Image via CrunchBase

Pushpins coupons are a great idea. Clipping and sorting through reams of paper coupons can be time consuming and dull. The money you save using paper coupons is rarely worth the time you have to invest to find and use the coupons. Pushpins allows users to download a free iPhone app that they can use to scan items at the store. If there is a coupon available for that item, the savings is automatically transferred to the customer's store value card and will be applied at the register. Unfortunately, Pushpins is not as polished as it could be.

Limited Availability

The Pushpins website boasts that the app can be used at more than 2,000 grocery stores nationwide. When you think about how many grocery stores there are in the United States, 2,000 barely begins to scratch the surface. Consumers in metropolitan areas like New York City are still waiting for Pushpins to make a deal with a local grocery store chain so that they can use the app. Shoppers who do not use value cards at their local grocery stores are also out of luck.

Very Little Feedback

Pushpins is so new that there are very few reviews about the company online. Even the busiest customer review websites list maybe two total reviews about Pushpins. One one site, the only review was a complaint about the lack of reviews. Until more people use the app and discuss it, Pushpins will remain on the slow track. With so many different coupon apps to choose from, people rely on real life reviews from others who have used the product so that they can decide if it's something they want to try. Since there are no reviews to be found, it seems there are very few people using the app.

A Lot of Work for a Little Return

Pushpins is easier to carry around than traditional coupons, and it doesn't require any clipping or sorting. It does require some work on your part, however. To take advantage of the hidden savings for the items you buy, you need to scan every item that you put in your shopping cart. On a quick trip to the grocery store for a couple of items that might not seem so bad, but think about scanning all of your items when you make a big weekly trip to the store. You could spend a lot of time scanning groceries in the hopes that some of the items have a coupon available in the Pushpins system.

Only Available for Apple Devices

Right now you can only get Pushpin for Apple devices. Android and Windows smart phone owners are entirely left out of the Pushpin phenomenon. Since Android devices are quickly catching up with Apple in many markets, there are quite a few people shopping at their local grocery stores who do not have access to Pushpin. Until the app is more widely accessible, it will have a difficult time catching on with the majority of shoppers in the United States today.

Jessica Bosari manages Billeater.com, a site that teaches people how to save money on bills, purchases and other aspects of personal finance. Pay Billeater a visit for more money-saving tips!