Coupon apps – like Flipp, Checkout 51, and Save.ca – help users save money by providing access to exclusive discounts, deals, and promotional codes that might not be available elsewhere.
They are convenient, allowing shoppers to easily find and apply savings directly from their smartphones while making purchases online or in-store. By tracking and aggregating deals in one place, these apps simplify the process of finding the best offers, ultimately maximizing your savings with minimal effort.
Key Takeaways
- Coupon apps like Flipp, Checkout 51, and Save.ca allow users to easily find and apply exclusive discounts, deals, and promotional codes directly from their smartphones.
- These apps provide access to a variety of deals across different product categories, including groceries, retail items, and gas.
- After making qualifying purchases, users can easily redeem offers by uploading receipts or linking payment methods to track savings.
- Typically, once users reach a minimum threshold, they can cash out via PayPal, cheque, or gift cards.
Top coupon apps in Canada
The top coupon apps and websites provide exclusive deals across a wide range of retailers and products, typically through digital coupons. Some also allow users to download and print the coupons they find.
Here are 12 major coupon platforms in Canada.
1) Checkout 51
Checkout 51 is one of the better apps as it offers lots of deals on commonly used household products.
Download the app and browse for items of interest such as groceries, pharmacy items, and gas, and then add them to your shopping list within the app.
After making your purchases, use your smartphone to take a picture of your receipt and upload it to the app for verification. Once you have accumulated $20 in your account, Checkout 51 mails you a cheque.
Note that accounts are limited to one per member and two per household.
A note on barcode verification: Checkout 51 uses barcode verification on some of their offers.Upon submitting your receipt for redemption, you'll be prompted to scan the UPC of one of the products in question to ensure you've purchased the required item.
Why we love it:
- Easy to use and no fumbling for coupons on checkout.
- New offers updated every Thursday.
2) Save.ca
Save.ca features flyers and individual coupons, contests, and promotions tailored to your interests – whenever new coupons become available, Save.ca sends them to your inbox.
This app also lets you compare dozens of flyers every week based on your location in categories such as groceries, home improvement, and cosmetics.
Accounts are limited to one per member and two per household or device.
Why we love it:
- Routinely offers discounts on a product category not specific to any retailer.
- Offers are tailored to users based on location.
3) Caddle
Caddle provides two ways to save: digital coupons sent to your inbox after you sign up for the app, and the opportunity to earn money by completing surveys and other online tasks.
To redeem Caddle's digital coupons, simply purchase the featured product, snap a picture of your receipt, and upload it to Caddle. Once your account reaches $20 in savings, Caddle will mail you a cheque.
Why we love it:
- Caddle sends users new offers every Thursday.
- Along with coupons, Caddle offers users other easy ways, like simple tasks and surveys, to earn money online.
4) Drop
Drop takes a unique approach to couponing by simplifying the process. Rather than having to snap a picture of your receipt each time you want to redeem an offer, you simply link your debit or credit card directly to your account.
This way, Drop automatically tracks your purchases and awards you "Drop Points" which can be used on future purchases at places like:
- Amazon
- Netflix
- Starbucks
Why we love it:
- The opportunity to take advantage of Drop’s Stacked offers – promo codes for you to get discounts and build up points simultaneously.
- New offers dropped every Wednesday.
5) Swagbucks
Swagbucks doesn’t offer coupons in the traditional sense, but it does offer you gift cards to various retailers in exchange for doing the following tasks online:
- Shopping online
- Watching videos
- Searching the web
- Answering surveys
- Taking advantage of valuable coupons
Why we love it:
- Offers easy ways to earn points in exchange for gift cards, such as online surveys, watching videos, etc.
- Shopping at major retailers (such as Amazon, Walmart, etc) earns you points.
$75 GeniusCash + Unlimited transactions for $0 + Ding-free non-affiliated ATM usage.
$25 GeniusCash + $50 bonus for funding a new account, and $0 commissions on stocks & ETFs
$12 GeniusCash + Access trusted news coverage 24/7 + Digital and home subscription options.
$25 GeniusCash + Delicious meal choices with fresh ingredients + Front-door delivery.6) GeniusCash
Coupons, cash back – free money is free money. That’s why we’re adding the GeniusCash app to this list.
The GeniusCash app gives you access to big GeniusCash Offers (our cash back program) on top financial products and services, plus limited-time welcome bonuses and exclusive deals you won’t find anywhere else.
You'll also get customized recommendations that can help you find the best products for you to level up the rewards you earn on your everyday spending.
Why we love it:
- Industry-leading financial tool for Canadians to maximize earning and spending
- Unique suggestions tailored to your personal needs and habits
- Access to exclusive deals and promotions
- Countless cashback earning opportunities
7) Flipp
Flipp not only makes it easy to find coupons online, it also allows you to save and sync your loyalty cards right in the app.
Flipp lets users quickly browse digital flyers and deals by location or store. You can clip and save coupons directly to your shopping list within the app. Additionally, you can add your loyalty cards to the app for easy access, so you no longer need to carry them around. The app also allows you to digitally clip coupons to save money while shopping in-store.
Why we love it:
- Flipp allows you to easily search thousands of deals within the app.
- Keeping digital copies of all your loyalty cards for ease-of-use is very handy.
8) webSaver
Open a webSaver account (there is no app) to find both digital and printable coupons to use on products from hundreds of brands.
WebSaver doesn’t have an app, but if you become a member (sign up is free) you will have access to a webSaver Wallet, where you can add digital coupons to your account and access them via your smartphone.
Why we love it:
- webSaver is great for old-school coupon-ers who like to print out their coupons.
- webSaver partners with hundreds of brands to offer discounts and coupons to members.
