Couponing glossary: coupon & deal terms explained
BOGO, stacking, YMMV, price adjustment — the language of deal-hunting, defined in plain English so you never miss a saving.
- Stacking means layering multiple discount types on one purchase.
- BOGO means buy-one-get-one — free or discounted.
- YMMV ('your mileage may vary') flags deals that depend on your store or account.
- Reading the fine-print terms prevents most checkout failures.
- Knowing the shorthand lets you move fast on community deal posts.
Core terms
Stacking — applying more than one discount to a single order (a sale + a code + cash-back). BOGO — buy one, get one free or at a reduced price. Promo code — a code entered at checkout for a discount. Price adjustment — a refund of the difference when an item you bought drops in price.
Cash-back — a percentage returned after purchase by a third-party app or portal. Rebate — money back you claim from the manufacturer after buying. Clearance — a permanent markdown to clear stock, versus a temporary sale.
Community shorthand
YMMV — 'your mileage may vary,' meaning a deal depends on your location or account. Dead — a code or deal that no longer works. OOP — 'out of pocket,' what you actually pay after all discounts. Slickdeal / hot deal — a widely praised, time-sensitive offer.
B&M — brick-and-mortar, an in-store deal. IRL price — the real shelf price. Glitch — an unintended low price that may not be honored. Stackable — a code confirmed to combine with other discounts.
Fine-print terms
Minimum spend — the cart total required for a code to work. Exclusions — brands or categories a code won't apply to. New-customer-only — limited to first-time buyers. Reading these prevents the most common checkout failures — more in our verification guide.
One per order/household — limits how often a code can be used. Auto-applied — a discount that needs no code. Final sale — not returnable or adjustable. These conditions are exactly where a 'working' code quietly fails.
Loyalty and rewards terms
Points — rewards earned per dollar that redeem for money off. Tier — a loyalty level unlocking bigger perks. Store cash — credit earned on one trip to spend on a later one (Kohl's Cash, Super Cash). Card-linked offer — a deal that activates automatically on a linked payment card.
Understanding these makes the difference between letting rewards expire and redeeming them well — see our loyalty program guide.
Timing terms
Doorbuster — a deep, limited-quantity sale-event deal. Lightning deal — a time-boxed discount that ends when the timer or stock runs out. Early access — shopping a sale before the public. Price protection — a refund if the price drops within a window after purchase.
Recognizing these tells you when to act versus wait — and which 'urgent' deals are genuine, as our Black Friday strategy explains.
Frequently asked questions
Now put the terms to work
Browse every dated offer published here, across all the stores we track.
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