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Coupon apps save time, money

Long gone are the days of clipping coupons from the weekly mailer. Sure, you can still find good deals there for your favorite products, but it's a time-consuming process that often feels futile since coupons expire so quickly. These days, more and more consumers are turning to smartphone apps to find savings on their regular shopping trips. Not only is it a more environmentally friendly way to shop and save, since there's no printing of paper, but users say it's convenient too, since we're never without our smartphones.

Consumers such as Elvira Gomez have jumped on … Read more

SnipSnap coupon app brings money-saving savvy to Android

Last September, CNET's Matt Elliott told you about SnipSnap, a rather ingenious iOS app that turns printed coupons into mobile ones.

It's been a long wait, but SnipSnap has finally made its way to Android. And if you shop for anything, anywhere, ever, that should come as very good news.

SnipSnap is like a digital coupon wallet: instead of schlepping a pile of paper coupons to the store with you (or, if you're like me, forgetting to), you simply take snapshots of the ones you want, then present the app at checkout. When possible, SnipSnap cleverly converts … Read more

The best money-saving tips of 2012

2012 was hellish in a lot of ways, but it was a good year for saving money.

Indeed, as any regular reader of The Cheapskate or CNET's Marketplace knows, you could count on finding a good deal -- often a great deal -- pretty much every single day.

Of course, some of the best money-saving advice applies all year round, not just on a particular day. With that in mind, I've rounded up some of my favorite thrifty tips from 2012. (It probably goes without saying that most of them will work just as well in 2013.)

1. Always buy refurbished Apple gear.… Read more

Get $5 off your next $25 Amazon purchase

Having posted a smattering of Facebook-oriented deals in the past, let me preface this one by saying I'm aware many of you don't use Facebook. Or don't like Facebook. You're sick and tired of companies trying to market to you on Facebook. You don't think companies should require a Facebook account in exchange for a coupon or credit or giveaway. Facebook? Barf!

So, yeah, I get that. Just thought I'd save you a little comment-section grouse time.

If, on the other hand, you like easy savings and don't hold Facebook in the same … Read more

Coupons at Checkout finds coupon codes so you don't have to

For years I've been advising readers to search the Web for coupon codes before you complete your online purchase. It's one of my all-time favorite money-saving tips, as it's an easy way to score extra discounts.

Well, not always easy. You have to do some googling, peruse the various sites that aggregate coupon codes, sift through the listings to see if there's one that applies, copy and paste the code, and so on.

Browser plug-in Coupons at Checkout eliminates nearly all this hassle. Once you get to a store's checkout page, it automatically lists any … Read more

Coupons.com app gets native Passbook integration

Coupons.com today updated its iOS app to integrate with Apple's Passbook digital wallet service, something that previously required going through mobile Safari.

As part of the update, there's now an "add to Passbook" option next to coupons, which will spit the deal out to Apple's software app. Users previously had to navigate to that same link through Coupons' Web site, but the end result was the same.

Like before, when coupons get added they get an expiration date and instructions on the back for the cashier to redeem them. Not all coupons can be … Read more

Shoppers turn to retailers for mobile coupon deals

Most thrifty spenders are still turning to retailer sites and not coupon sites when it comes to getting mobile coupons, according to a Nielsen study released today.

Fifty-four percent of U.S. consumers who use their mobile phone or tablet to shop turn to retailer Web sites for mobile deals. Daily deal sites, like Groupon and Living Social, are the second choice with 31 percents. Shoppers also use retailer apps and daily deal apps, but to a lesser degree.

This means consumers are going to the brands they are most familiar with and what is most convenient while their shopping … Read more

Facebook adds job-search tool

Wednesday's CNET Update is working overtime:

Need a job? Log on to Facebook. The social network launched a jobs board with the Social Jobs Partnership app. It pulls in job listings from several services, including BranchOut, Jobvite and Monster. Facebook says half of U.S. employers are using the network during the hiring process.

Also in today's tech news roundup, Pinterest is letting existing profiles be turned into business accounts. Companies will be able to promote their content with the added benefit of verification badges and widgets for sharing.

There's a rise in malware disguised as daily deal e-mails. … Read more

Add coupons from big-box retailers to Passbook

iOS 6 has been out for just over a month and is already installed on more than 200 million iOS devices across the globe. With such a big user base in such a short amount of time, hopefully we will begin to see an increase in the amount of companies integrating Passbook into their product offerings.

We have already discussed Valpak passes, Starbucks integration, adding random gift cards and even how to create passes for Passbook. All of which were equally useful. And now we can add 20 more big-box retailers to the list, as Coupons.com has rolled out … Read more

EA's headache: Free games for all, thanks to Reddit

Vouchers, coupons, and discounts are often a good tool to entice new customers or promote a product. However, if discount codes are not secured properly, forums and social networking can become a real headache for the company involved.

That is exactly what happened to Electronic Arts over the weekend.

A single post on a gaming forum that included a discount code for $20 worth of software from EA's online store sparked a downloading spree, much to the delight of Reddit users after the code made its way to the popular link aggregation site. Not only could the code be … Read more