There's a new player in the digital coupon market and this time it covers multiple stores!  SavingStar.com works at Kroger, Remke bigg's and CVS! Cincinnati residents looking for easy ways to save money can use the new service to help them save on grocery and drugstore items without the need for paper coupons. SavingStar's eCoupons are entirely digital, meaning there's nothing to clip and nothing to print. SavingStar also empowers shoppers for the first time to choose how they save, with a variety of payout options for their savings including cash, gift cards, and charity donations. The company launched last week offering over 50 eCoupons, worth over $50 in savings on name-brand items including Bounty, Charmin, Heinz, and Welch's. Consumers can select the eCoupons they like on the free iPhone® or Android® apps, or on the company's website, savingstar.com.  

How SavingStar Works

 SavingStar is free and easy to use. It works more like a rebate or cash-back program than a coupon.  Users choose which eCoupons they want and when their store loyalty cards are swiped at checkout, the money is automatically added to their SavingStar accounts (rather than being deducted at the register). Users can then pick their preferred payout - from direct deposit into any bank or Paypal account, to an Amazon gift card, to a donation to the charity American Forests to help plant trees.  This means that it is more of a cash-back program than a coupon. It also means that you can combine SavingStar with paper manufacturer coupons! Each "coupon" is a one-time use coupon. Because SavingStar eCoupons are linked to store loyalty cards, the service eliminates time spent clipping or printing coupons, piles of coupons accumulating in a kitchen drawer, lines being held up while shoppers dig through a wallet or purse, and people forgetting to bring their coupons to the store. Using SavingStar's mobile apps, shoppers can even select eCoupons while in the store!

SavingStar's launch comes at a time when the demand for online coupons is growing. In 2010, more than 49 million people used printable or digital coupons.  Cincinnati is third in the nation for coupon use; fourth in the nation for digital coupon use. We're a coupon town!