What if your computer could find discount codes for you automatically without you searching, copying, or trying code after code that doesn’t work?
That is exactly what the Honey app does. Honey is a free tool that sits quietly in your web browser. When you reach the checkout page of an online store, Honey wakes up, searches for every available coupon code for that store, tries them all automatically, and applies the one that saves you the most money. All of this happens in about 10 seconds while you wait.
Millions of people use Honey every day. It is one of the most popular money-saving tools online. And the best part is it is completely free.
This guide explains exactly how Honey works, how to install it in under three minutes, and how to get even more savings by using Honey together with TheDiscountEmpire coupon codes. Written in simple language so anyone can follow along.
Table of Contents
What Is the Honey App?
Honey is a browser extension. A browser extension is a small tool you add to your internet browser like Google Chrome, Firefox, or Safari. Once you add it, it works in the background without you doing anything.
Honey was created to solve a very annoying problem. That problem is this:
• You want to save money when you shop online
• You know discount codes exist but finding them is slow and frustrating
• You try codes you find on random websites and most of them don’t work
• You waste 10 minutes and end up buying at full price anyway
Honey fixes this. Instead of you searching for codes, Honey does it for you. It knows about coupon codes for thousands of online stores. When you are ready to pay, Honey tests all the codes it has for that store one by one until it finds the best one. Then it applies it to your order automatically.
Is Honey Free? Is It Safe?
Yes – Honey is completely free
You do not pay anything to use Honey. No monthly fee. No trial period. No hidden charges. Honey is free for everyone who uses it.
How does Honey make money then? Honey earns a small fee from retailers when you buy something after using a Honey code. The retailer pays Honey, not you. You get the savings for free.
Is Honey safe to use?
Honey is owned by PayPal one of the biggest and most trusted payment companies in the world. Honey does not access your passwords, your bank details, or your payment information.
However, it is worth knowing that Honey does collect some data about what you browse and buy this helps it find better codes. If you are careful about privacy, this is worth being aware of. But for most shoppers, Honey is safe and trustworthy.
Good to know:
Honey works on Google Chrome, Firefox, Safari, Microsoft Edge, and Opera. It does NOT work on phones as a browser extension, but Honey has an iPhone and Android app for mobile shopping too.
How to Install Honey in 3 Minutes
Installing Honey is very easy. Here is exactly what to do:
1. Open your browser. Go to Google Chrome, Firefox, Safari, or Edge whichever browser you use.
2. Go to the Honey website. Type joinhoney.com into your browser address bar and press Enter.
3. Click ‘Add to Chrome’ (or your browser name). There will be a big button on the page. Click it.
4. Confirm the installation. A small popup will appear asking if you want to add the extension. Click ‘Add extension’. That’s it.
5. Create a free account (optional but recommended). Creating an account lets Honey save your earnings (called Honey Gold) and remember your shopping history. It takes about one minute.
After installation, you will see a small orange Honey icon appear in the top right corner of your browser. That means Honey is installed and ready to go.
How Honey Works at Checkout – Step by Step
Here is exactly what happens when you use Honey while shopping online:
6. You shop as normal. Browse any online store, add items to your cart, and proceed to checkout.
7. Honey detects the checkout page. As soon as you reach the payment page, Honey notices, and a small popup usually appears at the bottom or top of your screen saying something like ‘Honey found codes for this store.’
8. Click ‘Apply Codes’. Click the button on the Honey popup. Honey will now automatically try every code it has for that store.
9. Wait about 10 seconds. You will see a little animation as Honey tests each code. It goes through them quickly.
10. Honey shows you the result. If Honey finds a working code, it tells you how much you saved, for example, ‘Honey saved you $8.40!’ If no code worked, it tells you that too, so you know it tried.
11. Complete your purchase. The best code is already applied to your order. Just finish paying as normal.
What if Honey finds no codes?
Sometimes Honey will tell you ‘No codes found for this store.’ This does not mean no codes exist it just means Honey does not have any in its database right now. This is when TheDiscountEmpire is especially useful. Check there for a code Honey might have missed.
All the Ways Honey Saves You Money
Honey does more than just find coupon codes. Here are all the features it has in 2026:
1. Automatic Coupon Code Testing
The main feature. Honey tests all available coupon codes at checkout and applies the best one automatically. Works on thousands of stores worldwide, including Amazon, ASOS, Nike, eBay, and many more.
2. Honey Gold – Cashback Rewards
When you shop at certain stores through Honey, you earn Honey Gold points. You collect these points over time and then redeem them for gift cards from Amazon, PayPal, Target, Walmart, and others. It is like getting cashback, but in points form.
3. Price History Tracker – Droplist
Honey can watch the price of a product for you. Add an item to your Droplist and Honey sends you an email when the price drops. Great for big purchases like electronics or furniture where you want to buy at the lowest point.
4. Amazon Price History
On Amazon product pages, Honey shows you a small graph of how the price has changed over the last few months. This helps you spot if a ‘deal’ is actually a real low price or if the item is normally cheaper.
5. Honey Smart Shopping
On some products, Honey checks other retailers to see if the same item is cheaper elsewhere. It shows you the comparison right on the page so you don’t have to search manually.
How Much Can Honey Save You? Real Numbers
This is the question everyone wants answered. The truth is – it depends on how much you shop and which stores you use. But here are some honest estimates:
| Type of shopper | Monthly online spend | Avg Honey saving | Yearly saving |
| Occasional shopper | $100/month | 5%–8% | $60–$96/year |
| Regular shopper | $200/month | 8%–12% | $192–$288/year |
| Frequent shopper | $400/month | 8%–12% | $384–$576/year |
| Heavy shopper | $700/month | 8%–15% | $672–$1,260/year |
These estimates include coupon savings AND Honey Gold rewards. They assume Honey finds a working code on roughly 60% of orders – which matches what most regular users experience.
