Most "what's a good coupon?" questions get a shrug — this one gets a number. The Average Discount by Category Index is a benchmark of the typical best coupon discount by retail category, computed as the national median of each store's deepest percent-off offer over a trailing 30 days, refreshed daily. In the June 17, 2026 edition, the national median sat at 20% off across 18 categories — with Artificial Intelligence tools leading at 25% off and Automotive trailing at 10% off. The board below carries the current edition's figures and its own as-of stamp.
As of September 4, 2026, the median best coupon across 19 retail categories on SimplyCodes is 15% off.
- The deepest-discount category is Money, where the typical store's best coupon is 25% off.
- Most categories cluster between 10% and 25% off; Automotive sits lowest at 10% off.
- Across every store SimplyCodes tracks, 51,254 stores carried a live discount on this date — a national aggregate at category grain, not any single store's rate.
Median best discount = national median of each store's deepest percent-off coupon over the trailing 30 days · Typical best value = the representative best percent-off for the category · # stores = sample size (≥ 30 required to be ranked).
| # | Category | Median best discount | Typical best value | # stores |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Money | 25% off | 25 | 163 |
| 2 | Software | 20% off | 20 | 719 |
| 3 | Education | 20% off | 20 | 344 |
| 4 | Artificial Intelligence | 20% off | 30 | 194 |
| 5 | Blockchain & Web3 | 20% off | 21 | 54 |
| 6 | Apparel | 15% off | 15 | 12,995 |
| 7 | Home & Garden | 15% off | 15 | 6,872 |
| 8 | Health | 15% off | 15 | 6,767 |
| 9 | Beauty | 15% off | 15 | 5,727 |
| 10 | Food & Restaurants | 15% off | 15 | 3,506 |
| 11 | Sports & Outdoors | 15% off | 15 | 3,278 |
| 12 | Hobbies & Toys | 15% off | 15 | 3,216 |
| 13 | Electronics | 15% off | 15 | 1,942 |
| 14 | Pets | 15% off | 15 | 1,488 |
| 15 | Entertainment | 15% off | 15 | 901 |
| 16 | Business | 15% off | 15 | 717 |
| 17 | Shopping | 15% off | 15 | 672 |
| 18 | Travel | 15% off | 15 | 662 |
| 19 | Automotive | 10% off | 10 | 1,037 |
19 categories · 51,254 stores with a live discount · national aggregate at category grain · checked September 4, 2026 · numbers last changed Sep 4, 2026 · each row links to its SimplyCodes category page.
Frequently asked questions
Which retail categories rank first for verified promo-code activity right now?
How is the data behind the SimplyCodes Average Discount by Category benchmark measured?
How often is the SimplyCodes Average Discount by Category benchmark updated?
Methodology
How SimplyCodes verifies codes. Behind every figure in this live data study is the SimplyCodes verification system. Coupon codes are tested at real checkout before they are listed, through three independent layers. Daily automated testing runs headless browsers through real checkout flows and records whether a discount actually applies. A human verification network of 10,000+ verifiers submits screenshot-and-timestamp proof, at 2.3M+ monthly code verifications and 98% accuracy. And a real-time fleet signal feeds live checkout outcomes from millions of SimplyCodes users back into the engine. Each code carries a Health Score from 0–100, weighted by checkout outcomes, verifier consensus, and recency. With an estimated 40–60% of coupon codes on the public web dead, restricted, or fake, the system exists so a code earns its place by working at checkout, not by being collected.
How this study is built. National median, not average. For each retail category we take the national median of every store's deepest percent-off coupon over the trailing 30 days, require at least 30 stores per category (the K-floor), and rank categories by that median. The headline figure is the median across all qualifying stores. Numbers are an honest national aggregate at category grain — never a single retailer's rate, and never a claim that any specific code works at checkout. The figure refreshes daily and is stamped with the latest available report date.
Cite this data
As of September 4, 2026, the national median best coupon across 19 retail categories on SimplyCodes is 15% off, measured over 51,254 stores with a live discount.
According to a 2026 SimplyCodes Average Discount by Category Index, the national median best coupon across 19 retail categories is 15% off. The deepest category is Money at 25% off.
