How I Coupon Vacations

Using coupons is easy and doesn’t require a lot of time! Don’t think couponing is going to take up any of your time while traveling. Buy doing some research beforehand you can easily save a significant amount of money. This may make it so you can finally afford that family trip! Or set aside money to be able to do that spendier “activity”. Regardless of the reason, there is no reason NOT to take advantage of these great deals. Read on to see how I coupon vacations!

Skiplagged

Here is an amazing website, that I’ve only recently discovered. Skiplagged helps you find any “loopholes” while finding flights. Now, this isn’t exactly “couponing”, but it’s a way you can possibly save a significant amount of money. The website boasts their ability to find flights that the airlines don’t want you to see. What they do is they include your destination as a possible layover as well!

I realized this was a thing airlines do last Summer, when I had a wedding to go to out in Colorado Springs. In my head, I figured that it would be cheaper to just fly into Denver and drive the hour down to Colorado Springs (we had to rent a car anyways). When I researched the flights, I found it was the opposite here! The flight from MSP to Colorado Springs (with a layover in Denver) was cheaper than just a flight to Denver alone! Why do airlines do this? No idea, but it’s a thing!

This past September, I was looking for a cheap flight down to Phoenix. I was going down a day early from my boyfriend in order to see some friends in the area. In order to get down there early, I needed to find a cheap flight. Like always, I made my way to Google Flights’ website. I find their website the easiest to use, and includes all airlines (a lot of third party website only include certain airlines). At the time, the cheapest flight I found was roughly $180 USD. I often see round trip prices for under a hundred dollars between MSP and Phoenix. So this was way more than I was willing to pay.

Click here for How to Use Google Flights to Find the Cheapest Fares.

I then made my way over to Skiplagged, to see if they could do any better. After entering my dates a flight popped up for about $80 USD. Which saved me about $100! Here their website essentially looked for all the flights where Phoenix was a layover! Personally, this doesn’t make sense to me… You would think the farther the flight, the more it costs? This isn’t always the case though. Here they were able to find a flight from MSP to LAX, where Phoenix was the layover. Obviously, I just left the airport after the first flight.

The major downside to this method, is you can’t check a bag. So it may be a lot harder for some people to do on longer trips. But if you can survive with less clothes or happen to be staying at a place where you can do laundry, then you are in luck!

Raise.com

Now here is a website that I’ve only recently taken advantage of. Raise buys and sells Gift Cards at a discounted rate. According to their website, “Join Raise to save thousands each year. Whether you’re looking to save on your next meal, or a new kitchen, or a dream vacation, pay with gift cards to save money everywhere you shop.” You can save up to 30% on discounted gift cards from 4,000 different brands on their marketplace. When you think about how expensive traveling can be, 30% off anything will save you a lot of money!

I will say that a 30% discount is a rare sight on gift cards, but any discount adds up! For a an upcoming trip to Arizona, I happened to buy multiple gift cards. I did this by setting up accounts for both me and my boyfriend. So, after finding out the cheapest and best flight, I visited Raise.com. I needed to find a discounted gift card on the flight I wanted with American Airlines. Their gift cards were only 1% off, and I planned on buying a $250 gift card. Now $2.50 might not be a lot, the website often has discounts code for greater savings. After signing up, I was able to get an additional $20 off!

After this, I signed my boyfriend Erik up. Like I often do while traveling, I wanted to book accommodations through Air BNB. I made my way to Raise again, to look for a discount for AirBNB. They had deals for 2.5% off gift cards. This saved us $12.50 on a $500 gift card. Again, we used the signup code which brought us to a $32.50 savings! On just two purchases we were able to save $55!

When you sign up, use the referral code: LBPROD5772 and you’ll receive $5.00 on your first purchase!

More Discounted Gift Cards…

After originally posting this, Derrick (A co-worker of mine) brought up another way to find discounted gift cards. Both him and his wife will often hit up Sam’s Club prior to going out to dinner. They also head here for gift cards around the holidays! While you need to have a membership for Sam’s Club, they are often discounted on Groupon! I made my way over to their website and saw that they have gift cards listed at up to 25% off! This included a lot of travel related deals! Sam’s Club had discounted gift cards for places like Hotels.com, Delta, Disney, and Carnival (just to name a few).

Ibotta

I touched on this briefly in my article How to Save Money While Traveling. If you haven’t already, you need to download the app Ibotta. It is normally known as a couponers’ dream. The biggest reason to download the free app, is that you can get money back on items that you are already buying! The cash back offers are usually similar to what a coupon would be. But here is a way to save money, by basically doing zero work. This money can be put back into a pay pal account, or on a gift card from some of the top retailers.

