The sniff test
How a code gets on the page
Most coupon sites are museums. We treat a code as guilty until checkout says otherwise.
01
We try it at checkout
A code is listed as working only after we have seen it accepted at checkout in the last 48 hours. If checkout refuses it, we do not call it a working code. If the store does not offer a public code, the page says so instead of inventing one.
02
Shoppers tell us if it worked
You can mark a code as working or expired. Those reports move the success rate. A top code that starts failing loses its spot.
03
We track a typical shopping cart
Every store page has a 90-day chart of a typical shopping cart at that merchant: the kinds of things people actually buy there. It shows whether today’s prices sit above or below the recent average. That is context for the code, not a reason to skip the purchase.
04
We say what it will not work on
If golf clubs, printer ink, or food will not take the code, the card says so. A “20% off everything” that fails on the thing you came for is a lie, and we will not dress it up.
05
Anyone can send a code
Found something that works and we missed it? Send it in. We check it at checkout before it appears as verified. Shopper reports keep the success rate honest after that.
06
A commission does not change the advice
If you tap Show code or Get deal, we may earn a small commission. That does not change the success rate, the price chart, or which code we put first.
How this works
For each merchant we follow a small, typical shopping cart and plot that total for 90 days. It is not a cherry-picked sale SKU, and it is not a reason to wait a year on something you want now.
The chart answers a simpler question: are today’s prices lower or higher than they have been lately? A working code on a below-average shopping cart is a strong checkout. A working code is still a working code when prices run high. The chart just shows the shelf price clearly so you can decide.
The “good time to buy” meter on a store page is that same cart versus its 90-day average. Use it as context next to the code, then buy if you came to buy.
Found a working code we missed? Send it in. Think a listing is wrong? Tell us. We can take a hint.