We actually test the coupons
We are a small team, and we are not pretending otherwise. That is the whole reason this works: being small means we can be picky. Codes reach us from a lot of places, software takes a first pass, then a person actually looks before anything gets a badge. Here is what happens to a code between arriving and reaching your checkout.
Why bother when most coupon sites do not?
Most codes floating around online are stale, fake, or expired last season. You paste one, wait, and nothing happens. We would rather list fewer and have them work.
Short list, all tested
Three codes that work beat thirty that do not. We read what we list, which is only possible because the list is short.
We say when nothing works
An empty store page is more useful than one padded with expired junk. If nothing passes, we say so.
People, not just software
Software handles the volume. A person still has the final say on what gets a badge.
We keep re-testing
A code that worked last week gets re-tested, not trusted forever. When one stops working it comes down.
Codes come at us from every direction
We do not scrape one place and call it done. Codes come from newsletters we subscribe to, the stores themselves, merchants sending them over, shoppers submitting ones they found, and our own team digging. Wherever a code starts, it takes the same path from here.
- Newsletters we subscribe to
- Store and brand sites
- Merchants directly
- Shoppers who submit them
- Our own digging
What happens to a coupon on Coupono
Not a list of features. Just what happens to one code, in order, from arriving with us to the day it stops working.
- 1
It arrives
Codes arrive from newsletters, stores, shoppers and our own team. A good number are already dead when they reach us, which is exactly why the rest of these steps exist.
- 2
Software tests it first
For roughly 70% of our stores, a testing system drops the code into a real checkout and watches whether the price moves. No movement, no pass. This clears the boring volume so people can spend their time on the rest.
ANKER***20: 20% off, kept SPRING10: no change, dropped - 3
A person goes through it
Someone confirms it works and reads the fine print software misses: minimum spend, excluded items, expiry dates. Then they tag it with the actual discount. This part is still done by hand and it is the part that matters most.
- 4
Only now does it get a badge
If it holds up it goes live with a Verified badge. If nothing for that store passes, the page says so instead of getting padded out to look stocked.
- 5
You report back
Every time you use a code you can say whether it worked, and attach a checkout screenshot if you want. We moderate those before they show. Those votes push a code up or down the page for whoever lands there next.
What shoppers reported (sample)liveSHEINSHEIN***20Workedmoments agoWalmartWMT***15Worked3m agoUdemyUDMY***10Failed6m agoAnkerANKER***20Worked9m agoNordVPNNORD***60Worked14m ago - 6
It never just sits there
Codes are re-tested on a schedule, and once enough signals say one has stopped working it slides down or comes off entirely. A badge is meant to describe today, not the day we found it.
Sometimes the honest answer is nothing right now
Plenty of sites fill an empty store page with expired codes so it looks full. We do not. When nothing passes, you get told, and we will still surface any automatic deals worth a click. Looking busy is not worth much if none of it works.
Nothing working here today
Nothing passed our checks for this store today. We re-test often, so it is worth looking again soon.
What a verified coupon shows you
Every verified offer carries its proof on the card, so you can pick the best one without opening all of them.
The Verified badge
It passed our checks and a person signed off. The most reliable thing on the page.
The real discount
The actual saving, whether that is a percentage, an amount or a deal.
Straight tags
Sitewide, free shipping, BOGO and the rest, labelled rather than guessed at.
Verification history
Open a code to see how often it has been used, who verified it, and when it last worked.
Go try one
The codes have been tested and looked over before they reach you. Grab one, use it, then leave a quick vote so the next person knows whether it still works.