All right.  Before we get into this one, I have two things to say.

First, a belated “congratulations” to Jared, the Subway guy who lost a billion pounds by marching uphill to a Subway twice a day for twelve years to order a six-inch veggie sub, no cheese, hold the bread.  Yes, I’m exaggerating.  The Jared story has always bugged me, though.  They play up the fact he ate at Subway but they don’t mention all of the exercise.  

Second, I’d like to know who wrote the “Five Dollar Footlong” ditty that’s in all of the ads for Subway these days.  Whoever came up with that deserves a handshake for writing something so memorable.  He or she also deserves a solid beating with a footlong piece of wheat bread for coming up with something so annoying.  

Okay, now we can get started.   People like Subway.  They like to save money.  They’d like to save money at Subway.  I’m right there with them.  I enjoy the occasional sub from the ubiquitous sandwich franchise (not the meatballs, though. I think they have a very mild aftertaste that reminds me of that kitchen cleanser, Mr. Clean).  I’m also a fan of spending as little money as I can.  

Here’s how you do it.  Consider this a primer of finding and using Subway coupons.

First, you have to realize that Subway shops are individual franchises.  That means the franchisees have a lot of say in what promos they’ll do and which ones they won’t.  That goes for coupons, too.  The Subway on 5th Street might be thrilled to take your coupon while the one on 10th will advise you that you cannot save $2 on your bologna there.  

I read one person who recommended trying to use the coupons even if the store in question isn’t part of the promotion.  They say that if you get to the register and they refuse the coupon you can just tell them that you won’t take the sandwich.  Apparently, the Subway employee is then supposed to crumble, happy to get anything for the food he or she will otherwise send to the dumpster.  I’m guessing that most sandwich artists would be happy to flip your MT into the trash and let you walk.  I could be wrong, though.  Either way, I think it’s poor form to try to muscle a franchisee into taking a coupon they don’t want to take.

The best place to find coupons you’ll be able to use is to check your local paper.  Buy the Sunday litterbox liner and dig through the advertising circulars.  You have a good shot at finding a coupon in there.

You can also find coupons online.  There is a red hot market for Subway coupons on eBay.  If you’re willing to spend a few bucks to save a few bucks more, it might be worth bidding on one of the many auctions that seem to be underway consistently.

You can also find free Subway coupons online if you aren’t willing to buy them.  People have found “dollar off” printable coupons, for instance.  You can also poke around the various forums dedicated to coupon sharing and frugal living looking for coupons that will be valid in your area.  An eHow piece explains:

Search various websites as different people may find different free Subway coupons. There may be many Subway restaurants in your area and they may target only the neighborhood they are in. So to get the most free Subway coupons to use at your disposal, look in more than one place.