Do online discount codes work?
Why some discount codes work at checkout, why others are rejected, and what to check before you place your order. From The Online Shopping Expert (TOSE).
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We have all been there. The things you want are in the basket, the delivery option is chosen and you have reached the checkout. There is a box asking for a discount code, and if a saving is available, naturally you want it.
Sometimes the code works straight away and the total drops. Sometimes it is rejected. You try again, check the spelling, search for another, and a simple attempt to save a few pounds becomes a frustrating extra step.
Online discount codes do work. The important part is finding one that is current, applies to your order and meets the retailer’s terms.
A code may only be available to new customers. It may require a minimum spend, apply to selected products or exclude sale items. Some codes are issued for a particular promotion or customer group, while others have simply reached the end of their offer period.
Once you understand how codes are set up, it becomes much easier to tell which are worth trying and why one may be turned down.
Why do retailers offer discount codes?
A discount code lets a retailer offer a saving without changing the price of a product for every customer.
That means a brand can create an offer for a particular group of shoppers or a particular period. A new customer might receive a welcome discount. Someone who signs up for a newsletter may be sent a code by email. A retailer might run an offer through its app, its social channels or selected promotional partners.
Some codes are open to everyone; others are meant for a smaller group. That distinction matters, because a code can be genuine and still not work for your order. A welcome code may be perfectly valid but only for customers placing their first order.
What types of discount code are there?
The most familiar codes offer a percentage off, a fixed amount off above a minimum spend, free delivery, a gift with your order or a discount for new customers. For a fuller explanation of each, see our guide towhat discount codes are and how they work.
The type matters because the biggest-looking offer is not always the one that saves you the most. On a large order, a percentage discount may be worth more. On a smaller one, free delivery could save more. A fixed discount can look generous but only unlock once your basket reaches a certain value. The final amount you pay is what counts.
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Join freeWhy does my discount code not work?
There are several common reasons a code is rejected at checkout.
The code has expired
Most promotional codes have an end date, and a code can keep circulating online long after its offer has finished.
Your order does not meet the conditions
A code may only work above a certain spend, or on a particular range. Sale items and selected brands are often excluded.
The offer is for certain customers
A welcome code may only work on a first order. Other offers are limited to app users, members of a scheme or the people who received the code directly.
The code has already been used
Some codes can be redeemed once only. A code issued to one customer personally may stop working after it has been used.
You are using more than one code
Many retailers allow one code per order, so a second code replaces the first.
The code was entered incorrectly
An extra space or a mistyped character is enough for a code to fail. Copy it carefully and check it once more before assuming the offer has ended.
A rejected code is usually a sign that one of its conditions has not been met, not a fault with the code itself.
How can you tell whether a discount code is worth using?
Before applying a code, take a moment with the offer details: when it ends, whether there is a minimum spend, whether any products or brands are excluded, and who it is for.
Then compare your order total before and after the code is applied. Offers affect the basket in different ways. One code might reduce the price of the products and leave the delivery charge as it is; another might give free delivery and nothing off the products.
Check, too, whether the retailer is running a better offer. A sale price can save more than a code that only applies to full-price items, and on a small order free delivery may be worth more than a modest percentage.
The figure that matters is the one beside the payment button.
Browse discount codes checked by TOSE
Where should you look for reliable discount codes?
A useful code comes with enough information to understand the offer: a clear end date, the terms that apply and who can use it. Retailers issue codes through their own websites, email newsletters and apps, and through the promotional partners they work with.
Take more care with a code that appears with no clear source, no end date and no conditions. It may still work, but there is no reliable way of knowing whether it is current or whether it applies to your order.
The more you know before you reach the checkout, the less time you spend on codes that were never suitable in the first place.
Can you use a discount code and earn cashback at the same time?
Sometimes, and this is where the terms matter most.
A discount code reduces what you pay at checkout. Cashback works differently: when a purchase is eligible, part of its value is returned to you afterwards.
Some retailers allow certain codes alongside cashback. Others pay cashback only when no code is used, or when the code is approved under their cashback terms. So a code can work perfectly at checkout and still affect whether cashback is paid.
Before combining the two, read the retailer’s cashback terms. If the code you have in mind is not eligible, compare the value of the discount with the cashback you would otherwise receive, and choose the option that gives you the better overall saving.
Discount codes and cashback on TOSE
TOSE brings discount codes and cashback together on each brand page, so you can see the savings available before you shop.
Every discount code on TOSE is checked by our editors before it appears on the site. Where a brand also offers cashback, its brand page shows the cashback rate and the cashback terms, so you can see what is eligible before you click through.
Membership is free. Sign in to reveal your code.
Retailers can change or withdraw promotions at any time, so the retailer’s own checkout always has the final word on an offer.
See discount codes and cashback on TOSE
When is a discount worth it?
A discount earns its keep when it lowers the cost of the things you want. It works against you when it encourages you to spend more just to qualify.
Take a code that unlocks money off above a certain spend. If your basket reaches that amount with things you want, the saving is straightforward. If you start adding items only to cross the threshold, the extra spend can cancel out the discount, or exceed it.
The same goes for percentages. A larger percentage is not automatically a better deal if it only applies to a more expensive product or excludes the item you wanted.
Choose what you want first, then look for the best saving on it.
So, do online discount codes work?
Yes. A current code that applies to you and your order will reduce what you pay at checkout.
The difficulty is that not every code you find will meet those conditions. Some have expired. Others only work for new customers, need a minimum spend or exclude the products in your basket. And sometimes another offer saves more: a sale price, free delivery or cashback.
The answer lies in the information attached to the offer, not in how many codes you try. Check what the code gives you, who can use it, when it ends and what it excludes. If cashback is available, check whether the two can be combined. Then look at the final amount you are paying.
The saving may be a few pounds rather than something dramatic, but that does not make it insignificant. Free delivery on a birthday present, money off a first order, a discount on the weekly shop: used regularly, savings like these add up.
