2026 State of Couponing Survey: Trends, Top Stores & Savings Tips

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A year ago, our 2025 State of Couponing survey told a story about “survival mode.” Tariffs were rattling the grocery aisle, inflation had stretched household budgets to the brink, and most couponers said they were using coupons just to scrape by.

Fast-forward to 2026, and prices still haven’t let up. The Consumer Price Index showed year-over-year inflation running close to 4% as of May. So we polled 3,750 of our KCL shoppers to check in.

Our survey suggests the acute panic of 2025 has eased a little. But the habit it created hasn't. If anything, it's only set in deeper. Couponing isn't what Americans reach for when times are hard anymore. It's just how they shop now.

If you’re not couponing yet, you’re missing FREE deals. Download the KCL app now .

Couponing is still about affordability, but shoppers are feeling less panicked.

A bit over 70% of KCL shoppers surveyed have used a coupon in the past 60 days, a 14% jump from last year.

When we asked why, we saw a small but meaningful shift. Fewer shoppers say they’re scrambling to afford essentials than they did a year ago, while more say they’re using coupons to stretch their budgets strategically.

graphic showing top reasons for couponing based on our survey

37% use coupons to buy items previously out of their budget (up from 31% last year).
36% use coupons to afford essentials they’re struggling to buy (down from 40%).
14% coupon for fun or as a hobby.
12% coupon to score free items.

The bottom line: These results don’t show relief, exactly. But for many households, couponing has gone from emergency tool to a long-term game plan.

Grocery coupons are still the most-wanted, but home goods and clothing are making a comeback.

Groceries are still the coupon category KCL shoppers care about most. No surprise there: coffee, eggs, and chocolate have all made headlines this year, and the cost of beef alone is up 2.7% over last month. Shipping disruptions from the war in Iran have only added to the cost of essentials.

But the rest of the cart is catching up: more shoppers want coupons on home goods and clothing than they did a year ago. The home goods category has climbed three years in a row. And clothing flipped from a 24-point drop last year to a 6-point rebound this year.

Coupons KCL shoppers want the most in 2026:

Groceries & food: 84% (down slightly from 89% last year, but still #1)
Personal care: 78%
Laundry: 74%
Cleaning products: 73%
Home goods: 65% (up from 62% — and continuing a multi-year climb from 55% in 2024)
Beauty: 59%
Clothing: 58% (up from 52% last year)
Restaurants: 48%
Pet care: 45%
Medicine: 38%
School & office supplies: 28%
Travel: 28%
Toys: 25%
Baby: 21%

The bottom line: Groceries still come first. But shoppers are making room for lifestyle wants again, and they want the deal locked in before they buy.

Universal coupons just had their breakout year.

Digital coupons still lead, but the lineup behind them looks very different than it did a year ago.

How KCL shoppers are couponing in 2026:

84% use digital coupons.
73% use online promo codes.
57% use KCL Coupons / Universal Coupons — a jump from just 16% a year ago.
46% use rebate or cashback apps like Ibotta or Fetch (down from 58%).
28% still use printable or paper coupons (down from 41%).

The biggest leap by far was for universal coupons, which are coupons you can clip once and use at any retailer that accepts them. A year ago, only 16% of shoppers had tried them. This year, more than half are using them regularly.

Want to know more about KCL universal coupons? Check out our guide .

Paper coupons keep fading. Almost 30% of shoppers still use them, but use has dropped by a third in a single year. Third-party rebate apps, while still popular, are also losing ground.

The bottom line: Couponers are tired of juggling. They want fewer apps, fewer steps, and coupons that work in as many places as possible.

Biggest frustrations in 2026: coupons that don’t work, and not enough coupons for food.

According to our 2026 State of Couponing survey, these are the most frustrating things about couponing

Last year, the biggest gripe in couponing was complexity (too many sources, too much time, too many apps). But as couponers get more familiar with the tools, new frustrations are bubbling up.

