How do I get a valid promo code?

Save money when shopping online in the U.S. through the use of promotional coupon codes (also known as discount codes). There are a number of website resources out there that list US promo codes from major retailers. We’ve collected many of the top sites that feature promo codes below along with a brief description of each for good American coupons.

Many of these sites showcase deals from major retailers and will let users know if the coupons have been verified and how many times the promo code was used. This added value alleviates the time it takes for users to test the codes individually. 

You know the old saying: nothing ventured, nothing discounted. Or something like that.

If you buy a lot of stuff online, you've no doubt experienced the pang of longing that occurs when faced with a Discount/Promotion Code box on an e-tailer's checkout page. If only you had a code, maybe you'd save a few bucks. Or even score free shipping.

Before you click Submit Order, it pays to spend a few minutes code-searching. There might just be one out there waiting for you to copy and paste.

Screenshot by Rick Broida/CNET

For example, I recently ordered a bunch of household water filters from Filters-now.com. (Seriously, I buy everything online.) When I got to the checkout page, sure enough, there was the Promo Code box.

So I did what I always do: I opened a new tab, ran a quick Google search ("Filters-now code"), and looked for options from the various code-aggregating sites that appeared in the results: CouponCabin, Dealspl.us, RetailMeNot and so on.

Sure enough, I found a 10-percent-off coupon -- and it worked! My 60 seconds of searching saved me a total of $8.36 -- not a fortune, but certainly worth the effort.

Don't feel like putting in the effort? Consider a browser plug-in that will do the heavy lifting for you. Coupons at Checkout, CouponSumo and Honey will automatically search for and apply codes for whatever store you're currently shopping.

Enlarge Image

Screenshot by Rick Broida/CNET

Now, caveat search-or: This kind of code wrangling doesn't always pay off. Sometimes my searches come up empty, or the codes I find don't work. Likewise, an automated tool like Honey doesn't always score. On the flip-side, if it finds a lot of codes for any given store, your checkout might be delayed while it tries them all.

But you know the old saw: nothing ventured, nothing discounted. It never hurts to try. A few extra minutes might just save you a few bucks -- and maybe even more than a few. Give it a whirl the next time you buy.

And if you've scored a particularly awesome code, hit the comments and tell me how much you saved!