Right now if you use the referral code listed below, you can get $10 off of your first purchase. Ibotta already has many offers that make items FREE. So on top of getting free items, you will immediately MAKE $10 on your first purchase! You can also start sending out referral codes yourself, to make even more money. My first account got deleted accidentally, but according to my second account I’ve amassed over $1,365.27. Between both my accounts I’ve made over $2,000 (That’s two international flights right there!).

Another way to “double dip” on this app is if you have multiple adults in your household. I personally make sure to use both my boyfriends and my own account. Obviously you would have already sent them your own referral code, but you can also get double the free stuff by using multiple accounts.

While normally being used for retail related items, Ibotta has AMAZING travel deals as well. This rebate app has deals where you can earn cash back on everyday purchases. Restaurants, bars, clothing stores, Groupon, etc. Right now there’s deals where you could receive up to 10% cash back on certain stores. Both Home Away and VRBO offer $10 dollar cash back. You need to be using Ibotta to get discounts on everything before, during, and after your trips. Even if you don’t travel, I suggest that everyone use Ibotta if you want some extra money in your pocket.

Included below are referral codes to give you additional money back off of your first purchase!

Ibotta= arqppqm

Checkout51 referral code= https://checkout51.app.link/WNeVBXeT44

FetchRewards referral code= K3PTP

When I wrote this post, Ibotta had the following travel related discounts;

• Uber- Earn .75 cash back when launching Uber through the Ibotta app.
• Travelocity- 2.5% cash back
• Orbitz- 4% cash back- plus signing up for their rewards program.
• Hotwire- Earn up to 4% cash back.
• Expedia- Earn 5% cash back plus signing up for there Rewards program.
• Choice Hotels- 2% Cash Back
• Hertz- 3% cash back, plus signing up for rewards program.
• Groupon- up to 6% cash back
• Amazon- 2-6% cash back (to use for future trips).
• Booking.com- 4% Cash back
• Restaurants- Dominos, etc.
• Best Western- 2% cash back
• Extended Stay America- 5% Cash Back
• Priceline- up to 5%
• Ticketmaster- .5% cash back
• VividSeats- 2% cash back
• Suburban Extended Stay, Sleep Inn, Rodeway Inn, Quality Inn, Mainstay suites, Econolodge, comfort suites, comfort inn, clarion, cambria, ascend hotel collections- Cash back
• Cabelas- 5% back for the sportsman/outdoor gear
• Bass Pro Shop- 3% cash back for the sportsman/outdoor gear
• Hotel Tonight- 3% cash back

Groupon

While there isn’t a sign up code, there it ALWAYS codes for extra discounts. As I’m writing this you can get an Extra 20% off all Activities, Massages, and dinning. Which is basically perfect for any traveling. Plus these discounts are ON TOP of the already drastically reduced prices. I will often look up deals prior to traveling in order to see if there is deals I want to take advantage of. This is how we found the company we love shark diving with in Oahu, Hawaii. Also, sometimes companies will honor certain coupon prices if you just call and ask. It’s usually a benefit to them, since more money goes into their pockets without Groupon getting their cut (sorry not sorry).

Groupon itself has some awesome deals and packages on hotels and travel. While I’ve never done a whole bundled Groupon trip, I’ve heard good things. Make sure you read the trips in detail though. A lot of times, they will only fly out certain dates and out of certain airports. So just make sure you really know what you are purchasing.

But for example, currently there is a 10 day France and Austria Vacation listed with airfare included. Normally listed at $1,469 is on sale for $999. On top of that there is a 20% off coupon going on, which drops the price to $799.2. On top of that Ibotta currently has a 6% cash back ($47.95 back). So after discounts you would pay $751.25 for a 10 day trip to France and Austria including airfare!! Not a bad deal at all if you ask me! Especially since most people would pay about that much just on the flight to Europe!!

*Remember the Raise website we talked about earlier? Guess where they have discounted gift cards to? You guessed it, Groupon!*

Coupon Groceries

Now I’ll touch on couponing later in this post, but It can save a significant amount of money on your trips. If you are going on a trip and staying in some sort of house rental, buying groceries is the way to go. Now I love checking out local restaurants as much as the next person. But eating out constantly for a week makes me feel sick. I prefer having the opportunity to make something at home and have snacks at hand! The main way to get paper coupons is by buying local Sunday papers and coupons.com.