Honey App vs TheDiscountEmpire – Do You Need Both?
This is a great question. Honey is automatic and easy. TheDiscountEmpire has verified, up-to-date codes. Are they the same thing?
No – they are different, and they work best together. Here is why:
| Honey | TheDiscountEmpire | |
| How it works | Automatic – tests codes at checkout | Manual – you search and copy the code |
| Code freshness | Updates regularly but can lag behind new codes | Codes are verified and updated daily |
| Coverage | Thousands of stores in its database | Hundreds of stores with tested codes |
| Exclusive codes | May miss store-specific or exclusive codes | Often has codes Honey does not have |
| Extra features | Price tracker, Honey Gold, price history | Coupon codes focused – clean and simple |
| Best use | Use as your first automatic line of defence | Check after Honey for codes it missed |
The smartest approach: let Honey run first at checkout. If Honey finds a code and saves you money, great. Then quickly check TheDiscountEmpire to see if there is an even better code Honey didn’t have. In many cases, TheDiscountEmpire has codes that are more recent or store-exclusive codes that Honey simply hasn’t indexed yet.
How to Get Even More From Honey – 6 Tips
Tip 1 – Always let Honey run before you manually enter a code
Let Honey test its codes first. If Honey applies a code, check if the code it used is the best one available sometimes a code on TheDiscountEmpire gives a bigger discount than what Honey found.
Tip 2 – Use the Droplist for expensive items
Before buying anything over $50, add it to your Honey Droplist. Wait a few weeks. You might get an email saying the price dropped 15% – and then you buy it at the lower price plus a coupon code on top.
Tip 3 – Check the Amazon price history before buying
Every time you are on an Amazon product page, look at the Honey price history graph. If the current price is at its lowest point in the last few months, it is a good time to buy. If the price was lower recently, consider waiting.
Tip 4 – Collect Honey Gold points consistently
Even small purchases earn Honey Gold at eligible stores. Let the points build up over a few months and then redeem them for a gift card. It feels like free money because by the time you redeem, you have forgotten about all the little amounts that added up.
Tip 5 – Check Honey’s ‘Stores’ page before you shop
Honey has a page that lists which stores currently have the best deals and highest Honey Gold rates. Before a big shopping session, visit this page first and prioritise stores with the highest rewards that week.
Tip 6 – Use Honey on mobile with the app
The Honey browser extension only works on computers. But if you shop on your phone, download the Honey app from the App Store or Google Play. It has fewer features than the desktop extension but still finds and applies codes on mobile checkouts.
The Complete Money – Saving Routine With Honey in 2026
Here is the simple routine to follow every time you shop online in 2026. It takes under 3 minutes and consistently saves 15% to 30% on most orders:
Before you visit any store, check TheDiscountEmpire. Search the store name. Copy any available code. Keep it handy.
Activate your cashback app. Open Rakuten or TopCashback and click through to the store from inside the app.
Shop normally and add items to your cart. No change to how you browse or choose products.
At checkout, click Apply Codes in the Honey popup. Let Honey test all its codes first. See what it finds.
If Honey found a code, compare it to your TheDiscountEmpire code. Apply whichever gives the bigger saving. Sometimes TheDiscountEmpire has a better one.
If Honey found nothing, apply your TheDiscountEmpire code manually. Paste it into the promo code box and click Apply.
Pay with a rewards card. The last saving layer. 1%–3% back on everything with no extra steps.
Final Thoughts – Install Honey Today and Save From Your Very Next Purchase
Honey is one of the best free tools an online shopper can have. It is easy to install, easy to use, and it runs automatically so you don’t have to think about it. Every time you shop, it tries to save you money without you doing anything extra.
But Honey is not perfect. It misses codes sometimes. It does not have every store. And its cashback rates (Honey Gold) are lower than dedicated cashback apps like Rakuten.
That is why the best approach is to use Honey as your automatic first layer and then back it up with TheDiscountEmpire for codes Honey missed, and Rakuten or TopCashback for better cashback rates. Together, these three tools cover almost every saving available online.
Start today: install Honey in 3 minutes, sign up for a free Rakuten account, and bookmark TheDiscountEmpire. Do those three things and you will save money on your very next online purchase.
FAQs
Does Honey work on Amazon?
Yes. Honey works on Amazon and also shows price history graphs on Amazon product pages. For Amazon, Honey clips available coupons and applies the best code it can find. It also shows you if the price has been lower recently.
Can Honey see my payment details?
No. Honey does not see your credit card numbers, bank details, or passwords. It only looks at the checkout page to find where to apply a code.
What if Honey applies a bad code?
Honey always shows you the result after it runs, including how much it saved. If you think the code is not the best one available, you can remove it and manually enter a different code. You are always in control.
Does Honey work outside the US?
Yes. Honey works in the UK, Canada, Australia, and many other countries. However, it has more store coverage in the US than elsewhere. UK shoppers may find some stores are not covered, which is exactly when TheDiscountEmpire and TopCashback fill the gap.
Is Honey better than other browser extensions?
Honey is the most widely used coupon extension and has a very large code database. Capital One Shopping is a strong alternative with better privacy practices. Our best browser extensions guide compares all the top options side by side if you want to choose between them.
Pingback:Best Deal Alert Apps & Sites In 2026 - Save More Every Time