I am often asked if the deals posted here on Money Saving Mom® work for Canadians. Since my knowledge on the subject is pretty limited, one of my favorite Canadian bloggers, Stephanie, from Keeper of the Home, offered these tips:
- Unfortunately, coupons with a U.S. address on them can’t be used in Canada, ever. That said, some companies who offer coupons directly on their site (like Seventh Generation, for example) offer both Canadian and U.S. coupons.
- Many of the online deals do work for Canadians, but shipping is often more expensive to Canada. Some companies offer it for similar rates or just a couple dollars more, but often it can be much higher than that, making the deals not so great anymore. When free shipping is included, it almost never extends to Canadians.
- Some companies have Canadian sites that are the equivalent of the U.S. site, like ClearlyContacts, OldNavy, Gap, etc. The deals sometimes cross over to the Canadian site, although they often don’t. Online coupon codes are hit and miss.
- Sometimes deals cannot apply to Canadians at all. There are a lot of sites that will not accept Canadian addresses, even for billing. So while I have a U.S. address (family who lives in the U.S.) that I often use for shipping, there are some sites that will not even allow me to use my bank card because it is attached to a Canadian address. Sometimes the site will simply give you an error, and other times there is no other option except U.S. when you go to choose your country of residence.
- Most of the deal concepts and principles apply. Couponing in Canada is very similar to how it is in the U.S. — you stack store deals with manufacturer coupons to get the best prices. But, we don’t have Catalinas, nor have I ever heard of a Canadian store offering double coupons (sigh).
- The primary way many Canadians do U.S. deals is by shopping online and shipping to family or friends who live in the U.S. Some people also rent mail boxes in the U.S. for this very purpose (there is quite an industry around this, actually).
- Some great sites for Canadians are Simply Frugal, Bargain Moose and Smart Canucks.
Are you a Canadian deal shopper? Do you have any tips to add? Leave them in the comments!