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The Trust Project

References This article includes a list of source material, including documents and people, so you can follow the story further.
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No.

Despite consumer complaints that digital and app-only coupons can limit some shoppers’ access to affordable food and other staples, there are no federal or state laws against them. 

Critics of the practice say that people who lack the technology or skill to download grocery apps, such as older adults, people whose first language is not English and people without internet access, are at a disadvantage when it comes to shopping affordably. 

The city of San Diego, California, banned digital-only coupons in April. A bill in Washington state would have required grocery stores to accept coupons from customers without requiring them to use an app or online subscription, but did not pass.

Grocery stores set their own coupon policies. King Soopers, for example, says it does not accept digital coupons from third-party shopping apps — only those issued on its website or app — and the store manager can decline or limit any coupon.

See full source list below.

This fact brief is responsive to conversations such as this one.

The Colorado Sun partners with Gigafact to produce fact briefs — bite-sized fact checks of trending claims. Read our methodology to learn how we check claims.

References:

The Kroger Company Coupon Policy, King Soopers, accessed in June 2025. Source link.

Digital coupons exclude buyers who aren’t tech savvy, experts say, NPR, Oct. 4, 2023. Source link.

Supermarket digital-only coupons are popular. Critics say they breed inequality and San Diego banned them, LA Times, Mar. 29, 2025. Source link.

San Diego bans supermarket ‘digital-only’ deals, NBC San Diego, Apr. 15, 2025. Source link.

Coupon discrimination by large grocery stores targeted in Senate Bill, Kiro News Radio, Jan. 30, 2024. Source link.

SB 6265 - 2023-24, Washington State Legislature, accessed in June 2025. Source link.

Type of Story: Fact-Check

Checks a specific statement or set of statements asserted as fact.

Por recently graduated from CU Boulder with a master’s degree in journalism and is interested in writing about the environment and exploring local stories. When not working on some form of writing, Por is either looking for Thai food or petting...