Target’s Latest Fraud Prevention Efforts Make it Harder to Redeem Coupons
Target’s new in-store coupon policy is frustrating shoppers at the register.
If you’ve been having issues redeeming manufacturer’s coupons at Target, you are definitely not alone.
Back in October, Target quietly updated its in-store coupon policy to help reduce fraud. Unfortunately, these changes have also been making it harder for honest shoppers to redeem their valid coupons.
What’s different about Target’s new coupon policy?
In October 2022, Target began accepting only coupons that could be found on a master list of barcodes provided by manufacturers. This means that if your coupon hasn’t been entered into the onlinepany’s “positive offer file,” it will be declined.
Thanks to this new system, counterfeit coupons are automatically getting rejected at checkout, which is good. The bad news is that not all manufacturers are participating in this new master file system. Unfortunately, this means that a whole lot of legitimate coupons are getting declined too.
To add to the confusion, there’s no way for shoppers to know which manufacturers are on board with this new system. So at this point in time, there’s no way to predict which coupons might be accepted when you get to the register. This is unthinkable for shoppers who like to plan their Target runs around coupon match-ups.
Despite all the frustration it’s causing customers, Target is reportedly pleased with the results of its new coupon policy, reporting a 95% reduction in the use of counterfeit coupons. But many honest couponers are extremely frustrated, reporting that about half of their legit coupons are getting declined at the register… sometimes more.
Can you still save money under Target’s new coupon policy?
In light of these new changes, is there anything honest shoppers can do to save money with manufacturer’s coupons at Target? The short answer is yes, but you’re going to need to work a little harder at it and bring your patience every time you shop.
Here are our best tips for saving money under Target’s new coupon policy:
- Use Target’s in-app circle offers instead of paper coupons. Download the Target Circle app and add this week’s deals to your account before your next Target run. These offers were created by Target and will be automatically whitelisted as legitimate offers.
- Be kind to your cashier. This new system is causing headaches for them too, but they do have the power to manually override a rejected coupon if they believe it’s valid. If your cashier is unsure, you can politely request that a manager review the transaction with someone from Assets Protection. Unfortunately, this is a time-consuming process and your results will vary based on the training your store’s team has received. All you can do is ask nicely and hope for the best. 🤞
- Ask for help from a team member at self-checkout. If you’re attempting to use a valid coupon in one of Target’s self-checkout lanes and it’s being rejected, be sure to ask for assistance from the team member supervising the self-checkout area. They can either confirm your coupon’s validity on their own or request that a manager review it with Assets Protection.
- Redeem your coupons at other stores instead. It really pains us to say this because Target used to be a fun place to coupon. But as things stand now, there are so many other coupon-friendly retailers who will accept your manufacturer’s coupons with a lot less resistance. If you don’t like uncertainty and you’re not in the mood to potentially defend every coupon at the register, you may be better off redeeming them elsewhere.
While we applaud Target’s efforts to cut down on fraud, it’s frustrating to see the way their new coupon policy is affecting ethical couponers.
Going forward, we’ll continue to watch this situation carefully, and we’ll update this post with any future changes to Target’s coupon policy. Hopefully, the store will find a way to strike a better balance between fraud protection and offering a positive guest experience for honest shoppers.
