First-order and sign-up discounts: the easiest 10-20% you'll ever get

Before you buy from a store online for the first time, there's a discount sitting in plain sight that most beginners walk right past. Sign up for the store's email or text list and you'll very often get a welcome code — commonly 10% to 20% off your first order, sometimes free shipping. It costs nothing but a minute and an email address. This is the single easiest saving in all of shopping.

How the welcome discount works

Stores want your email or phone number because it lets them market to you cheaply for years. That contact info is worth more to them than a one-time discount, so they trade a code for it. When you land on a store's site, that little pop-up asking for your email ('Get 15% off your first order!') is the offer. Enter your email, and the code arrives in your inbox within minutes.

The clean way to do it

1. 1
   Make a shopping-only email

   Create one free email address you use exclusively for store signups. Every welcome code and future sale lands there, and your real inbox stays clean.

2. 2
   Sign up before you fill your cart

   When the pop-up appears, enter your shopping email. If there's no pop-up, scroll to the very bottom of the page — the email signup box is almost always in the footer.

3. 3
   Grab the code

   Check your shopping email for the welcome message. Copy the code (often something like WELCOME15).

4. 4
   Apply it at checkout

   Paste it into the 'promo code' or 'discount code' box before you pay. Confirm the total actually dropped before completing the order.

Squeezing a little more out of it

• No pop-up? Check the footer of the homepage for a 'sign up and save' box.
• Missing your code? Some arrive a few minutes late or land in spam — search your shopping inbox for the store's name.
• Already subscribed with your main email? A brand-new email address often re-qualifies you as a 'new' subscriber for a fresh welcome offer.
• Combine with a cashback app or portal for a second layer of savings on the same order.

The bottom line

The welcome discount is a store paying you a small amount for your email or phone number. Set up a dedicated shopping email, sign up before you check out, and paste the code in. Just don't let the discount talk you into buying something you didn't come for.