How We Check Codes, and What Happens to an Expired One

Why checking matters more than listing

Almost any site can publish a list of voucher codes and coupon codes. What is harder, and what actually determines whether that list is useful, is whether each code is still checked against the shop's own checkout after it is published. A code that worked when it was first listed can stop working at any point, without warning, when a retailer's promotion ends early or a campaign is quietly withdrawn. The value of a listing depends entirely on how current it still is at the moment someone tries to use it, not on how complete it looked when it was first added.

How a code gets checked

Codes are collected from shops directly and from their official promotional material, then tested against that shop's own checkout process rather than simply trusted on the strength of where they came from. This means confirming the code is accepted and that it actually changes the total, not only that the checkout system recognises it as a valid string of characters. Across the shops covered, this checking runs continuously rather than in one batch, since 527 shops spread across 22 countries and 18 languages cannot realistically all be reviewed at a single fixed time of day.

How often codes are checked

Codes are checked multiple times a day, not on a weekly or monthly cycle. This matters because many promotions run for only a few days, and a code that is accurate on Monday can be dead by Wednesday if it is only reviewed once a week. Checking throughout the day catches most of these changes quickly, though it cannot guarantee that a code will still work in the exact minute between one check and the next, which is why the listing reflects the most recently confirmed state rather than a permanent guarantee.

What happens when a code expires

Once a code is confirmed as no longer working, it is removed from the listing rather than left online with an outdated label. The choice not to keep an archive of every expired promotion is deliberate: a page cluttered with old, dead codes makes it harder, not easier, to find something that actually works, and it invites exactly the kind of guessing that leads to a wasted attempt at checkout. What is shown at any given time is meant to reflect what is currently active, not a historical record of every code that has ever existed for a shop.

Why a listed code can still sometimes fail

• The promotion ended between the last check and the attempt to use it.
• The code is restricted to certain products, order values, or new customers only, conditions that are noted where known but are ultimately set and enforced by the shop.
• The shop's checkout applied a regional or currency restriction not visible from the code listing itself.
• A stacking rule at that shop meant the code was accepted but did not change the total, which can look like a failure even though the code itself was valid.

How to report a code that does not work

If a listed code does not work at checkout, the most useful report includes the shop, the exact code, and what happened when it was entered, such as an error message or a total that did not change. This can be sent through the contact options on the FAQ page or through the shop's own listing page, and it feeds directly into the next check for that code rather than sitting in a general queue. Reports from actual shoppers are one of the fastest ways an expired code gets caught between scheduled checks, alongside the routine checking process itself.

What does not happen: accounts and tracking

None of this checking process requires a shopper to create an account, log in, or accept cookies. There is nothing to remember between visits and nothing that builds a profile of who is looking for which code. This was a deliberate choice from the start, described in more detail on the about us page, on the basis that finding a working code should not require handing over more information than the purchase itself does.

The scope this covers today

• 527 shops listed across the site.
• 22 countries covered, each with its own relevant codes.
• 18 languages, so listings are not limited to a single market.
• Codes checked multiple times a day, with expired ones removed rather than archived.
• No account, no login, and no tracking cookies required to browse or use a listing.

These figures describe the current scope of the checking process and are expected to grow as coverage expands. The full process is explained step by step on the how it works page.