More and more people shop online every year for electronics, gifts, shoes, plane tickets, contact lenses and much more. Did you know that you could be saving a significant amount of money on many of your online purchases with just a few extra minutes? The secret? Coupon codes.

What are coupon codes?

Most people are familiar with traditional coupons that help you save money at a grocery or retail store. They are usually a piece of paper you can print out or clip from the newspaper to get a discount on what you’re looking for. Similarly, online shops also have coupons, but they come in the form of a code such as NEWYEAR2008, !VALENTINESDAY! or some other series of letters, numbers and symbols. Like traditional coupons, these codes when used can save you lots of money on your online purchases - $5, $10 even $100 off depending on what you’re purchasing. Other common discounts you’ll find are % off, free gifts and free shipping.

How do I use coupon codes?

The best thing about online coupon codes is that you do not have to clip them, organize them and remember to bring them to the store. You simply have to write them down. Once you have completed your shopping on a website and are ready to check out, just type the coupon code into the appropriate box during the checkout process. This box is usually labeled "Coupon Code", "Discount" or "Promotion Code". If you can not locate the box, you may want to check the site’s FAQs or email the site’s owners for more information.

Some sites are now transitioning to codeless coupons (so you don’t even have to write a code down!). They require clicking on a special link to take you to the site, and the coupon is applied automatically during your checkout process. More information about this type of coupon can be found in the next section "Where do I find coupon codes?"

Once you have entered in your coupon code during the checkout process, you should see your savings reflected in your total amount. If you do not, the coupon code may not be valid any longer or may not have processed correctly. You may want to try other coupons or contact the shopping site’s owners if you believe there was a processing error.

Where do I find coupon codes?

Coupon codes can usually be found on many websites that specialize in collecting and organizing codes. The coupons are generally totally free and open to everyone. One website to try is Tjoos, which aggregates coupons from over 60,000 online stores. Coupons that require clicking on a special link to take you to a site can also be found by searching for the store names on these coupon aggregation websites.

Coupon codes can definitely help you save on your next online purchase, so put them to use! Happy shopping!