Can You Use Coupons At Sam's Club?

When you're shopping at a big-box store like Sam's Club, you know that you're already getting some serious savings by purchasing items in bulk. If you're an especially savvy shopper, you may have thought about whether you can use the same paper and digital coupons you clip to save at your local grocery store to also bring down your bill at Sam's Club. Unfortunately, it's a no-go. According to the Sam's Club website, the big-box retailer does not accept either competitor or manufacturer coupons. We're not sure exactly why Sam's Club won't accept coupons, especially since BJ's Wholesale Club, another big box store, accepts manufacturer coupons.

That being said, there are still ways to save at the big box retailer, even though you won't be able to put your carefully-clipped manufacturer coupons to use. Sam's Club accepts vendor checks (the coupon-like checks that you might get in the mail from manufacturers, often from baby formula and dog food companies). An important note: According to Sam's Club shoppers on Reddit, you can't use vendor checks with Sam's Club Scan & Go system. You'll need to check out at a standard register with an employee in order to use a vendor check.

Vendor checks aren't the only way you can help keep your wallet happy while you're shopping at Sam's club. Another way to save some serious cash: participate in the Sam's Club Instant Savings program (if you're a member, you're already participating, even if you don't know it yet). The store loads discounts through the Instant Savings program automatically into your membership account, helping you save money on everything from steaks to big-ticket items at Sam's Club. You can check out your savings by logging into your Sam's Club account online, or by looking in the app (if you don't have the app yet, download it now — the time-saving Scan & Go feature is even making Costco shoppers jealous). You don't need to do anything to get instant savings — just head to the store and purchase the item, or order it online, and your discounts will apply automatically at checkout. New discounts typically pop up about once a month.

Another way to save money at Sam's Club: keep an eye out for gift card sales. Shoppers say they often go on sale, particularly around Black Friday and Cyber Monday. You've got nothing to lose — simply buy gift cards for holiday gifts or for yourself to use at places you already frequent. While the inability to use coupons needs to be added to the list of the most annoying things about shopping at Sam's Club, there are plenty of other money-saving methods you can put to good use to make your membership fee pay for itself — and then some.