Everyone who shops online wants to save a few bucks here and there, and with the fact that there are millions of e-stores available nowadays, most brands are going to do everything they can to bring new customers to their site.
One of the most common marketing tricks to get as many clients as you can is to give out vouchers and promo codes. The reason why this works is that everyone is happy – the brand gets more customers and the people who are making the purchase pay less for the items they’ve selected.
As you already know, there are hundreds, even thousands of websites that offer these vouchers for their customers, and there are also a lot of places that offer codes for other places that you can use in many different stores.
The only issue with this is that not all vouchers are valid, and some sites will try and use the client’s trust and promote cards that are not working at all. In this article, we are going to talk to you about some of the ways to know if a promo code is valid. Continue reading if you want to learn how to spot the scam offers, and how to make sure you never trust a website that offers broken vouchers.
1. Pay attention to the websites
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The first thing we are going to talk about is the websites where you take the codes from. As we mentioned before, some sites are just going to try and scam you, and they will use these fake offers to generate more clicks.
To avoid this, you should only use trusted sites that are transparent and recommended by others. Check social media platforms and follow influencers to get codes that are valid and that actually work.
2. Check the character length
Sometimes you can find out if the voucher works by checking its length. Note that this mainly depends on the site at hand, but the codes should not be longer than 12 characters. In most cases, they are between 8 and 12 characters long, while in others, they can be as short as 5 characters.
The valid ones are usually a combination of letters and numbers, and they should not contain lower and capital letters. However, this all depends on the site at hand, and the length, as well as the type of letter and numbers, can vary.
3. Date
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Every coupon has an expiration date, and some can be used for days, and even weeks, while others are going to be valid just for a few hours. Check to see if there is a date when the voucher was added, and on the same note, check to see when it is its expiration date or hour.
This will save you a lot of trouble, and it will save you time using it. Sometimes these dates will not be shown until you open the coupon, so make sure you do this before you copy the code and paste it into the e-store.
4. How many times has it been used?
The next thing we are going to talk about is the number of uses. As you can see on grabatt.de, every coupon has a number of times it has been verified and used. If you see that too many people have used it, chances are, it has already be redeemed too many times, and it won’t work. On the same note, if there are zero verified uses, you may try to use it, and it may work, but it can also be a way of showing that the voucher is not valid.
Note that every code has a limited amount of times it can be used, and it basically is first come, first served. Because of this, you should always subscribe to notifications on the websites you use, so that you don’t miss out on an amazing limited-time offer.
5. Where it can be used?
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When redeeming vouchers, you should know that they are not meant to be used in every single store that sells the items you are looking for. For example, if you are shopping for jackets, not every store will accept coupons, even if they offer the same product you found on another site.
Check to see where you can use these codes, and if they are applicable. Usually, the websites that offer them will give you enough information if they can be used on their site only, or if they are applicable in other places as well.
6. Type of discount
When it comes to vouchers, they usually give you a percentage off of the full sum, or they will deduct a specific sum. According to reductiondiscount.fr, some of the coupons will give you up to 65 percent discount, while others will remove up to 50 dollars on your purchase. Note that this all depends on the store you are shopping at, as well as the coupon you’ve chosen.
Sometimes you need to spend a specific amount before you can use the code, and this means that if you spend less than that amount, the coupon will not work. Check the instructions for use, and information details to make sure you use it properly.
7. Other promotions
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The last thing you should know is that some vouchers cannot be combined with other offers. So, this means that if there is an already ongoing discount or if there is a special promotion, you may not be able to use the coupon.
Read the information about the product, as well as the current discount and see if you can combine them with vouchers. Note that this does not mean that the code is not working, it just means that you cannot use it for this purchase.
These are some of the ways you can check if a promo code is valid and if it is going to work. At the end of the day, these promotions don’t last forever, and even if you do all the things right, you may not get the discount you were hoping for. Make sure you have your cart ready, and that you enable notifications. That way, when a new voucher arrives, you can use it right away and pay less for your purchase.