What is a Catalina?

Explanation of a Catalina Coupon

Actually, the more I have highlighted the various Catalina offers I am maintaining, the more people have questions. I don't have an official post with the definition, so this is a great time to discuss further.

A Catalina is a coupon you receive for promotions the manufacturer offers to customers for additional savings. Catalinas are the pieces of paper that print out of the machine next to the register. They are a great way to help you further reduce your grocery budget. Never throw them away because you never know what you will get – they are definitely valuable. I have actually found OYNO Catalinas in the trash can at the U-Scan! It was at the top, it's not like I dug in the trash or anything (=:

There are two types of Catalinas:

  • On Your Next Order (OYNO) Catalina
  • Manufacturer Coupon Catalina

On Your Next Order Catalina

Also referred to *OYNO* or just *Catalina.* {shown above} These types of Catalina coupons are for promotions where you *purchase X and receive a Catalina valued at X to use on your next order.* An example:

Valid 2/22/10 – 3/21/10
Betty Crocker Helper Meals

Buy any 3 and receive a $1.50 Catalina;
Buy any 4 and receive a $2 Catalina;
Buy any 5 and receive a $2.50 Catalina.

This tells you that if you purchase 5 boxes of any Betty Crocker Helper Meals, you will receive a $2.50 OYNO Catalina with your receipt. On all Catalina offers, you can use coupons with your purchase these items to further reduce your OOP.

There are also times when the Catalina may be a *purchase $X in products and receive a Catalina valued at X to use on your next order.* An example of this type of Catalina is:

Valid until 5/8/10
Kraft Cheese or Dairy Products
Spend $20 on products within one week, receive a $2 Catalina.
The purchases are logged against your Kroger Loyalty Card, which is what prompts the Catalina to actually print once you have hit that $20 threshold

So when you actually meet that threshold within one week of purchase, your $2 Catalina will print with your receipt. This $20 threshold is also typically before coupons (unless noted otherwise).

Manufacturer Coupon Catalina

Other products you purchase triggers a Manufacturer Coupon Catalina to print. Just the other day, I purchased coffee creamer and received a $.75 Manufacturer Catalina. These are not always for the specific products you just purchased. Often times they are for competitor products as well. These Manufacturer Catalina coupons do not double so keep that in mind when you are redeeming them.

Here is a Manufacturer Coupon Catalina for Meijer. Note the coupon MANUFACTURER CPN with the expiration date on the top:

Catalina Mfg Coupon

How do I find out about Catalina Promotions?

An easy way is to get a Catalina notification printed with your receipt. That is what happened for the Crystal Light Catalina I shared {also shown below}

Catalina Notification


Another way you may inadvertently find out about a Catalina is to have a OYNO Catalina print with your receipt. Since Catalinas will print based on your purchase, drilling down to figure out product triggered the Catalina can be challenging (especially with larger orders). Sometimes the OYNO Catalina coupons have the manufacturer noted on the coupon so you know what family the Catalina is from. But, General Mills is a huge company with several products so even then that doesn't always help.

I keep an updated list of Meijer Catalina and Kroger Catalina Promotions and Offers. While Catalina notifications may only be printed from one store, they often will work at multiple stores. There have only been a few instances where they didn't work at both stores. However, as I share in my Catalina Promotions and Offers pages, you can try to use them at different stores at your own risk. Then share and tell us if it worked :)

If you received a Catalina and have no idea why, the answer is in your receipt. Looking through the various items usually pinpoints the products, it's the quantities that gets trickier. However, a bit of online investigation helps to confirm details before I share them.

Do Catalina Coupons expire?

Yes, the expiration date is listed at the top of the Catalina.

Can Catalinas be used at any store?

Typically, the Catalina coupons are only valid at the store in which you received them (and is noted on the Catalina coupon itself). However, some stores do allow you to redeem Catalina Coupons from other stores. For example, our local Meijer will accept Catalina coupons from Kroger. This is a YMMV, but it never hurts to ask!

What if a Catalina doesn't print?

I suggest definitely keeping copies of all Catalina notifications you personally receive. As you may recall, the Purex deal did NOT print for several people. But, Carrie of Money Saving Methods was kind enough to scan the Catalina and post it for people to print. Often times, stores don't even know about the promotions so if you have a copy of the Catalina notification, a store should honor it. This of course depends on the store, manager discretion, ymmv – you get it :)

A perfect example of how having a copy of the Catalina notification in hand was with the Purex Catalina. The stores ended the promotion early (I assume because with the Kroger Instant Savings promotion, it made it a killer deal). However, most of the people I have heard from who took copies of the scanned Catalina to the store received the cash value of the OYNO Catalina.