Prior to leaving I’ll go through the available coupons that I have. I’ll try and pick out the ones I may possibly use. The big ones are often granola bars and cereal. These are things we almost always buy on trips. I’ll also try and match those with any rebate app coupons to save double the money! These rebate apps often include products that are completely free! By purchasing these while on vacation, makes it so you are basically eating for free! Double dipping on “coupons” is the way couponers really save money! I will check out krazycouponlady.com prior as well. This website is amazing at compiling the deals and doing all the work for you!

On top of cutting coupons, I often save up the gift cards I may have acquired on the rebate apps. To me, its basically a way to save money little by little in the weeks leading up to the trip. There is also way to make money couponing! This occurs when you stack “coupons” that total more than the cost of the product. This money often compiles up on the apps little by little. But it’s a way to significantly reducing the price of groceries!

Air BNB

I almost ALWAYS suggest getting an Air BNB. Often times, these rooms will be cheaper and you will get more room. There is usually always a wide range of places you can look at. If you really wanted to save some money, you can rent a single room inside someone’s house. Often with this option, you would share the rest of the common areas. Personally, I could not do that. I find myself being too awkward and I like my space. Many times, I have rented out a GIANT house/condo, and it has been extremely cheap after the cost has been split up.

To get $65 USD off your first Air BNB rental, click here!

Additional Discounts on Air BNB;

• Raise.com- Sells discounted gift cards
• Ibotta- Rebates back on purchases
• Handing out your referral code

Discount Flights

While I’d love to tell you there is some super secret way to finding cheap flights. There really isn’t… More than likely it’ll come down to how much research you want to do. I see AMAZING deals constantly, but I’m constantly checking out prices and have an extremely flexible schedule. I’ve written an entire post on Google Flights and how you can find the lowest possible fare through them. I love how versatile their site is, and how easy it is to use. Websites like Hopper, and Skyscanner have similar attributes, and do a lot of the work for you!

Each Airline company seems to have their own Rewards program that are often free to join. Delta for example, has their SkyMiles program. I try to fly with Delta as much as possible, especially for International flight. After two longer flights (South Africa and Tahiti), I had roughly 10,000 “miles”. Last time I checked, a flight from Minneapolis Minnesota to Charleston South Carolina was about 18,000 “miles”. So while the process might be slow, you can get free flights out of airlines free reward programs. Make sure that you watch for points deals as well. I’ve seen people finding flights from the US to both Japan and Brazil for a bout 30,000 points! So those points really can add up.

On top of Rewards Programs, most airlines will offer some sort of credit card. While I currently don’t have one, those programs can really add up! Again, let’s take Delta for example. They offer their Delta SkyMiles American Express. Like most companies, they have some amazing sign up bonuses. With Delta you will get 70,000 miles after spending $2,000 in the first 3 months. Like I mentioned earlier, I’ve seen people find flights to Japan and Brazil for 30,000. Think of flying to both places for FREE with 60,000 miles.

While $2,000 seems like a lot, figure everything you purchase in three month. Groceries, rent, etc. probably exceed $2,000. Otherwise you can wait until a time where you know you may have to make bigger purchases. A lot of people end up spending a lot more money during the Holiday season. Also If you are planning a wedding, this could be huge! You and your partner could both look into getting a card while planning the wedding. Not only could you be getting points for the stuff you were already going to purchase, but you could possibly get free honeymoon flights out of the deal!! Just make sure that you really check out the credit cards details. They often have extremely high interest rates. So If you aren’t financially responsible, you could end up losing money out of the deal.

Here’s something you’ve probably never heard of, Penny Flights! Yes you heard that right, Spirit airlines will have flights for only a penny! Now these flights can only be purchased at the Spirit Airlines Counter, so you will never see them listed online. When you purchase a ticket, all you will pay for is .01 and then any taxes/fee’s that are normally associated with flying. Overall an amazing deal! The reason they do this, is if they have a significant amount of open seats on a flight they will be making money off of any extra’s that you may purchase. Like we all are aware, Spirit would charge you to breathe if they could. But if you can fly with only a backpack, and don’t mind having a little less room. This is the deal for you!

Online Coupon Codes

Most people have used some sort of third party vacation website. Expedia, Travelocity, and Orbitz are just a few that come to mind. Most people don’t realize that these website are jam packed with online coupon and promotional codes! Do some research prior to hitting the “book” button. This can often be a hit or miss way to save though. Codes often expire or you account may not qualify. But it’s always worth a try!

