Difference Between Coupons, Vouchers and Gift Cards

Free printable coupons are an integral part of today’s world. With the appearance of large number of brands, companies try to make their products more recognizable and induce customers to consume more of their products. This is not easy in the saturated markets, so many companies issue printable coupons, vouchers and gift cards to introduce their products to the outsiders and attract more new customers.

It is crucial to understand the difference between a coupon, a voucher and a gift card. People often confuse these three terms and therefore it is important to define them thoroughly.

Coupons usually have an expiration date and they are associated with a discount on a specified product. For instance discount coupon on Burger King menu. So it is very important to read the directions about a particular coupon, since it applies only to one product usually. Coupons are often published in newspaper, magazines and sometimes even in the books. Usually you cut them out or use the number imprinted on it to get a discount.

Vouchers also have an expiration date. Unlike coupon, voucher entitles you to receive a certain product or service, such as a night in a hotel room. Vouchers are also given out as a mean of promotion certain brands to the public. While coupons require certain level of participation by its owner, voucher does not need such a thing, therefore vouchers are much more valuable and desirable for everybody.

Gift cards are usually of a certain amount: for instance a gift card of $1000 at Victoria’s Secret. This means that if you go to Victoria’s Secret’s store, you can receive products up to $1,000. Gift cards are very common. You can find hundreds of sites over the Internet that offer gift cards for various brand for free or in exchange for filling out a survey. 

Gift cards have 2 big advantages. The main advantage gift cards is that they are not limited to a certain product. If you have a gift card, you usually can get any product at a store, while in case of vouchers and coupons your choice is limited to specific goods or services.

Coupons, vouchers and gift cards are used by many reputable companies and brands, such as McDonald’s, Burger King, Victoria’s Secret and many other as a mean of promotion of their products and a way of increasing awareness of their brands. You as a consumer can take advantage of this and get their products either for free or with small contribution.