Let me make something absolutely clear. Stateside (within the continental United States) commissaries do not allow the use of expired coupons. Only overseas U.S. military commissaries can legally allow the use of expired coupons. Of course there is a limit. After a coupon has been expired for six months or more, it is useless even at an overseas military commissary. At that point you’ll need to dispose of the worthless coupons.
Beware Scam Artists
If you want to send expired coupons to an overseas military family, you should be sure that you are sending them to an actual overseas family. The best way to be sure is to check their address. If they give you an address that is here in the United States, they are trying to put one over on you and likely some merchants as well. The address you receive to mail those coupons to should be an APO address. It may be APO AE (Europe) or APO AP (Pacific) but either way, if you’re mailing to an APO, you’re doing a good and legal deed.
There are Two Exceptions
Some stateside individuals will become coupon sponsors to an overseas base. Yes, overseas bases have coupon sponsors! I remember when I was stationed in England that I used to always check the coupon file that was just inside the door of the commissary. It was a great money saver and a great convenience! If someone approaches you and states that they are a sponsor, you can be sure they aren’t trying to scam you by asking what organization they are with and what the organization’s website address is. These organizations generally list their overseas sponsors online so that you can confirm their story very quickly.
There are some stores in the Chicago area that will also allow the use of expired coupons. Because the stores allow it, this too is legal.
Whatever you do with your expired coupons, just be careful of the traders that misrepresent themselves as military. In this day and age, many Americans are trying to find a way to reach out to and support their military families. On behalf of the military couponers, I’d like to say thank you very much for your random acts of kindness. Just be careful who you’re being kind to. It very well could be a scam artist preying on your sense of patriotism.
*Special thanks to Barb09 for information on the Chicago area.
Related Blogs:
The Military Commissary – A Part of Your Benefits
RAOK -AKA- Random Act of Kindness
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