Also, if you ever have questions on various Catalina Coupons or Promotions, you can contact the Catalina Marketing directly { or calling them at 877-210-1917 }. They should be able to validate current offers if you have SKU numbers (the problem is that you don't always have the SKU).

Do you want to help?

Finally, I am trying to keep an active list of Catalina Promotions and Offers for ALL stores (not just Kroger and Meijer). I want it to be easy to search for current Catalina offers in one place since there can be huge savings potential.

With that, if you have any Catalina Notifications that have printed and you want to share the details, either leave a comment or shoot me an email {[email protected] } with the details on the Catalina. If you still have the Catalina notification and can scan it for me, that would be great as well! I appreciate the help on this!

Do you have other questions?

Find a list of current Catalina Promotions.

Similar Posts

23 Comments

  1. If I have a Catalina that doesn’t print I send a quick email to [email protected] They require your name, address, store location, items purchased, date/time of transaction, and the Catalina you were expecting. I typically get a confirmation email back within 2 days and then my Catalina arrives in my mailbox within the week.

    As a busy mom, I find that this works much easier than trying to explain it to the store or wait on hold for Catalina. Thanks for keeping a running list of all the Catalina deals. That certainly helps me out each week!

    1. This is a great idea! I did not get the $5 cat on Kraft cheese today. I am definitely going to try the e-mail route first. Thanks!

  2. Stephanie says:

    I agree with Staci. I find the email method to be easiest. It has worked for me in the past too. My Kroger is very willing also to give me cash back if I have proof of promotion. It is important to keep those little notifications for this reason.

  3. Is the promotions that print out early the only way to find out about the Catalina? I’d love to have proof to back up what I’m saying when I know I should have a Catalina and don’t get one.

  4. Denise Dean says:

    In the first example (Kraft/Kroger)…. I can get $2 off @ Kroger on any products bought (not just Kraft)?

  5. I would be super interested in a list of Catalina deals for all stores – I haven’t been able to find one place that lists them all, so I think this would be a great idea!! It seems they should market these better as I think they would get taken advantage of more. After all, it’s a marketing company, right? :)

  6. Will multiple Catalina’s print for one transaction? Using your examples, if I made the required purchases to get the Kraft Catalina as well as the Betty Crocker Catalina, will both print or do I need to pay for each separately to get them both? Thanks!

    1. Cathy, multiple Catalinas will print as long as they are for different items. So, in your example, yes that should work. The only time it will not work is if you try to double up on the products to get (2) Kraft Catalinas, for example. That typically never works.

      1. Mary Beth says:

        So what is the best way to do this if I have about 8 of the $3 off 2 Pantene products that I want to use at Meijers with the Catalina promo that expires this Wednesday?

  7. At which date does the catalina promotions ends?
    For example, I have one saying “save on jello products” between 03/04 and 03/27. Does it mean the last day is the 26 or the 27? It is kind of confusing with the word between!

  8. Do you have to use the catalina like a regular coupon, where it is one coupon per item? I have a lot of 3.00 catalina coupons and want to know if I can you maybe 15 of them on two items that cost more? Just trying to get an idea before I go shopping and use them. Thanks much for any information.

    1. Savings Lifestyle: Amber says:

      As long as there is no exclusion on the catalina coupon, you should be able to just use it towards your total basket purchase as cash. HTH!

  9. help . . what is a by invitation only catalina coupon . . the herbal essence, head and shoulds, auusie and pantene

    1. Savings Lifestyle: Amber says:

      This is something newer that I am guessing they offer based on your past purchase history. If you’re chosen to participate in this offer, you’ll receive a print out at checkout that states the terms. HTH!

      1. i was commenting on the list you had . . under the shampoos head & shoulders, auusie, herbal essence and panteen . . it is listed by invitation only . . same on country crock . . invitation only . . i wan an invite . . what does this mead

      2. Savings Lifestyle: Amber says:

        Unfortunately, there is no way to “get” an invite for these two catalinas. It’s completely up to the Kroger system if this will be offered to you or not. If you are chosen to participate, you’ll receive a print out explaining the catalina terms. Not everyone can get these two offers. HTH!

  10. Kathy Bottera says:

    I seen this website from an advertisement of another company> I’m an everyday coupon clipper and saver!

  11. Kathy Bottera says:

    I seen this company on another website! I’m an everyday clipper and user to couponing!

  12. Alright you experts. What if I’ve got an OYNO catalina that printed for someone else and they forgot it? I mean obviously I feel awful for them cuz that’s five bucks they missed out on, but … can I use it?

    1. Jillian, yes you can! I’ve found Catalina coupons in the trash! They aren’t tied to any card specifically so you can use it. Finders keepers :)

      1. Awesome. Thanks!

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.