All offers / How we work / Why deal-site referral codes fail
The referral code you found did not work, and the terms usually explain why.
The terms rarely punish the website. They void the reward instead, often on the head of whoever shared the link, because referral programs travel between people who already know each other and a public page sits outside that channel. Nobody is hiding a working code from you.
Where the 118 land
Every offer here carries a checked link policy, because "not checked" and "checked, nothing found" must never look the same.
| A link here is banned by the program's own terms | 39 |
|---|---|
| No postable link or code exists in the first place | 18 |
| Terms are silent or unreachable, so we treat it as unknown | 10 |
| A link here would be permitted | 52 |
| Referral links we actually hold and carry | 8 |
Shape 1: the program bans a page like this one outright
The agreement names our category and shuts the door, usually in the clause about where a link may be placed.
Kinsta names the placement. Prohibited: "Place links to Kinsta or refer to Kinsta in any way on coupon websites". It does not "have any coupon codes or deals available for potential clients" and does not accept applications from "Coupons and deals websites". The Kinsta guide has the savings that are real.
Semrush declines the application. It will not approve "Coupons, cashback, deals websites, or generator websites", and answers the exclusive-discount question with "Currently, we do not offer exclusive discounts for affiliates". See the Semrush guide.
Hostinger confines the link to a person's own feed. The program "is meant only for referring people that are already in your network"; links "should not be published or distributed on commercial websites, any blogs or YouTube channels/videos, but only on your personal social media". The Hostinger guide separates the two programs sharing that name.
Shape 2: the code owner is punished, not the site
When a link is scraped from a real person and republished, several programs cancel that person's reward. The website keeps its traffic; a stranger loses money they never knew was at risk.
Greenlight voids both sides and can claw the money back. "Both you and the Referred Customer will forfeit the right to receive Referral Rewards, and, if they have already been paid, the Referral Rewards are subject to forfeiture or reclamation by Greenlight," for a violation "such as through a bulk spam email distribution or through the posting of a Referral Link on a third-party deal site." Your own social media profile is exempt. The Greenlight guide has the current window.
Trezor reverses the discount. Links "must not be published or distributed on commercial websites, such as coupon websites, public forums, or social media pages not owned by the Referrer"; violators "may have rewards removed and any discounts reversed". See the Trezor guide.
HelloFresh deactivates the sharer's credit. It can "withdraw or deactivate any of your outstanding referral credits or similar Vouchers in the event your referral code is posted to a third party website (excluding your own social media profile(s) or blogs)". The HelloFresh guide covers which of its two sharing buttons is worth more.
Shape 3: there was never a code to publish
Eighteen of the 118 are not banned, they are impossible. The discount is minted for one named person or generated per visitor, so no string of characters exists that a website could hand over.
TaxAct sends it by personal email. Your friend gets "a unique link that will identify you as the contact": "Discount offer is only valid for the intended email recipient and cannot be combined with any other offer." The TaxAct guide has the filing deadline the reward hangs on.
Truist mints a fresh one per visitor. "A valid promo code must be applied at account opening to enroll in the promotion and cannot be added after the account is opened. Promo codes are single-use only, should not be shared, and once redeemed, the promo code will no longer be valid." The Truist guide has the deposit rules that decide the $500.
Do this, in this order
- Ask a person, not a page. Shapes one and two authorise exactly one route: a link sent directly by someone who already uses the product. Know nobody? Sign up direct.
- Check whether the company publishes a code at all. Kinsta and Semrush both say plainly they never do.
- Read the amount on your own screen, not on ours. Many programs personalise the figure and show it only in the app or at checkout.
- Ask for a freshly generated link. Some windows run from the link's creation, not from your signup, so an old link may be most of the way through its clock.
- Treat a published code as information about the site. A page handing out a link a program forbids has either not read the terms or accepts you carrying the risk.
- Then check the code was worth having. Plenty pay the sharer and give you nothing. See our dead programs page.
What this looks like from our side
A page arguing deal sites cannot be trusted with referral codes owes you its own numbers. We carry a link on 8 of 118 offers; on the other 110 we earn nothing, and 57 of those could never carry a link however the business went.
Two of the eight sit on programs whose terms lean against a commercial page.
Quoted from Robinhood
“only available for personal use, and may not be used for commercial purposes”
Quoted from Ledger
“Your Link should be used as a personal invite, and not for commercial purposes.”
Neither punishes the reader for arriving through us; if either tightens its wording, the link comes off.
Is it worth your time?
Frequently asked
Why did the code I found not work?
Most likely it was never postable: the program either forbids a site like this one from carrying the link, or issues no shareable code at all.
Who loses the money when a link is posted publicly?
Frequently the person who shared it. Greenlight forfeits the reward for both parties, Trezor can remove rewards and reverse discounts, and HelloFresh can withdraw the sharer's outstanding credits.
How can a code be impossible instead of merely banned?
When it is generated for one person. TaxAct emails a discount valid only for the intended recipient, and Truist mints a single-use promo code per visitor. Neither survives republishing.
Does every company have a referral code somewhere?
No. Kinsta and Semrush both state in writing that no coupon or exclusive discount exists to hand out.
Is it safer to just sign up direct?
Often, yes. You lose a bonus you probably were not eligible for anyway, and you avoid costing a stranger theirs.
Second opinions
What we found across every offer
Every one of these is read from the company’s own document and dated. See all 59 questions we have answered.