What happens after you pay

Most orders are delivered quickly after payment confirmation. Between pressing the pay button and seeing your code there are a few steps, and knowing what they are makes it easier to tell whether an order is simply in progress or needs attention. Here is the whole sequence.

1. Your payment is confirmed

If you pay by card, you complete the payment on our payment provider's secure hosted page, and your bank may ask you to approve it with 3-D Secure. Your order is created before you are sent there, so there is always a record of it, and it is only marked as paid once the payment provider confirms the money has been received.

A payment that is still being processed, or one that has been started but not finished, does not count. We never release a code against a payment that has not been confirmed.

If you pay with points, the points are taken from your account and the order is confirmed in the same step, with no payment page involved.

2. We obtain your code

Once payment is confirmed, we order your code from our supplier. Inventory is sourced from verified wholesale suppliers, and each code is obtained for your order specifically. This usually takes moments.

3. Your code appears

You are taken back to an order confirmation page that shows your order reference. Codes appear on that page as they arrive, without you needing to refresh it. Each code is masked until you choose to reveal it, and there is a button to copy it.

Your codes are delivered exclusively via email and your account dashboard:

• By email, to the address you entered at checkout. Check your spam or promotions folder if it has not arrived.
• In your account, under Account, then Orders, if you were signed in when you ordered.

You can close the confirmation page at any time. Delivery carries on without it.

If you ordered several copies

If you bought more than one copy of a product, we show that product's codes once all of them are ready, rather than one at a time. That way you are never left with a partial order that looks complete. Each code is listed separately, both on the page and in the email.

If it takes longer

Occasionally a code takes longer to arrive, for example when the supplier needs extra time to complete an order. If the confirmation page says your order is still processing, there is nothing you need to do. We keep checking automatically, and your codes will be emailed to you and appear in your account as soon as they are ready.

If a product cannot be delivered

Very occasionally, a product cannot be supplied after payment, for example because it sold out in the moment between your payment and our order. When that happens, the confirmation page tells you which product could not be delivered, rather than leaving you waiting.

• If you paid with points, the points for that product are returned to your account automatically. You will see the refund in your points history.
• If you paid by card, email support with your order reference and we will arrange the refund.

Keep your order reference

Your order reference is shown on the confirmation page and in your email. If you ever need to contact us about an order, it is the first thing we will ask for. If you checked out as a guest, the confirmation email is your record of the order, so it is worth keeping.

If a code has not arrived and the confirmation page no longer says it is processing, email [email protected] with your order reference. Our Delivery Policy has the formal details.