9) Great Canadian Rebates
Great Canadian Rebates offers users coupons in the form of cash back.
Visit the Great Canadian Rebates website and browse for products – it partners with most major Canadian retailers. When you find an item, use the link provided by Great Canadian Rebates to complete your purchase. The site will earn a commission and pass a portion of it on to you. Once you accumulate $10 in your account, you’ll receive a gift card from retailers like Amazon, Canadian Tire, Best Buy, and more.
Why we love it:
- An easy way to make money on items you normally buy.
- Great Canadian Rebates’ sale of the week is a great way to save money.
10) Flashfood
Flashfood is an app that provides substantial discounts on food from grocery stores nearing its expiration date.
Loblaw, NoFrills, Loblaws Superstores, and Ren’s Pets (for your dogs and cats) will upload food items they want to get rid of to Flashfood’s app. In the app, pick the items you want, pay for them via the app, and the grocery store (or pet store) will keep your order refrigerated until you pick it up.
Why we love it:
- A great way to save money on food that is approaching its expiry date.
- Flashfood is a novel way to tackle food waste.
11) SmartCanucks
SmartCanucks offers thousands of both print and digital coupons for use at grocery stores, electronics shops, department stores, and pharmacies across Canada.
You can search for coupons by type of product, location, and brand.
Why we love it:
- SmartCanucks is unique in that it offers lots of fast food coupons (instead of just grocery store deals) across its site.
- It offers one of the largest collections of coupons and flyers in Canada.
12) RedFlagDeals
RedFlagDeals is an online community where members share discounts, coupons, deals, and other freebies within the RFD’s online marketplace.
You’ll find more than 70 categories of discounted items on RedFlagDeals, ranging from groceries and electronics to cosmetics, clothing, and more.
Why we love it:
- One of the broadest and deepest collections of coupons and discounts available to Canadians online.
- RedFlag deals provides a unique online community for deal-lovers.
How coupon apps work
The apps listed above are available as apps for Android and iOS or through your web browser.
Each app offers a list of products and rebate amounts with different specifics like volume or weight and customer limits, if any.
When an offer is redeemed, the amount of the offer is deposited into your account. Upon cashout, the money is either:
- Transferred into your personal PayPal account
- A physical cheque is mailed to you
- You get a gift card of your choice
Sign up by going to Google Play or iTunes, depending on the device, and downloading any or all of the apps.
Register with a valid email address and some basic personal information, and confirm membership by clicking on a confirmation link in an email sent to you by the company.
Stacking different offers together to increase savings
Shoppers cannot stack two different paper or printable coupons on the same item in Canada, but you can stack app cash back with existing paper coupons.
There are other ways to stack too, like using rewards programs and credit cards.
Some of the offers on coupon apps will state that they're not to be combined with any other offer, promotion, or coupon. Examine the fine print of each offer to make sure before you go shopping.
A little work around
Most retailer receipts don't provide any specific details about the manufacturer coupon used. When a coupon is redeemed, they simply list "Manufacturer's Coupon" along with the amount applied, without indicating which product the coupon was used for.
As a result, there's no way to link a specific coupon to a particular product on your receipt. You can choose to be honest and avoid stacking offers where it's not permitted, or you can apply a coupon to an item and still submit the receipt.
The only scenario in which the receipt could be rejected is if you purchased only one item in the transaction and used the coupon. In this case, since there’s no other product on the receipt for the coupon to apply to, your receipt may be rejected.
Stacking offers from two apps
In the case where two apps have an offer on the same product, there's really no way for them to tell if you've redeemed another app's offer, as there's no change made to the receipt to indicate this.
Listen to the little angel or the devil that is your conscience, and make your own decision – the choice is yours.
Is the money taxable?
This money is not taxable as income under Canadian tax laws. It's a post-purchase price reduction.
That said, when your cheques come in the mail from any of these apps, save the cheque attachment for your records.
But it's not classified as income and should be void from any income tax clawback.
Read more: Best Money Apps In Canada
FAQ
What is the best coupon app in Canada?
The "best" coupon app really depends on you – if you like printing out and clipping real coupons, sites such as SmartCanucks and webSaver will likely work best for you. If you prefer digitally clipping coupons as you go, apps like Flipp and Drop are likely your best bets.
Is there an ibotta for Canada?
No, ibotta is not available in Canada. Currently, Ibotta is licensed for use only in the United States.
Are coupon apps free?
All the coupon apps mentioned in this article are free to use, but you may need to become a member in order to use them.
Is the Flipp app available in Canada?
Yes, the Flipp app is available to use in both Canada and the United States.
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Comments
This used to be a thing on several sites. It was called "coupon matchups". However, due to the time-intensiveness of the process and that most offers are being switched to personalized - they all pretty much stopped doing it. It's really a shame.
Usually "another offer" never includes sale prices. Otherwise you'd rarely ever be able to use a coupon anywhere at all because people almost always combine them with sales. It's open to interpretation so there is no harm in trying and if they deny it - then fine.
That's good to know about using your scanner and desktop computer if you don't happen to have a smartphone! I like the idea of just snapping a picture of the receipt because it's so quick, but smartphones can be expensive too :)
Unfortunately that's often the case when a big company gets ahold of a smaller startup.
I like how SNAP has some everyday items available but they do sell out quickly. I'm sure the reason for that is they make no money on those kinds of deals so they limit quantities to remain profitable. They get their income from brands who are willing to pay to have their products listed in the app. It's better than nothing, but can certainly be frustrating when you miss out.
No problem Ashlee, it definitely helps to be quick to scoop up some of the better offers for sure! Thanks for sharing your experience.