How We Verify
Every Coupon Code
Most coupon sites scrape codes from the internet and publish them without testing. When the code fails at your checkout, that's why. We work differently — every code on PureCouponCodes is tested in a live checkout session before it reaches you.
Updated daily
There are two kinds of coupon sites. The first kind scrapes codes from the web automatically, posts them in bulk, and earns affiliate commissions whenever you click through — whether or not the code works. The "10–30% off" code you found that returned "invalid promo code" at checkout? That's where it came from.
The reason bad codes stay live is simple: removing them costs time, and it doesn't change the commission. For scraper sites, a failed code is an acceptable outcome. For you, it's a wasted trip and a frustrating experience.
We built PureCouponCodes on the opposite model. Our revenue depends on trust, not volume. A code that fails once and gets reported costs us more in reputation than it ever earned in clicks. So we verify — before publishing, and every day after.
Every code in our database goes through the same five steps — from first discovery to eventual removal. Here's exactly what happens.
We source codes from four channels: retailer newsletters (we subscribe to 300+), brand partner communications and affiliate network feeds, direct outreach from retailers submitting their own codes, and our community Submit Coupons tool. We do not use automated scrapers or aggregate from other coupon sites — those sources produce the dead-code problem we're trying to solve.
Source: verified channels onlyBefore any code goes live, an editor adds representative items to a cart at the retailer's site and enters the code at checkout. We verify three things: (1) the code is accepted without error, (2) the correct discount amount actually appears in the order total, and (3) the discount matches what was advertised. A code that is "accepted" but doesn't reduce the total fails our test.
Verified: live checkout sessionWe document what each code covers and what it excludes before publishing. This includes: minimum order requirements, excluded product categories or brands, new-customer-only restrictions, expiration dates when available, and single-use versus multi-use status. If a code has material exclusions that would affect most shoppers, we flag them clearly on the code card — not buried in fine print.
Documented: exclusions, minimums, expiryPublishing a verified code is not the end of the process. Codes are re-checked on a rolling daily schedule. Codes at high-traffic stores (Amazon, Target, Walmart) are checked more frequently. When a re-verification check fails — the code no longer applies at checkout — it is flagged for immediate review. The threshold for removal is a single confirmed failure on re-check, not multiple reports.
Cadence: daily rolling re-checkWhen a code fails — through re-verification, a user report, or a retailer notification — it is removed from the database within 1 hour. We do not leave expired codes live with a "may still work" disclaimer. We do not archive failed codes as "recently expired" — that's just a way to keep dead links generating clicks. If it doesn't work, it comes down.
Removal: within 1 hour of confirmed failureHere's a direct comparison of how our verification process differs from the automated scraper model most coupon sites use.
| What we're comparing | ❌ Most coupon sites | ✓ PureCouponCodes |
|---|---|---|
| Code sourcing | Automated web scrapers collecting from any source | Retailer newsletters, affiliate feeds, direct submissions |
| Pre-publish testing | None — codes go live unverified | Every code tested in a live checkout session |
| Ongoing monitoring | None, or only after user complaints | Daily rolling re-verification per store |
| Expired code handling | Left live indefinitely or archived as "recently expired" | Removed within 1 hour of confirmed failure |
| Restriction documentation | Rarely documented, exclusions buried or missing | Exclusions, minimums, and expiry captured on each code |
| Success rate tracking | Not tracked or not disclosed | 94% site-wide average, tracked per store |
| User reports | Ignored or used to display "success rate" theatre | Trigger immediate re-verification and removal if confirmed |
Several common practices on coupon sites make their metrics look better while making your experience worse. We avoid all of them.
-
We don't keep expired codes as "recently expired"
Keeping dead codes live as "recently expired" or "may still work" is a way to continue generating affiliate clicks on a code that no longer has value. It's deceptive. If a code fails verification, it's removed — not re-labeled.
-
We don't publish codes we haven't tested
Speed matters in the coupon space — new codes can burn through their usage cap in hours on high-traffic sites. But publishing untested codes to be first creates the exact problem users complain about. We absorb the delay to test first.
-
We don't inflate success rates with show-only codes
Some sites count "show code" clicks as successful uses, inflating their reported success rates regardless of whether the code worked at checkout. Our 94% figure represents codes that actually applied a discount at checkout — nothing else.
-
We don't accept payment to feature codes or rank stores
Stores with the most active, verified codes rank higher in our directory. Retailers cannot pay to have codes listed, featured, or ranked above competitors. Editorial placement is based on code availability and verification status only.
-
What we do instead: disclose when we earn and when we don't
We earn affiliate commissions when you click through to a retailer and make a purchase. This is how we fund the verification work. But it creates a conflict of interest we address directly: we remove non-working codes regardless of affiliate status, we document exclusions that reduce a code's value, and we publish this page so you know exactly how the process works.
When you click through to a retailer and complete a purchase, we may earn an affiliate commission from the retailer. This happens at no cost to you — you pay the same price. Our commission is paid by the retailer, not deducted from your discount.
Our 94% success rate reflects the percentage of our listed codes that applied a valid discount at checkout during re-verification testing in the trailing 30 days. Codes that fail re-verification are removed before the rate is updated.
Some retailers rarely release public promo codes — they rely on loyalty programs, email-exclusive offers, or private sales instead. We list stores even when we have few codes because we update daily and new codes appear regularly.
If a code's fine print is unclear or our test cart doesn't trigger an exclusion we know exists, we note it on the code card. We'd rather flag a potential restriction than leave you to discover it at checkout.