This year’s biggest pain points? Coupons that just don’t work, and the challenge of finding a coupon for what you actually buy.

26% are frustrated by expired coupons or broken promo codes (up from 20% last year).
22% say the products they buy rarely have coupons (up from 19%).
19% struggle with store rules on stacking and item limits.
17% find couponing too complicated because of multiple apps and options.
16% are frustrated by how much time couponing takes.

When we asked which coupons there never seem to be enough of, the clear answer was food. Groceries (47%) and restaurants (27%) were the top two answers, with clothing (23%), home goods (22%), and pet care (20%) rounding out the top five.

The bottom line: Couponers have leveled up. What frustrates them now isn’t complexity, it’s when a coupon doesn’t actually work, or when there’s no coupon available on the items driving up their bills.

Amazon is No. 1, but couponers shop 3+ stores on average, and final price breaks the tie.

KCL shoppers use coupons at 3.3 different stores on average. Their top stop in 2026: Amazon, already a top destination a year ago, and even more couponers are heading there first now. Local grocery stores, meanwhile, have slipped a bit.

Top stores where KCL shoppers are using coupons in 2026:

Amazon: 79% (up from 59% last year)
Drug stores like CVS and Walgreens: 71%
Walmart: 68%
Local or regional grocery store: 58% (down from 67%)
Target: 44%
Other: 9%

Amazon's win tracks with the popularity of digital couponing. Its built-in coupons, Subscribe & Save, and bulk pricing are hard to beat. More surprising is No. 2: drug stores beat the big-box chains. Higher sticker prices, sure, but stacking manufacturer coupons with store rewards gets you items for less, or free.

So when the same (or similar) deal shows up at two of those stores, what breaks the tie? Final price.

74% prioritize the lowest final price.
35% want stackable savings (cashback or rewards on top of the coupon).
34% factor in free or faster shipping.

The bottom line: Couponers do the math. The cheapest total (after every discount, rebate, and shipping charge) wins. That matters more than banking loyalty points or even free shipping.

The 29% who haven’t couponed recently? They want in.

graphic showing how non-couponers feel about couponing

Not everyone surveyed was an active couponer. About 29% of respondents hadn’t used a coupon in the past 60 days. But the reasons they gave point to a lack of opportunity, not interest:

42% say the products they buy don’t typically have coupons.
31% find couponing too complicated or confusing.
11% say it takes too much time.
77% say they want to learn how to save more.

The bottom line: Most non-couponers aren't opting out of saving. They just want a little help: stores that meet them where they are, with coupons on what they actually buy.

How KCL Is Showing Up for the 2026 Couponer

If 2025 was the year couponing went from hobby to survival tool, 2026 is the year it settled into a habit, one shaped by economic pressures that still aren't letting up. Here’s how KCL is jumping in with tools and resources that help beat the price tag, however high it climbs.

KCL coupons are now available for CVS

Open our app, and you’ll see KCL coupons, universal coupons that aren’t tied to a particular store. (Only CVS accepts them now, but stay tuned for more!)

Using them is easy: just tap them to clip, open up the KCL app barcode at checkout, and scan.

Our app has 1-Clip™ technology so you can clip ALL the coupons at once

Couponers made it clear they don’t want multiple apps, so 1-Clip™ lets you add our KCL coupons and store coupons with one tap — just link your store accounts. Here’s how it works, and here are all the best 1-Clip™ deals of the week.

Download the KCL app now .

Follow us on TikTok, Instagram, YouTube, and Facebook. Our editors are on the ground finding deals and showing you how the coupons stack. Yes, even on food, which our survey shows couponers want deals on the most.

Survey Methodology

The KCL State of Couponing 2026 survey was conducted May 14–15, 2026, with 3,750 respondents from our app user base. Year-over-year comparisons are drawn from our 2025 State of Couponing survey (March 21–24, 2025; 3,250 respondents) and our 2024 survey (April 12–16, 2024).