Make Sure Your Coupon Code Works Before Finalizing Your Order
Unless you want to pay the regular price, make sure your discount is reflected in your total purchase price, otherwise, you will not receive your discount. Unfortunately, online merchants will not apply coupons to previously completed orders. If the discount does not show up, it usually means that the coupon or discount has expired. These promotional offers often expire unexpectedly. IMPORTANT, remember that coupons do end unexpectedly so be sure that the discount has been applied before you submit your order! Read any restrictions carefully, since some online coupons are only valid on particular items or certain departments.

Worried About Using Your Credit Card Online?
Purchasing online with a credit card is very safe if you keep the following in mind: (1) Secure sites use encryption to protect your information as it is sent over the Internet. Make sure the site is secure by verifying that the lock in the lower portion of your browser is closed, and that the URL of the page changes from "http:" to "https:" (2) Never use a debit card. It does not afford you the same protection as a credit card. (3) Never give out your social security number or mother's maiden name to a merchant site. There is no legitimate reason why they would need this information.

What To Do After You Complete Your Order
Great! You saved some money with your coupon code. Think you are done? Not so fast my friend. Print out a copy of your confirmation page/receipt showing the discount/offer and retain it for your records. Don't bookmark your confirmation page/receipt because you will not be able to return to it. Also, keep all e-mail order and shipping confirmations in the event you need to track the order, etc.

Summary
The basics to using online coupons apply to all retailers. Remember the important points in this article, and you will not go wrong this holiday season! At this point and time, as the world is scrambling to discover the web's potential, saving money using online coupons just makes good sense. Happy Shopping!

© 2001, Kyle James

Kyle is the owner of Rather-Be-Shopping.com and an expert in online coupons and how they affect consumer awareness and loyalty. You can contact him via e-mail at ratherbeshop@aol.com.