9 Types of Coupons Everyone Should Know

Here’s something worth knowing: 52% of Canadian consumers say they actively favour brands that offer coupons. That’s not a rare habit; that’s more than half the country choosing where to shop based on offers and deals. If you’re not in that group yet, you’re spending money you could be saving.

The thing is, most people know coupons exist. Fewer people know that not all coupons work the same way. If you don’t know the difference between a percentage-off deal and a BOGO offer, you’re probably missing out on savings. That’s the real secret here: it’s not about finding one good coupon. It’s about knowing how various types of coupons work and how they can be stacked. Let’s get into the nine types you’ll run into most often.

Quick Reference: Types of Coupons & Stacking Rules

Coupon Type	Core Benefit & Best Use Case	Stacking Potential
Percentage-Off	Direct percentage cuts (e.g., 15%% to 40% off). Best for clearing out big carts or buying in bulk during seasonal clearouts.	Usually pairs with free shipping, but rarely combines with other percentage codes.
Dollar-Off	Flat dollar amount deducted (e.g., $10 off $50). Best for smaller carts or tight retail margins where percentages are small.	Rarely stacks with other dollar-off codes; occasionally works with loyalty rewards.
BOGO (Buy One, Get One)	Second item is free or deeply discounted. Ideal for everyday repeat purchases like apparel and personal care.	High. Often stacks with manufacturer coupons since funding comes from different budgets.
Free Shipping	Eliminates shipping costs entirely. Often tied to a minimum spend threshold to encourage larger basket sizes.	Almost always yes. Rarely conflicts with percentage or dollar-off shopping discounts.
Conditional & Exclusive	Gated behind specific requirements (e.g., newsletter signup, first-time buyer status, minimum spend).	Varies by fine print. These offers frequently exclude combination with other promotions.
Digital & App-Exclusive	Digital offers that live inside retailer apps or browser extensions.	Frequently yes. Designed to stack directly with active printed flyer pricing or point systems.
Manufacturer Coupons	Issued directly by the product brand (not the store). Store accepts it and gets reimbursed later by the maker.	Exceptional stacking power. Can be paired with store sales and store-specific coupons.
Store Coupons	Issued by the specific retailer. Only valid for use at that exact retail brand or storefront chain.	Excellent. Combine a store coupon with a manufacturer coupon on the same item for massive savings.
Loyalty Program	Personalized rewards earned through accrued points, account tiers, or personal shopping history.	High. Loyalty rewards usually act as an independent payment or discount layer at checkout.

1. Percentage Off Discounts

This is the coupon you already know: 15% off, 25% off, sometimes 40% off during a big sale. It works because it gives you direct discounts in your cart. Buy more, save more, which is exactly why retailers love offering these during clearance events.

Real example: Old Navy runs percentage-off promo codes constantly, especially around seasonal changeovers, sometimes stacking 40-50% off already-marked-down clearance racks. You can find current codes on our Old Navy coupons page before you check out.

Stackable? Usually yes, when paired with a free shipping offer, but rarely with another percentage-off code from the same retailer at checkout.

2. Dollar-Off Discounts

Instead of a percentage, you get a flat number knocked off your total,  think “$10 off orders over $50.” These work best on smaller purchases where a percentage wouldn’t add up to much, and they’re easier to budget around because you know exactly what you’re saving before you even open your cart.

Real example: Best Buy frequently runs dollar-off promotions on specific categories like laptops or headphones rather than storewide percentage deals, since electronics margins don’t leave much room for big percentage cuts. Check our Best Buy coupon codes for what’s live right now.

Stackable? Sometimes, if the retailer allows a manufacturer coupon or loyalty discount on top, but dollar-off codes rarely combine with each other.

3. BOGO (Buy One, Get One)

BOGO offers hook you because they feel generous, and honestly, they usually are. You either get a second item free or at a steep discount, which makes them especially suitable for things you buy in twos anyway, like skincare, snacks, workout gear, kids’ clothing.

Real example: Grocery and pharmacy chains run BOGO constantly on personal care and household items, and drugstore loyalty apps often flag these automatically so you don’t miss them. Remember the popular B3G3 deals from Bath & Body Works? That’s how these deals work, the more you buy, the more you get.

Stackable? Yes, BOGO deals often stack with a manufacturer coupon on the item, since the store discount and the brand discount come from two different budgets. However, it depends on the offer’s terms and conditions set by the retailer.

4. Free Shipping Coupons

Shipping costs are the number one reason carts get abandoned, so this coupon type solves a very specific pain point. Sometimes it’s a standalone code; other times it’s tied to a spending minimum designed to nudge your basket size up.

Real example: Amazon.ca ties free shipping to Prime membership or minimum order thresholds for non-Prime accounts, and third-party sellers on the platform often run their own free-shipping thresholds too. Our Amazon coupons page tracks current codes and thresholds, so you don’t have to.

Stackable? Almost always yes, free shipping codes rarely conflict with percentage-off or dollar-off codes since they’re solving a different part of the checkout.

5. Conditional & Exclusive Coupons

These come with strings attached. First-time customer only, minimum spend required, valid on select categories only, or only available if you’re on an email list or referral link. They’re exclusive because the retailer wants to earn something in return: your email, your first purchase, or your loyalty.

Real example: Plenty of Canadian retailers gate a 10-15% off code behind a newsletter signup, which is a fair trade if you were going to shop there anyway.

Stackable? Depends entirely on the fine print. Read the terms, because conditional coupons often explicitly exclude combination with other offers.

6. Digital & App-Exclusive Coupons

These live inside retailer apps or browser extensions rather than as a code you type in manually. Some auto-apply at checkout; others need you to “clip” them first, similar to how loyalty apps handle in-store deals.

