This live data study counts the promo codes on SimplyCodes locked to a retailer's own mobile app rather than its website, and ranks the shopping categories where that restriction concentrates. The conditions are read from the codes themselves and recomputed daily.
Because the retailer attached the code to its own mobile app: the offer is a reason to install and sign in, so it is not honoured on the website. As of September 23, 2026, SimplyCodes tracks 3,931 promo codes whose recorded terms limit them to a retailer’s app, across 1,590 retailers. They concentrate in food & restaurants, where 266 of 7,813 tracked retailers — 3.40% — run at least one.
- Food & Restaurants leads at 3.40% of its retailers, roughly 2.4× the rate in apparel.
- App-only codes remain a small share of everything on offer — 3,931 codes across 1,590 retailers.
- If a code fails on the website, the app is worth trying before writing the code off: the rule is about where you paste it, not whether it still works.
Share of retailers = the share of that category’s tracked retailers running at least one app-only code · Retailers = how many run one · Tracked = the category’s full retailer count, the stated denominator · Codes = app-only codes in the category.
| # | Category | Share of retailers | Retailers | Tracked | Codes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Food & Restaurants | 3.40% | 266 | 7,813 | 791 |
| 2 | Shopping | 3.39% | 62 | 1,828 | 281 |
| 3 | Travel | 2.77% | 97 | 3,497 | 281 |
| 4 | Apparel | 1.40% | 335 | 23,965 | 914 |
| 5 | Entertainment | 1.12% | 54 | 4,815 | 119 |
| 6 | Software | 0.76% | 45 | 5,902 | 66 |
| 7 | Education | 0.60% | 10 | 1,653 | 12 |
| 8 | Beauty | 0.59% | 58 | 9,891 | 105 |
| 9 | Electronics | 0.56% | 29 | 5,134 | 63 |
| 10 | Health | 0.56% | 75 | 13,511 | 107 |
| 11 | Hobbies & Toys | 0.48% | 32 | 6,665 | 68 |
| 12 | Artificial Intelligence | 0.44% | 10 | 2,275 | 11 |
| 13 | Sports & Outdoors | 0.41% | 33 | 8,024 | 65 |
| 14 | Pets | 0.35% | 10 | 2,854 | 16 |
| 15 | Business | 0.34% | 7 | 2,087 | 10 |
| 16 | Automotive | 0.33% | 10 | 3,040 | 11 |
| 17 | Home & Garden | 0.30% | 45 | 14,859 | 98 |
Retail categories ranked by the share of their retailers running an app-only code · a category appears with at least 5 such retailers · financial-services and crypto groupings are screened out · checked September 23, 2026 · numbers last changed Sep 23, 2026. Refreshed daily.
Frequently asked questions
Why do some promo codes only work in the app?
How does SimplyCodes measure app-only promo codes?
How often is SimplyCodes' data on app-only promo codes 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. We count the tracked promo codes carrying a recorded app-only condition, group their retailers by retail category, and report the share of each category’s tracked retailers running at least one. The denominator is stated in its own column so the share can be checked rather than taken on trust. A category appears with at least 5 qualifying retailers. Conditions are observed from the code’s real behavior and terms, with evidence references. These counts cover every code SimplyCodes tracks with that term recorded, not only codes verified working today: a code can keep a recorded condition long after it stops working.
Cite this data
As of September 23, 2026, SimplyCodes tracks 3,931 promo codes whose recorded terms limit them to a retailer’s mobile app, across 1,590 retailers.
According to a SimplyCodes verification study (September 23, 2026), app-only promo codes concentrate in food & restaurants, where 3.40% of tracked retailers run at least one.
