Kroger Joins SavingStar eCoupon Network

Kroger is now offering its shoppers the ability to redeem electronic coupons when they use their Kroger Plus Card at checkout via the SavingStar paperless grocery coupon service, which the grocer has recently joined.

Waltham, Mass.-based SavingStar launched last week as a way of providing shoppers with an easier way to save on brand name items without the need to clip or print paper coupons by selecting eCoupon offers on the web at savingstar.com and through the SavingStar app on iPhone and Android smartphones. SavingStar currently features more than 50 eCoupons on brands such Heinz, Hidden Valley Ranch, Welch’s, Clorox, and Gorton’s.

The addition of Cincinnati-based Kroger to the SavingStar network of retailers increases the number of grocery and drug stores offering their customers digital coupons through SavingStar to more than 24,000 stores nationwide.

“In today’s digital world, many shoppers want to save on groceries but don’t have the time or desire to print or clip paper coupons,” said David Rochon, CEO of SavingStar. “SavingStar makes it easy and convenient for people to save money on groceries with a service that fits their lifestyle. Kroger shoppers can now get additional savings from SavingStar by selecting eCoupons online or through their smart phones -- even while walking the aisles in the store.”

SavingStar is available in all 50 states through more than 100 retailers, and enables users to choose where they get their savings. The addition of Kroger to the SavingStar network means that SavingStar eCoupons now work at 16 chains owned and operated by Kroger including Ralphs, King Soopers, Smith’s Food and Drug, Fry’s and Fred Meyer.

To use SavingStar, consumers register their existing grocery and drug store loyalty cards, such as their Kroger Plus card, with SavingStar. They then choose which eCoupons they want and when they use their store loyalty card at checkout, the money is automatically added to their SavingStar accounts (rather than being deducted at the register). According to SavingStar, its service is the only eCoupon service that lets consumers choose how they get their savings. Users can select a deposit into their bank or PayPal account, an Amazon gift card, or a donation to the charity American Forests to help plant trees. More payout options will be introduced in the coming months.