I wrote an article recently explaining what catalinas are and how they work. So now that you know what they are, how can you find these great deals?

Word Of Mouth: The Internet has made it possible for coupon users to share deals like never before. I often see catalina deals posted on websites like Hot Coupon World and Money Saving Mom.

Check Your Sales Circulars: When stores run their own special catalina promotions, they’ll advertise it in their sales flier. For example, when Safeway ran its “Summer Savings Rally” a few months ago, they offered various catalina rewards for purchasing participating products. These items were marked in a special section of the weekly ad.

Look For Tags: Sometimes, catalina promotions will be marked in-store. For instance, I first saw the $4 Glade Scented Oil Warmer deal listed on a little tag underneath the product on the shelf.

Hit The Jackpot: Some of my most memorable (and profitable) catalina deals were total accidents that I capitalized on. As an example, I wrote here about the happy surprise I encountered buying Glade products last month. There’s been times when I’ve bought a product simply because it was free with a coupon, and was further rewarded with a $ off catalina at the checkout. So keep your eyes peeled – you never know what might pop out!

I’ve gotten some great questions about catalinas recently, so I decided to put together a little article about the ins and outs of catalina usage.

So what are “Catalina coupons”? One of the latest tools employed by advertisers, these are coupons which print out at the cash register when you go through a checkout. The nickname “catalina” comes from Catalina Marketing, the firm behind these special coupons. This particular brand of advertising is referred to as behavioral marketing, because coupons are triggered in relation to the products which are purchased. Sometimes these coupons are for money off a product. Sometimes these coupons are good for a specific amount off your next shopping trip at that particular store. Occasionally, an ad will print out with no coupon attached to it. So what makes these coupons print out? Let’s take a look at the different types of Catalina coupons:

$ Off Product Catalinas

When you receive a coupon for money off a specific item, it is often triggered by purchasing a competitor’s product. For example, if you purchase a bottle of Glass Works window cleaner, you might receive a coupon for $1 off a bottle of Windex. Alternatively, a coupon like this might be triggered by purchasing something in a brand family – a purchase of Campbell’s Tomato soup might produce a coupon for a new Campbell’s product.

$ Off Shopping Order Catalinas

These valuable coupons are good for money off your entire shopping order, and can be used like cash to pay for products the next time you go shopping. There are some small restrictions – usually, these coupons prohibit you from using them to pay for alcohol, cigarettes, or lottery tickets – but these Catalinas can be used towards almost anything that you’d like to spend them on, and are redeemable at the store where you received them. These are triggered in two ways: by manufacturer promotions, and by store promotions.

Manufacturers use this type of coupon to reward their customers for purchasing their items. These catalinas will say something along the lines of, “Save $1.50 on your next shopping order, courtesy of Glade.” When you discover a product that triggers these catalinas, see if there are coupons available for it – if you can buy a Glade plug-in for $1.50 and get a $2 catalina back, you just made .50 cents.

In addition to this, stores will often run special promotions to entice their customers to buy certain products. Safeway recently ran a sale called “The Summer Savings Marathon”, where customer could earn coupons for between $5 to $20 for purchasing participating items. These items were promoted in their sales circular and also tagged in-store. Once again, matching up coupons with the qualifying products can result in a very good deal.

And if you get a Catalina that is just an ad, with no coupon, don’t immediately discount it – sometimes these ads will notify you of upcoming catalina promotions. For example, you may receive an ad that says something along the lines of, “Get $2 off your next shopping order when you buy 5 packets of Kool-Aid between 9/7 and 9/17”.