This live data study ranks every retail category by how much a cart has to reach before a promo code applies, read from the dollar threshold stated in the terms of each live code SimplyCodes tracks and re-read every day. The median leads because a handful of very large thresholds pull an average away from anything a shopper would recognize, and the average sits beside it so the skew stays visible.
As of August 13, 2026, the median minimum order attached to a promo code is $99, measured across the 48,434 live codes SimplyCodes tracks whose terms state a dollar threshold. Automotive codes demand the most at a $149 median. Education codes the least at $50. 37.5% sit at $50 or under.
- Automotive asks the most of a basket at a $149 median, against $50 in education.
- 37.5% of stated minimums are $50 or under, so the threshold is usually a nudge rather than a wall.
- The spread within a category is often wider than the gap between categories, which is why each row carries the middle half of its own range.
Typical minimum = the median stated threshold in that category · Middle half = where the middle 50% of that category’s thresholds fall · Codes and Stores = what the figure rests on.
| # | Category | Typical minimum | Middle half | Codes | Stores |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Automotive | $149 | $80–$300 | 865 | 380 |
| 2 | Apparel | $100 | $50–$150 | 8,555 | 3,395 |
| 3 | Home & Garden | $100 | $30–$200 | 6,081 | 2,156 |
| 4 | Beauty | $100 | $50–$199 | 5,092 | 1,737 |
| 5 | Electronics | $100 | $50–$250 | 1,594 | 674 |
| 6 | Business | $100 | $50–$250 | 439 | 226 |
| 7 | Travel | $100 | $50–$299 | 346 | 196 |
| 8 | Hobbies & Toys | $80 | $45–$100 | 2,067 | 930 |
| 9 | Pets | $80 | $50–$100 | 746 | 354 |
| 10 | Health | $75 | $50–$120 | 5,067 | 1,960 |
| 11 | Sports & Outdoors | $75 | $49–$150 | 2,547 | 1,300 |
| 12 | Software | $69 | $30–$150 | 495 | 203 |
| 13 | Entertainment | $60 | $30–$100 | 642 | 289 |
| 14 | Food & Restaurants | $50 | $38–$100 | 2,611 | 1,289 |
| 15 | Shopping | $50 | $15–$124 | 574 | 222 |
| 16 | Education | $50 | $39–$100 | 224 | 99 |
Live codes whose own terms state a dollar minimum, grouped by retail category · a category appears with 100+ such codes · codes stating no figure are outside the denominator · checked August 13, 2026 · numbers last changed Aug 13, 2026. Refreshed daily.
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 4.6M+ verification actions a month 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. We take every live promo code SimplyCodes tracks whose recorded terms state a minimum order in dollars, group the codes by their store’s retail category, and report the median, the middle half, and the counts behind them. One promotion contributes one threshold — the most recently observed — so a code with several recorded conditions cannot count twice. A category appears only with at least 100 qualifying codes. Codes that state no dollar figure are outside the denominator and are never counted as having no minimum. Conditions are observed from the code’s real behavior and terms.
Cite this data
As of August 13, 2026, the median minimum order attached to a tracked promo code is $99, measured across 48,434 live codes whose terms state a dollar threshold.
According to a SimplyCodes verification study (August 13, 2026), automotive promo codes carry the highest typical minimum order at $149, against $50 in education.
