How PriceDetective Works
Transparency matters to us. Here's exactly how we find deals, verify them, and how we fund the platform.
How We Make Money
PriceDetective is 100% free to use. We never charge visitors. Our revenue comes from affiliate commissions:
Affiliate Commissions
When you click a deal link and buy from the retailer, the retailer pays us a small commission (typically 1-8% of the sale). This never increases your price — you pay exactly the same as visiting the retailer directly.
Our Affiliate Partners
We work with established UK affiliate networks: Awin, CJ Affiliate, Impact, Skimlinks, Amazon Associates, eBay Partner Network, and TradeTracker. All are regulated and transparent.
Independence pledge: Our deal rankings are based on discount percentage, community votes, and recency — never on commission rates. We show deals from retailers regardless of whether we earn commission from them. See our full Affiliate Disclosure.
How We Find & Curate Deals
Aggregate from 950+ Retailers
We pull deals, voucher codes, and product prices from over 950 UK retailers via trusted affiliate network APIs. Data is synced multiple times daily.
Filter & Validate
Incoming deals pass through our content filter which blocks gambling, adult, and non-UK content. We verify discount claims against original prices and reject deals that don't offer genuine savings (minimum 10% discount for products).
Community Verification
Our community of deal hunters votes deals hot or cold. The "temperature" score helps surface the best offers and flag weak deals. High-temperature deals are promoted; low-rated ones sink.
Expiry & Cleanup
Expired deals and voucher codes are automatically removed weekly. We don't keep dead links around — if a deal is over, it's gone.
How We Verify Voucher Codes
Codes come directly from retailer affiliate feeds — the same source the retailers publish.
We track how often each code is successfully used and display the success rate on voucher pages.
Users report broken codes via our feedback system. Codes with multiple reports are reviewed and removed.
Our editorial team regularly tests top voucher codes to confirm they work as advertised.
Price Comparison Methodology
For products listed on multiple retailers, we compare prices using GTIN (barcode) matching. This ensures we're comparing the exact same product across stores — not similar-looking items with different specs.
Product prices are updated daily from retailer feeds. We only display in-stock items and exclude second-hand or refurbished products from the main listing unless specifically filtered for.
Discount percentages shown on deal pages are calculated from the retailer's own RRP (recommended retail price) or previous selling price, as supplied in their product feed.
What We Don't Do
- We don't sell products — all purchases happen on the retailer's website
- We don't handle payments, deliveries, returns, or customer service
- We don't inflate prices through affiliate links
- We don't promote bad deals for higher commission
- We don't store your payment details
- We don't run gambling, adult, or predatory advertising
Frequently Asked Questions
Does clicking your links cost me anything extra?
No. You pay the same price as going directly to the retailer. Our commission comes from the retailer, not from you.
Why might a voucher code not work?
Voucher codes can expire early, have usage limits, or require minimum spend. We remove expired codes weekly, but occasionally a code may stop working between updates. Report broken codes using the feedback button on any voucher page.
How do you decide which deals to feature?
Deals are ranked by discount percentage, community temperature (hot/cold votes), and recency. Featured placements are clearly marked and don't affect organic deal rankings.
Can I trust the prices shown?
Prices come directly from retailer product feeds and are updated daily. However, prices can change quickly — always verify the final price on the retailer's website before purchasing.
Questions?
If anything is unclear or you want more detail about how we operate, we're happy to explain.
Contact Us