What are online voucher codes?
A voucher code is a combination of letters and numbers that can be entered into a website to get a better deal when shopping online. Voucher code is the mostly widely used term but they are also called vouchers, coupons, discount codes, promo codes, promotional codes or discount voucher codes. Voucher codes will allow you to get a discount on your shop (20% off), free delivery on your order or even free gifts with your purchase. The deal will automatically be applied after the voucher code is entered on the site.
How do I know if a merchant offers voucher codes?
When you visit a merchant website, take a careful look as you take your shopping cart through the checkout process. If you see a box on their site that says, "enter your voucher or discount code here", you've found an online merchant that uses online vouchers.
How do I use online voucher codes?
Once you’re ready to make an online purchase, you should visit www.discount.co.uk to see if there are any voucher codes available for the merchant. If you find a voucher code, you will need to copy the code from our site and paste it into the appropriate box on the merchant site to get your discount. If you don’t find a voucher code for that specific merchant, we might have a voucher code available for other merchants that sell the same product so enter the product name in the search box on our site to see what other voucher codes are available. In some cases, there might not be a voucher code but merchants on our site might have a special offer available that does not require a voucher code. If this is the case, simply click on the link and you will be taken to the correct page on the merchant site.
Where Can I Find Online Voucher Codes?
Simply type www.discount.co.uk into the address bar of your browser, and you'll be taken to our home page.
From our home page, you can search for vouchers by merchant or by shopping category. If you know which online retailer you want to shop at, just click on "All Stores" and search the list until you find it. This will lead you to a webpage that features all the latest voucher codes, sales and promotions for that merchant.
If you are more interested in browsing vouchers for a general shopping category, click on a category link. From there you can select the voucher code or promotion that best matches your interest.
Each voucher code will include whenever possible:
- The offer amount or savings
- The restriction or terms of conditions
- The dates during which the offer is valid
To redeem a voucher code or offer that meets your interest, simply click on "use this", and you will be taken to the merchant's web site. A discount.co.uk window will pop up with the voucher code, and a link to the restrictions if any. For our most popular merchants, we will also offer a link to demonstrate where to enter the voucher code during the merchant's checkout process.
What Do I Need To Know About Using Voucher Codes?
Because merchants can, and do, change their vouchers and promotions frequently, make sure you see the discount in your shopping basket before you make your order final. If the shopping basket does not show a discount, it can mean that either:
- The voucher code has not been properly entered. Enter the code once more.
- The restrictions for the voucher code have not been met. Check the fine print to make sure your purchase should be covered by the voucher code.
- The voucher has been withdrawn by the merchant or is no longer valid. Some merchants do not indicate how long their voucher codes are valid for, so if the code does not work, it is safe to assume that the voucher code is no longer valid.
- The merchant website is not functionality properly.
If you have already made an order without the discount, We recommend you cancel the order or call the merchant and give them the voucher code. If the merchant cannot provide you with a discount, you can always cancel the order at no cost.
Why Do Merchants Use Online Vouchers?
One of the biggest challenges facing online merchants is persuading consumers to use their site. A voucher can be compelling enough for a consumer to make a purchase that they would not have made otherwise. For merchants, online vouchers represent a cost effective way of introducing customers to their website. Similarly, merchants like to keep frequent shoppers and therefore might offer special offers to existing customers.
We see several different standard types of vouchers and promotional offers:
- Voucher codes valid only for new customers like, "Get £10 off your first purchase of £50 or more". Many merchants use these voucher codes frequently. We do not encourage or condone this behavior, but sometimes simply using a different email address or clearing the cookies on your computer can enable an existing user to use a voucher for new customers only.
- Free delivery vouchers. Online merchants believe that the cost of delivery is an inhibitor to shopping online, and therefore often have these promotional offers. It's a great way to save £10 or more, and sometimes may be a better deal than a money off online voucher.
- Voucher codes for a new product or category like, "Get £15 off any purchase in our new baby store". Amazon.co.uk has done this when they introduce a new shopping category.
- Vouchers that encourage customers to spend more like, "Get £15 off an order of £100 or more". This is great if you are planning to spend this anyway.
- Free gift with purchase. Merchants in certain categories like beauty and cosmetics frequently do this.
What’s in it for us?
Other than the buzz we get from helping others save money, we earn a commission from the merchant every time a sale is made from using a voucher code or deal listed on our site. Remember, our site is absolutely free for you to use.
How Can I Help?
If you receive special voucher codes or promotional offers from online merchants, please send them on to us. We will be glad to give you credit for finding the offer on our website if you wish, and you'll be happy in knowing that hundreds or thousands of other shoppers will benefit from your generosity.
Finally, we invite your suggestions. If you want to share your experiences in using voucher codes online or have an idea of how to make discount.co.uk better, let us know about it. We look forward to hearing from you. Contact Us here.
