Guide: how to spot a real promo code (and avoid scams)
Before you rush to use a code you found on a forum or a browser extension, here's how we verify every offer published on this site ourselves, and how you can do the same in two minutes.
1. Check where the code is supposed to go
A legitimate promo code is always entered on the merchant's own site, at the cart step or right before payment, in a field clearly labeled "promo code" or "discount code". If you're asked to enter it somewhere else (a third-party app, a form asking for your login credentials), that's an immediate red flag.
2. Check how fresh the information is
A page listing "50 Amazon codes that always work" with no date anywhere is a classic warning sign. On PromoCodeValid, every article shows a publish date and a last-verified date: the smaller the gap, the more likely the code is still active.
3. Trace it back to the source
Does the code come from the brand's official site, its newsletter, its verified Instagram/TikTok account, or an influencer with an announced partnership? Or does it come from an anonymous forum, an unknown browser extension, or a site promising "secret codes"? The first group is trustworthy, the second much less so.
4. Test it without finishing the purchase
Most stores show the discount as soon as the code is applied, before you even enter payment details. Enter the code, confirm the total drops, and only then move to the next step.
5. Understand why a code might fail
Minimum cart value not reached, code restricted to new accounts, an excluded product category (often electronics and sale items), one use per person, or the code simply expired by the time you're reading this — these are the five most common reasons, and none of them mean the site that showed it to you was being dishonest.
6. Never pay to "unlock" a code
A real promo code costs nothing to get. If a site asks you to pay, subscribe to a service, or hand over banking details to "unlock" a discount, leave the page.