You have found a discount code, filled your basket and the shop says the code is invalid. Annoying, but common. This guide explains why codes fail, what the shop is and is not required to do and how to react without losing your cashback. It is general information, not legal advice, and rules differ by country, so check the shop's terms and local consumer information.

Why codes fail

Most rejected codes fall into a short list. The code has expired or reached its usage limit. It applies only to certain products, categories or a minimum basket value. It is for new customers or a single use per person. It cannot be combined with another discount, or with items already on sale. It is limited to a region, an app or a particular email list. Sometimes the code has simply been typed with a space or a different letter case. Check each of these before you assume the shop is at fault.

Is the shop obliged to accept it?

In general, a promotional code is an offer that a shop makes on its own conditions. If those conditions are not met or the offer has ended, the shop usually has no duty to honour it. The picture changes where the shop clearly advertised a discount to you, you met every stated condition and the code still failed because of the shop's error. Then a polite request to customer service often works, even where no formal right exists. What a consumer can enforce depends on the country and the circumstances. If a sizeable amount is at stake, consult a local consumer advice service.

Codes from third parties

Many codes come from coupon pages, social posts or forums. These are not the shop's own promotion, and the shop has no obligation to honour a code that was shared without its consent or that was meant for a specific group, such as a partner or a staff discount. A page that lists a code is not a promise from the shop. That is why we describe offers with the time they were last checked and with their conditions, but we do not claim that a code will work for you. The shop's checkout is always the final judge.

What to do at checkout, step by step

1. Read the conditions near the code: dates, minimum spend, product limits, new customer rules.
2. Type the code again by hand, without spaces, in the field for discount codes.
3. Remove items that are excluded, or add the item the code is meant for.
4. Check whether another discount in your basket blocks it.
5. Look at the shop's own current offers and emails for a code you may have received.
6. If nothing works, contact customer service with the code and a screenshot of the error.

Do not abandon your tracking

When a code fails, many people leave the page and come back later from another link or a coupon page. That can break the cashback, because the order is then no longer linked to your click. A better approach is to return to the shop page on daily-cashback.info, click through again, and then finish the order in one session. If you intend to try a different code, enter it by hand after you arrive. See our guide on combining cashback and coupons for the way codes can affect rewards.

Cashback or coupon, when the code fails

If the code does not work, the cashback still might. It is tied to your click and to the shop's rules, not to the code. Compare the order total without the code, and check whether the cashback and a standard price are good enough for you. Our guide on cashback or coupon: which saves more helps with this decision. If the code was a large part of your plan, waiting for the shop's next promotion may be wiser than paying full price today.

If a price was wrong or a promised discount was not applied

If the cart shows a different price from the advertised one, take screenshots of the offer and the cart, and write to the shop at once. Do not pay and hope to fix it later unless the shop confirms the price. If you already paid, check the shop's complaint procedure and your payment provider's dispute rules, which differ by provider and have time limits. Keep all emails.

Staying polite helps

Customer service staff can often do more than the checkout system allows, such as applying a discount by hand or extending a code by a day. A short, friendly message with the facts gives the best chance: the code, the date, what you tried and a screenshot. Ask what they can do rather than demanding something. If the answer is no, accept it and decide whether the order is still worth placing at the normal price.

How we handle offers

We check our shop pages every day and show the time of the last check and the conditions we know. We are an information site and we do not sell goods, so we cannot fix a failed code at a shop. Cashback is credited to your free account when the shop confirms the sale, and payout by PayPal starts from 20 USD. The formal rules are in our terms, and the whole path is described in how cashback works step by step.