What is a Promo Code?
PDFS February 5, 2016
You have seen them everywhere from websites to television ads. You have heard them on the radio, promo codes are everywhere, they are unavoidable. For the purpose of this article, we will be referring to Daily Fantasy Sports Promo Codes but the info here can really apply to any industry or service. Basically, a promo code is just a word or number for a user or player to enter into a specified field on a website, usually when signing up or depositing money. Upon using a specific code, you the player are usually rewarded with some sort of bonus or promotion.
Why Do DFS Companies Release Promo Codes?
Really there can be many reasons why bonus codes are distributed to the masses but we will list the main reasons why you will see an advertised promo code for use:
- As a Special Promotion – sometimes companies just want to give back to the player or customers. This can be due to slow periods during the year where they are trying to get some traffic or simply as a customer appreciation deal.
- Deposit Bonus – this especially applies to DFS. Almost all sites have a bonus code that gives you extra cash when you deposit, for instance, at FanPicks.com use our code “FANCASH” and you get a 110% bonus up to $1050 plus a $25 voucher to be used in contests. They do this simply to give you an added incentive to sign-up and play at their site. Almost all Daily Fantasy Sports sites have a 1st-time deposit bonus to stay competitive with one another.
- Marketing Tracking – large companies can spend millions on advertising whether it be print, online or television. In order to see how effective their ads have been, they will use a promo code so they can accurately track how many sign-ups or sales came directly from that advertising campaign.
- Affiliate Tracking – when companies partner with affiliates they want to know if their partnership is of value to them. So they will issue promo codes to affiliates in order to once again track how many people are sent to their site from each specific affiliate.
- Holidays/Events – this kind of ties into special promotions but it’s a well-known fact that people tend to spend more money on holidays. So to cash in on this trend companies will issue special holiday codes or event promotions when the wallets are more likely to be open. Cyber Monday is a perfect example of this phenomenon online.
Should You Use Promo Codes?
Now you might think this answer is biased but it’s an easy yes. Especially when talking about DFS, why wouldn’t you want to use a promo code when signing up and depositing to receive extra cash? It’s a no-brainer. It would be like walking into any store and turning down $20 to spend on your purchases. Now obviously we are taught nothing in this world is free, there’s gotta be some strings attached? Yes and no. For most deposit bonus promotions, there are usually stipulations that are involved. The majority of daily fantasy sites release the bonus over a period of time, so for every contest you play a percent of the bonus gets released into your account. This is to prevent players from simply signing up getting their bonus and cashing it out without ever playing a contest. These are really standard rules across the DFS industry. Having said all that, not every promo code comes with stipulations or caveats. For example, holiday events or customer appreciation days usually give you codes that will get you exactly what’s advertised no strings attached. In the end, it’s up to you to read the details (check for fine print) so you can be informed about what exactly is in it for you.