Finding Bargains, Deals, and Coupons on Facebook
Facebook is more than just the biggest digital hangout on the planet. It’s a place where you can find money-saving deals and coupons for meals, spa treatments, window cleaning services, and even your favorite leisure activities (think hot-air balloon rides and boat tours if you live near the water).
“Like” Your Favorite Businesses and Brands
More and more businesses have their own Facebook Page or Place. You can become a “fan” of that Page or Place by “liking” it, and once you do, you receive updates about special offers like discounts and coupons on the products and services you already use. Some businesses even offer perks and incentives to encourage you to “like” them on Facebook. To like a Page or Place, here’s what you do:
- Log in to Facebook.
- Click in the Search box, type the name of a business or product you want to like, and press Enter.
- If the business or brand doesn’t appear, try clicking Pages or Places in the left menu.
- Click the name of the business or product to head to its Page.
- Click the Like button (near the top of the page).
While you’re on a Page, check the left column for a link to promotions, coupons, or special offers—each business calls it something different. Click the link to find out what the business is offering, if anything, and then print the coupon, jot down the coupon code, or follow the instructions to participate in a promotion or redeem an offer.
Note: Not all businesses and brands have freebies 24/7, but by liking the page, you’re more likely to be notified when the business offers a special promotion. Also, many businesses will post information about special offers and deals on their Facebook Wall, so be sure to look there as well for the latest offerings.
Score Some Check-In Deals
Use your smartphone’s Facebook app to “check in” to a business’s Place on Facebook and take advantage of any Check-in Deals the business is offering. For example, suppose you’re shopping at the local mall and you find yourself getting hungry. You can use your smartphone to view restaurants in the mall and see which ones are offering special deals, such as a free dessert in exchange for checking in on Facebook. In many cases, participating is as easy as showing your server that you just checked in, and the next thing you know you’re eating dessert for free! To participate, follow these simple step-by-step directions:
- Fire up your smartphone’s Facebook app.
- Click the Places tab or click the More tab and then click Places. You should see Facebook Places in the vicinity of where you are right now.
- Look for a yellow or green ticket next to the business’s name. Yellow is for an individual, friend or loyalty deal, and the green ticket is for charity deals. (See the sidebar for more about the different types of deals.)
- Click the name of the Place that’s offering the deal. Facebook displays the offer and terms.
- Take the following step, depending on the type of deal:
- Individual deal: (Promotional offers for individual customers, such as 10 percent off your next purchase or a free drink when you buy a double cheeseburger.) Check in to see the deal redemption screen.
- Friend deal: (You need to check in a number of friends and then you get the deal as a group; for example, you might get six concert tickets for the price of five.) Check in and tag friends in your check-in to see the deal redemption screen.
- Loyalty deal: (A sort of punch card for your smartphone. If you check in a certain number of times when visiting a place, you get something special.) Check in. If you check the number of times required by the deal, you’ll see the deal redemption screen.
- Charity deal: (When you check in and do what the offer tells you to do, the business makes a donation to a charity of its choice.) Check in to see the charity message.
- Show your smartphone screen to your server or cashier to redeem the deal.
If you’re not out and about, you may be able to check out Deals by going to the business’s Facebook Page, as shown here.
Score Group Deals
Facebook Deals (not to be confused with Check-in Deals) provide opportunities to engage in activities with your friends and save money doing it. Whether you’re considering dining out with your friends, taking a cruise together, or signing up for a cooking class as a group, check out Deals to see what’s available in your area.
Note: As of August 2011, Facebook Deals were available to Facebook members living in or around San Francisco, Austin, Dallas, Atlanta, Charlotte, St. Louis, Minneapolis, and San Diego only. If you don’t see Deals it in the left column, even after clicking more, then you don’t have Facebook Deals in your part of the country, yet.
To access Facebook Deals, head to your home page and click Deals in the left column. If you don’t see Deals, click more to view it. If you still don’t see it, the Deals are unavailable in your area. (You can check for Deals in other cities by searching Facebook for “Deals” and then clicking Deals on Facebook.)
Assuming Deals are available, this displays the Deals page for your city, where you can view Deals that your friends liked or bought, buy a deal, and subscribe to receive regular updates as Deals become available.
Like Coupons.com
You don’t have to leave Facebook to benefit from coupon aggregators like Coupons.com. Just search Facebook for Coupons.com, click the Coupons.com entry, and then click Like, near the top of the page. If you see more than one Coupons.com entry, click the one that has the highest number of people that like it.
Check Out Facebook’s Marketplace
One of Facebook’s lesser known features is its Marketplace—a Facebook app that lets members list stuff for sale or for free, sort of like Craigslist.
To shop the Marketplace, click in the Search box at the top of any Facebook page, type Marketplace, and press Enter. You can use the search tool at the top of the page or browse the Marketplace by category.
Note: To list something for sale, click Post Listing to Marketplace and then follow the onscreen cues to complete the task.
As you can tell, Facebook is quickly becoming a one-stop shop on the Internet—a place where you can interact with your friends, receive updates and offers from the businesses and brands you care about most, and save money on the products and services you already use.
by Mikal E. Belicove and Joe Kraynak
