stack individual coupons, but Disney pass holders can get discounts on top of promos at shopDisney.

• buybuy BABY. buybuy BABY does allow coupon stacking for any current and eligible coupons. Plus, if you find that Bed Bath & Beyond carries the same product, you can use your buybuy BABY coupon there as well.

Knoji’s list of companies offering coupon stacking can give you an idea of stores that you can stack coupons from, but don’t be afraid to try at a store you don’t see on the list. Online stores are often changing their shopping policies and algorithms so that you might be pleasantly surprised.