If you’ve been using Upromise for a while, you’ll already know that it’s a pretty nifty way to save up some money for your children’s college educations or to help pay student loans.  For everyone else, you are still trying to figure out just how these eCoupons come off and how to get them.

It’s very similar to Savingstar in that you choose the coupons you want on the website, scan your store’s card at checkout (you must link your cards to the website), and the money goes into an account. The difference in Savingstar and Upromise is that Upromise doesn’t give you the option to take your money out once you reach $5. You can invest your earnings for future educations or use it to help with current student loans. Pretty cool!

“But what about Publix?” you may ask. It’s true that Publix doesn’t have a store card, but you can still participate in Upromise at Publix. Simply head to the customer service section of your store and request one of their special Upromise key chain cards.

Another neat thing about Upromise is that it can be used on top of pretty much all other kinds of coupons: manufacturer coupons, store coupons, ecoupons, Checkout 51, and Ibotta. Remember that once you choose the items on which you want to save money on Upromise’s website, you won’t see the savings directly in the store. When the Publix cashier scans your card, those coupons will act as a rebate and be submitted into your account.

You can also use Upromise at restaurants and select online retailers. Joining is FREE.

Personal note: Since you can’t save on the same offers with both Savingstar and Upromise (Savingstar provides the coupons for Upromise), I like to use Upromise only at Publix. If Savingstar (which can’t be used at Publix) is going to give me money almost right away, I’m generally going to stick with that program at other grocery stores.