Real example: Many Canadian grocery chains now push app-exclusive weekly deals that only show up if you have their app open and are logged into your loyalty account at checkout.

Stackable? Frequently yes. App coupons are often designed to stack with printed flyer prices or loyalty points, since the retailer wants to keep you inside their ecosystem.

7. Manufacturer Coupons

This is where a lot of people get confused, so here’s the distinction: a manufacturer coupon comes from the brand that makes the product (think Tide, Pantene, Gillette), not the store selling it. The store agrees to accept it and gets reimbursed by the manufacturer later.

Real example: Brands frequently post printable or digital manufacturer coupons directly on their own websites or through coupon-aggregator apps, redeemable at basically any retailer that carries the product.

Stackable? Yes, and this is the big one: manufacturer coupons typically stack with store coupons and store sales, because they’re coming out of two completely separate budgets. This is your chance to do some “extreme couponing.”

8. Store Coupons

Unlike manufacturer coupons, a store coupon comes directly from the retailer and only works at that retailer. It might be a printed flyer coupon, a loyalty app offer, or a code from the store’s own marketing email.

Real example: Big-box retailers and grocery chains issue their own weekly store coupons separate from any manufacturer deal running on the same shelf.

Stackable? Yes, this is the other half of the stacking equation. A store coupon plus a manufacturer coupon on the same item is how you get something close to free.

9. Loyalty Program Coupons

These aren’t handed to everyone. They’re earned through points, tiers, or purchase history, which makes them feel more personal (and often more generous) than a generic promo code. Retailers use them to reward repeat customers and nudge you back for another purchase.

Real example: Loyalty apps across grocery, pharmacy, and department stores in Canada issue personalized coupons based on your purchase history. For example, you get $5 off your next visit if you spent over a certain amount last time.

Stackable? Usually yes, since loyalty rewards are treated as a separate discount layer from sales, manufacturer coupons, or store codes.

Extreme Couponing Tips (That Actually Work in Canada)

Extreme couponing has a reputation for coupon binders and grocery carts stacked to the ceiling, but you don’t need any of that. Here’s what actually works:

• Build a two-tab habit before checkout. Keep one tab open on the retailer’s site and another on a coupon website like GrabOn, so you’re comparing live codes against what’s already showing in your cart, instead of trusting the first discount you see.
• Match manufacturer coupons to store sales, not regular prices. A manufacturer coupon is worth far more when it lands on top of an already-discounted item. Stack these two, and you can get the item for almost free!
• Check your loyalty app before you shop, not after. Personalized loyalty coupons often expire fast, and they’re the easiest savings to forget because they’re not sitting in your inbox. Check if you have any reward points you can use to pay for your order.
• Read the exclusions before you assume a code works. Most conditional coupons list specific categories or brands they don’t apply to, and that single line in the terms is usually where people get tripped up. So, read the fine print. If your coupon doesn’t work for some reason, try to find a loophole and get that coupon to work. Or try another coupon.
• Time big purchases around known sale cycles. Electronics, appliances, and apparel all have predictable markdown windows. Waiting two weeks can sometimes save you hundreds of dollars on big-ticket purchases. Comparing a few online shopping sites side by side before a big purchase often reveals which one already has the better baseline price.

How These Coupon Types Actually Work Together

Knowing nine coupon types doesn’t help much if you don’t know when to reach for which one, so here’s the actual strategy.

Percentage-off and BOGO solve different problems. Percentage-off is better for big-ticket, one-off purchases where a flat cut matters more. Like a couch, a laptop, a coat. BOGO makes more sense for consumables you’ll use up and rebuy anyway, like skincare, grocery, makeup, etc.

Free shipping and dollar-off codes are budget tools, not discovery tools. Use them once you already know what you’re buying, to save a few extra dollars off your order.

The real savings multiplier is the manufacturer-plus-store combination. A manufacturer coupon knocks a fixed amount off the product itself, while a store coupon or sale knocks a separate amount off your total. Layer those two together, and you’re pulling from two different discount pools at once, which is how a $12 item can sometimes end up costing $3 or less.

Loyalty coupons and app-exclusive deals are your long game. They reward the accounts you’ve already built history with, so the smartest move is picking two or three retailers you actually shop regularly and building loyalty status there instead of spreading your activity thin across a dozen apps.

FAQs

What are the different types of coupons? 

The main categories are percentage-off, dollar-off, BOGO, free shipping, conditional/exclusive, digital or app-based, manufacturer, store, and loyalty program coupons. Each targets a different part of your shopping decision, from the item price to the checkout total.

What are the two major kinds of coupons? 

At the broadest level, coupons split into manufacturer coupons (issued by the brand) and store coupons (issued by the retailer). Nearly every other coupon type on this list falls under one of those two umbrellas.

What are the four types of discounts? 

Most retail discounts fall into percentage-off, fixed dollar-off, buy-one-get-one, and bundle or tiered discounts (where spending more unlocks a bigger cut). Free shipping is sometimes counted as a fifth, depending on how a retailer categorizes it.

How do you stack coupons for the biggest savings? 

Combine a manufacturer coupon with a store coupon or sale price on the same item, since those come from separate budgets and are almost always allowed together. Add a loyalty discount or free shipping code on top if the retailer permits it, and always check the terms first since some conditional coupons block stacking entirely.

How do you get into extreme couponing without it taking over your life? 

Start by picking two or three retailers you already shop at regularly and learning their specific coupon and loyalty policies inside out, rather than chasing every deal everywhere. Pair manufacturer coupons with sale prices, keep a coupon aggregator bookmarked, and build the habit of checking before checkout rather than after.