Easy ways to acquire these codes are signing up for their rewards programs! Every website seems to have them these days! Most of the time they are free, and do nothing but give you discounts. Hotels.com for example; gives you a free night stay after booking 10 hotels through them! Most airlines will give you “miles” for flying with them, which can lead up to free flights! ALWAYS check out the companies rewards program, prior to booking anything!

Couponing Basics

Now I don’t expect you to become an extreme couponer overnight. But you can honestly save SO much money by clipping a few coupons. The majority of coupons can be found in your local newspapers on Sunday’s. Personally, I don’t have a subscription for the Star Tribune (Minnesota’s local newspaper). But it can be easily bought at most stores and gas stations! They are usually only about $1-2 dollars depending on the newspaper. You basically get your money back with just one coupon! The coupons at the beginning of the month are usually the best and most plentiful. If you don’t have access to Newspaper coupons, check out the website Coupons.com. Here you can print out coupons from a verified website, so nothing here is counterfeit. Take advantage of both, since they are often different from each other!

Now the tricky thing about couponing is that each store has their own “coupon policies”. But if you can manage to understand each stores policies, you can completely take advantage of them. The most useful website I’ve found is the Krazy Coupon Lady. On top of giving you a step by step description of weekly deals, they also have AMAZING videos and posts about how to coupon. Check them out to get a more in depth description. Below I’m going to include a few different stores, and some hypothetical coupon deals.

TARGET

Buy (2) Schick Xtreme3 Razors, 8 count $9.99, regular price and receive a $5.00 Target Gift card.

Use the 20% off Target Circle (Free app, old Target Circle) = $7.99 each

And use (2) $4.00/1 coupons from Smart Source 03/15 = $3.99

Then use your Target Red Card to purchase for a 5% discount = $3.79

Submit for a $4.00/1 Ibotta rebate = .21 moneymaker on each razor

With the $5.00 Target Gift Card this would be a $5.42 moneymaker!

Target allows you to use up to (4) identical manufacturer coupons per transaction. On top of manufacture coupons, you can use Target Coupons on the same item. The Target Circle App (formally known as cartwheel) will also be taken off of the item if available. Also, Target Also has Category Coupons as well, that will be applied ($10 off of a $40 purchase groceries). The last thing that Target offers are their gift card deals. This usually consists of buying items in multiples, in order to receive a target gift card in return. Always remember to use Rebate Apps on top of all this in order to maximize savings!

WALMART

Buy (1) Dove body wash $2.99

Use (1) $4.00/1 Dove body wash coupon from Coupons.com

Receive $1.01 back on purchase

So while Walmart does not have amazing coupon deals like Target, the one thing that sets them apart from other stores is the fact that they allow overage to be returned to the customer. If you have a $3.00 coupon and something only costs a dollar, you would be making $2.00 from the coupon. You see this most often with clearance items, since they are marked below normal market price. Now “technically” Walmart is supposed to give you money back but I wouldn’t try it. It doesn’t look good to managers and employees. Instead i’ve been taught to put it towards items that wouldn’t normally be on sale. A good example of these things is like meats, dairy, and vegetables. I’ve gotten steaks for free this way before! Like always make sure you are using your rebate apps!

Resell Couponed Items

Since you have just created the ultimate stock pile due to couponing. You can now start reselling the items that you no longer need! At some point you are going to no longer need to keep an item, since you already have 20 at home. It is so easy to sell everyday essential items on Facebook Marketplace and Craigslist. Recently I was able to get 4 bottles of Nexus Shampoo for $1.99. These bottles normally run for $12-13 dollars at Target (closer to $20 at CVS). I put the items on Marketplace for $25 (half off what they would have paid for the 4). And I had someone asking to pick them up within a few dollars! If you can master the world of couponing, it can be such an easy way to make money!

A second idea on reselling items, may be a bit riskier. A lot of online business’s have made a significant profit in doing so though. Ultimately if you can find amazing deals on clothes and items, you can sell them for significantly more. A lot of Amazon businesses run this way. Heck, that’s how Kim Kardashian started her business career. She had her father loan her money, in order to purchases purses and sell them for more later! While we all don’t have wealthy parents, it is doable.

A few summers back, I found North Face Winter Jackets in Cabelas bargain cave. These jackets normally ran for $399 dollars, but after discounts were ringing up for $40. Normally I bought one for myself, and all that were left (like 3). It was the middle of the summer so no one was in the market for Winter jackets. But that fall I put them online for a hundred bucks and they instantly sold. Something to think about if you are constantly finding AMAZING deals. It’s an easy way to make some extra money.