Polymarket Promo Code: What New Users Get on Polymarket US and International

No promo code is needed to join Polymarket, and we do not hold one. On Polymarket US, the CFTC-regulated app run by QCX LLC, the welcome campaign listed in Polymarket’s own docs from 16 October 2026 gives a new user a $25 promotional trading credit after a first deposit of at least $10 within 7 days of onboarding; a friend’s username used as a referral code also adds $25 for each of you. On Polymarket international (polymarket.com, crypto, settled in pUSD on Polygon) there is no sign-up bonus for new users at all: the only scheme is a referral programme that pays the person sharing the link 10% of net fees from direct referrals and 5% from indirect ones, after that person has traded $10,000 of their own volume.

This page explains both versions as of October 2026: what the codes advertised by media sites actually unlock, how to claim the US credit step by step, how the international referral link works, what you pay in fees, how deposits and withdrawals work in dollars and in crypto, which countries and states can use which version, and how Polymarket compares with Kalshi. Every figure comes from Polymarket’s documentation unless we name another source. We have no commercial deal with Polymarket or Kalshi, and nothing here is a recommendation to trade. It sits in our prediction markets section.

Polymarket promo code: the short answer (October 2026)

A “Polymarket promo code” you see on a sports or news website is usually that publisher’s own campaign link or code. Polymarket’s US docs say the deposit credit is tied to “the code or link used at onboarding”, or to whichever campaign is live when you onboard if you used none. So the amount depends on the campaign behind the link, and the default campaign still pays something without any code.

Why promo-code amounts differ from site to site

Search for the term and you will find different numbers on different pages. RotoWire’s article of 14 July 2026 advertised its own code for a “deposit $20, get $50” welcome offer. MassLive ran a $50 Polymarket code in May 2026. Covers, checked on 24 October 2026, listed its own code for “deposit $10, get $25”. These are publisher campaigns, not a single public Polymarket code, and older ones may have expired since the articles were written.

Polymarket US now publishes its incentive programmes openly. Its “User Incentive Programs” page lists Campaign A of the Deposit Incentive Program starting 16 October 2026: one $25 credit per new participant for a first deposit of at least $10 made within 7 days of onboarding, credited within 24 hours of the deposit being confirmed. That matches the $25 figure on current media pages, which suggests the $50 headlines from May and July belonged to earlier campaigns.

Our advice is simple. Ignore the size of the headline and read the terms shown in the app before you deposit. If a site promises a code that removes fees, doubles every deposit or pays cash you can withdraw at once, it is describing something Polymarket’s own docs do not offer.

How to claim the Polymarket US welcome credit, step by step

Polymarket US is app-based. Its help docs describe sign-up through the Polymarket US app, and the deposit methods depend on your phone (some are iPhone only). These steps follow the “Create an Account” and “Fund Your Account” pages on docs.polymarket.us.

1. Check that you are eligible. You need to live in a state where Polymarket US is available (see the state section below), be at least 18 and of the age of majority in your state, and have a Social Security number. The Participant Agreement (version 1.4, updated 6 August 2026) requires every user to be “at least 18 years of age”.
2. Use the link or code you want before you sign up. Referral codes must be applied during sign-up. If an invite link does not carry the code (for example because you declined app tracking), the docs say you can type the referrer’s username manually during onboarding. After onboarding, you cannot add one.
3. Create the account. Polymarket US signs you up with a Google or Apple ID and assigns a username, which you can change later under Settings.
4. Complete identity verification. Enter your date of birth, phone number (confirmed by text), legal name, home address and Social Security number. Most users pass automatically; some are asked for a government ID and a selfie. You cannot deposit or trade until KYC is complete.
5. Make a first deposit of at least $10 within 7 days. Debit card, ACH bank transfer, Apple Pay (iPhone), PayPal, Venmo, USDC (iPhone, where available) and wire ($5,000 minimum) are listed. Only the first deposit after onboarding counts for the welcome credit.
6. Wait for the credit. The deposit credit is applied within 24 hours after Polymarket US confirms the deposit qualifies. Referral credits arrive within 7 days of all steps being met and may be reviewed first.
7. Use the credit on trades. Promotional credit can open positions and pay fees, but it “may not be withdrawn as cash”. Any winnings that settle become ordinary collateral, which you can withdraw.

A worked example of the $25 credit

Say you deposit $10 and receive the $25 credit. Your buying power is $35. Suppose you buy 50 “Yes” contracts at $0.50 each in a market you have researched. At Polymarket US’s standard taker rate, the fee on that order is 0.0695 × 50 × 0.50 × 0.50, or about $0.87, so the order costs roughly $25.87. If the event happens, each contract settles at $1 and you receive $50, which is ordinary cash you can withdraw subject to the deposit-clearing rules. If it does not happen, the contracts settle at $0 and the credit is gone. Polymarket’s docs say your existing collateral is used first, so in practice part of your own $10 is spent before the credit.

Notice what the credit is not. It is not a “risk-free” trade, and it carries no rollover or wagering multiple like a casino bonus. It is simply extra collateral that cannot leave the account until it has been turned into settled positions.

Other live Polymarket US campaigns

The same docs page lists a “Deposit and Trading Incentive Program” for returning users. Campaigns A to H ran from 19 to 25 October 2026 and pay credits from $10 to $250 depending on the deposit and on when the user last traded (before 7 September 2026, or between 7 and 30 September). Campaigns L to O pay $10 to $250 for deposits of $50 to $1,000. Only fills priced between $0.10 and $0.90 count for any trading component, and credits are capped at $1,000 per participant per campaign and $2,000 across the programme. You qualify only for the campaign the app shows you, so these are not codes you can enter yourself.

How the Polymarket US refer-a-friend code works

Polymarket US calls this the Refer-A-Friend Incentive Program. Your referral code is simply your Polymarket US username, and your invite link sits on the Invite Friends screen in the app.

• Reward: $25 promotional credit for you and $25 for your friend per qualifying referral.
• What the friend must do: be new to Polymarket US, sign up with your code, finish onboarding and deposit at least $10.
• Limits: up to 50 referral bonuses per person; each new user can be referred only once, and only one bonus is paid per verified identity.
• