A promo code is only worth something if it works when you check out. This page explains where the offers published on Smashing Coupon come from, how we check them, the order we show them in and what happens when a code stops working.
At a glance
- Our exclusive offers are tested by hand by our team before they go live.
- Every offer is subject to your feedback: those that don’t work well are removed.
- Expired offers are flagged automatically from the day after their end date.
- The best deal for you is always shown first, whatever commission we earn.
1. Where the offers come from
We don’t copy lists from other sites. The offers published on Smashing Coupon come from four sources:
- The retailers themselves: official promotions pages, site banners and the terms shown in the basket.
- The affiliate programmes we take part in: retailers and platforms send us their current offers.
- Retailers’ newsletters and promotional emails, which we receive and go through several times a day.
- Direct partnerships: some retailers give us exclusive codes reserved for our readers.
2. Exclusive offers: tested by hand
When an offer is marked Exclusive, it means we obtained it directly from the retailer and it isn’t available elsewhere. Before publishing it, a member of the team tests it in the retailer’s basket:
- the code is accepted;
- the discount applied matches the one advertised;
- the terms (minimum spend, eligible products, validity dates) are the ones we show.
If any of these doesn’t match, the offer isn’t published until the retailer has put it right.
3. All other offers: checked before publication
For codes and deals that come from retailers, newsletters and affiliate programmes, we check before publishing:
- that the main condition is clear (minimum spend, eligible categories, new customers only, etc.);
- that the end date is filled in when the retailer states one;
- that the offer type is right: promo code, deal without a code, free delivery or free gift.
These offers aren’t tested one by one in the basket. After that, it’s our readers who confirm whether they work (see point 5).
4. Expiry dates: tracked automatically
When an offer has an end date, it’s shown under the offer. On the last day it’s flagged “last day to save”. The day after, it automatically switches to expired and is greyed out, so you don’t waste your time.
Ongoing offers don’t show a made-up deadline.
5. Your feedback decides: “Did the offer work?”
After you click an offer, we ask whether it worked for you. Answers are anonymous and each visitor can vote only once per offer.
- The success rate and number of votes are shown on the shop page, calculated over a recent period.
- Until there are enough votes, we say so rather than show a misleading percentage.
- An offer with a low success rate over enough votes (currently: under 30% success with at least 10 votes) is checked and, if it no longer works, removed from the page.
These figures are visitor feedback on our offers. They are not customer reviews of the retailer.
6. In what order are offers ranked?
On each shop page, the offer we consider best for you is shown first, followed by the others in decreasing order of value.
The commission we earn has no influence on this ranking. A retailer can’t pay to move its offer up: an offer that pays us more but is less good for you stays lower on the page.
7. Dated and signed pages
Each shop page shows its update date and the name of the person who reviewed it (“Checked by …”). Screenshots of the retailer’s website are refreshed regularly.
8. What we don’t do
- We don’t make up codes or show a code just to make a list look complete.
- We don’t promise a discount the retailer hasn’t announced.
- We don’t leave a code online that our readers report as not working.
- We don’t present an expired code as valid.
9. How we make money
Smashing Coupon is free to use. When you buy after clicking an offer, the retailer may pay us a commission, at no extra cost to you. That funds the site and the checking work described on this page. The commission plays no part in the order of the offers (see point 6).
10. A code doesn’t work? Tell us
Use the vote buttons under the offer, or write to us via the contact page with the shop, the code and the message the retailer’s site shows. We check every report.
Who checks the offers?
Offers are looked after by our editorial team: Laura and Roxana, promo code editors, and Julien, the site’s founder and a promo code editor. To find out more about the site and its editors, see the About page.
This page was last updated: October 2026.
