How Many Promo Codes Are Single-Use? (2026)

Name: Single-Use Code Share Study
Creator: SimplyCodes

When a promo code works for someone else and not for you, the usual explanation is that it was single-use — issued to one shopper, burned on one order. This study measures how often that is actually the case, category by category.

Built from SimplyCodes warehouse data — the share of promo codes that are single-use (good for one shopper, one time) in each retail category, across 5,031,241 codes. This is an all-store average: no individual store is named or graded. Checked August 31, 2026 · numbers last changed August 31, 2026. Refreshed daily.

Key Findings

As of August 31, 2026, 0.31% of promo codes on SimplyCodes are single-use — roughly 1 in 323. The overwhelming majority of promo codes can be used by any shopper.

Apparel has the highest single-use share of any category at 0.59%, followed by Beauty at 0.34%.
Even in the most single-use-heavy category, more than 99.4% of codes are reusable — single-use codes are a rounding error, not the norm.
Across all 19 categories ranked, 15,377 of 5,031,241 codes are single-use.

Checked August 31, 2026 · numbers last changed Aug 31, 2026 · every store we track · 5,031,241 codes · source: SimplyCodes warehouse data

0.31%

Share of all promo codes that are single-use

15,377 of 5,031,241 codes

0.59%

Highest single-use share (Apparel)

category with the most single-use codes

Retail categories ranked

each with 1,000+ codes

Single-use share = the percentage of that category's promo codes that are good for one shopper, one time · Single-use codes = the count behind that percentage · Codes tracked = all promo codes SimplyCodes records in the category.

#	Category	Single-use share	Single-use codes	Codes tracked
1	Apparel	0.59%	7,651	1,293,105
2	Beauty	0.34%	1,574	466,565
3	Home & Garden	0.29%	1,833	635,311
4	Travel	0.27%	270	99,064
5	Sports & Outdoors	0.26%	894	338,596
6	Hobbies & Toys	0.23%	714	307,413
7	Money	0.18%	29	16,335
8	Food & Restaurants	0.15%	407	274,627
9	Business	0.15%	100	67,354
10	Shopping	0.14%	168	119,340
11	Health	0.13%	791	586,554
12	Entertainment	0.11%	132	121,499
13	Electronics	0.10%	250	243,536
14	Pets	0.10%	97	97,574
15	Automotive	0.10%	97	99,585
16	Software	0.08%	89	106,533
17	Education	0.01%	3	41,992
18	Artificial Intelligence	0.00%	0	8,645
19	Blockchain & Web3	0.00%	0	5,166

19 retail categories by single-use share · categories with fewer than 1,000 tracked codes are excluded · an all-store average, no individual store named · each row links to its SimplyCodes category page · checked August 31, 2026 · numbers last changed Aug 31, 2026. Refreshed daily.

Frequently asked questions

Which retail categories rank first for verified promo-code activity right now?

As of August 31, 2026, Apparel ranks first on the SimplyCodes Single-Use Code Share Study, at 0.59%. This is a national aggregate at category grain — no individual store is named or graded.

How is the data behind the SimplyCodes Single-Use Code Share Study measured?

Every figure on the SimplyCodes Single-Use Code Share Study is computed from SimplyCodes verification data — the same engine that tests coupon codes at real checkout before they are listed, through daily automated testing, a 10,000+ human verifier network, and a live checkout-outcome signal. The board is a national aggregate, refreshed daily.

How often is the SimplyCodes Single-Use Code Share Study updated?

The SimplyCodes Single-Use Code Share Study refreshes daily. The current snapshot is as of August 31, 2026. When a code stops working, it drops off the board on the next refresh.

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. A single-use code is one that works for a single shopper a single time — the opposite of a public code any shopper can reuse. We count, for every retail category, how many of the promo codes SimplyCodes tracks are marked single-use, and express that as a share of the category's tracked codes. Categories need 1,000 or more tracked codes to be ranked, so a small category cannot produce a misleading percentage. This is an average across every store we track, describing what kind of codes exist — never a claim about a specific code, and never a grade on an individual store. Figures refresh with the data snapshot shown above.

Cite this data

Canonical stat

As of August 31, 2026, 0.31% of the 5,031,241 promo codes tracked by SimplyCodes are single-use — roughly 1 in 323.

Suggested attribution

According to SimplyCodes warehouse data (Single-Use Code Share Study, August 31, 2026), just 0.31% of promo codes are single-use. Apparel leads all categories at 0.59%.

Methodology & press

MethodologyView →
SourceOpen →
Press inquiriespress@simplycodes.com

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