thecouponcode

How we verify coupon codes

Short answer: a code earns its Verified badge only after a person tests it at the merchant’s checkout. Offers we have not confirmed yet are listed without the badge, and expired ones are clearly marked. Here is the full process.

Step by step

How does the verification process work?

1

Source the code

Codes come from brand newsletters, official promotion pages, partner programmes, and older published offers worth keeping on record. We never publish invented or guessed codes.

2

Test it at checkout

We apply the exact code in the merchant’s promo field and confirm the discount shows before payment. Only codes that pass get the Verified badge — with the date. Anything we have not confirmed yet stays listed without the badge, clearly marked.

3

Re-check over time

Verified codes are re-tested on a rolling basis. The “last checked” date on each store page is the real timestamp of the latest check, pulled from our coupon database.

4

Retire it honestly

When a code stops working it is not deleted. It moves below the live offers into the expired section, greyed out and dated — merchants sometimes still honour old codes, and you deserve to know the history.

No estimates

What do the numbers on a store page mean?

All checking is done in-house. No bought coupon feeds, no outsourced verification.

Every Verified badge on this site comes from a test we ran ourselves at the merchant’s checkout. Offers without the badge are exactly that — listed, labelled, not yet confirmed.

Coupon sites love big numbers. “126 verified codes” in the title, fourteen on the page. We do it differently: every count, best-discount figure, and last-checked date you see here is computed from our coupon database each time the site is published — which happens with every verification pass.

If a store page says 8 offers, best discount 50% off, checked this week — that is exactly what is in the list below it. The title, the stats box, and the structured data Google reads all come from the same source, so they can never disagree.

The site is funded by affiliate commissions, which never change the price you pay and never decide which code ranks first. The highest verified discount always goes on top. Details in the Affiliate Disclosure.

Good to know

What are the most common verification questions?

What does the “Verified” badge mean?
It means a person applied that exact code at the merchant’s checkout and saw the discount before payment. The date next to the badge is when it was last confirmed.
Are all codes on the site verified?
No — and we label the difference instead of hiding it. Codes with the Verified badge were hand-tested on the date shown. Older or unconfirmed offers are listed without the badge; they may still work, but we have not tested them yet.
What happens when a code stops working?
It moves below the live offers into the clearly marked expired section. We keep it visible because merchants sometimes still honour old codes.
Where do the codes come from?
Brand newsletters, official promotion pages, partner programmes, and older published offers worth keeping on record. We never publish invented or guessed codes.
Why should I trust the counts on a store page?
Every number — total offers, best discount, last-checked date — is computed from our coupon database when the page is published. Nothing is typed in by hand or estimated.