A code adds either books to your account or extra free days to a trial that has not started yet. Gift codes and promotion codes both go in the same box, so you do not need to know which kind you have.
Where to enter it
You need to be signed in, because the books go into your account. If you were given a code and do not have an account yet, set one up first; a gift code lasts a year, so there is no rush. Then go to any of these:
- Settings > "Use a code"
- Plan and books > "Codes, gifts and friends" > "Use a code"
- Use a code directly
Step by step
- Open Use a code.
- Type the code into "Your code". As the hint says: "The code has eight characters, and dashes, spaces and capital letters do not matter."
- Press "Use the code".
- Read the message that appears, then use "Back to your dashboard".
What each kind of code does
Books. The books go into your account straight away and do not expire. The message reads, for example, "10 books added", and the books show in the "Extra books" figure on Plan and books. In "History", books from a gift appear as "Books from a gift" and books from a promotion code as "Books given". They are used like any extra books, after your monthly books.
If the person who bought a gift wrote a message, it appears under "They wrote:" when you use the code. It is shown to you on this page, and never to your child.
Extra trial days. These only work before your free trial has started, because they are added when it starts. The message says how many days you gained and how long your trial will now last, and the button that starts your trial shows the new number of days. Codes like this can add up, to at most 730 days in all. They add days, not books: the trial still has 2 books. How the free trial works explains the trial itself.
Messages you might see
| Message | What it means |
|---|---|
| "That code does not look right, so please check it." | What you typed is not eight characters of the kind a code uses. |
| "That code does not work, so please check it and try again." | The code is not one we recognise, has already been used, has been stopped, or has run out. |
| "You have already used that code." | Your family has used this promotion code before. |
| "That code adds free days to a trial that has not started yet, but a trial or a plan has already started on this account, so it cannot be used here." | Trial days cannot be added once your trial or a plan has begun. |
| "Your free trial already has as many extra days as it can hold, so that code cannot add any more." | Your codes already take the trial to its longest. |
| "That gift has expired, but if you get in touch, we will sort it out." | The gift code is more than a year old. |
| "That is a few tries in a row, so please wait a little and then try again." | Each account can make 10 tries an hour, whether or not they work. |
Once only
A promotion code can be used once by each family. A gift code can be used once in all, by whichever family enters it first.
The message about an expired gift only shows for up to a day after the year is up. After that, an expired gift code gets "That code does not work, so please check it and try again." like any other. If you are sure a gift code is right and it has stopped working, it may have passed its year, so write to us and a person will look at it.
If a code does not do what you expected, write to us from Help in your dashboard and choose "A payment, a plan or a refund".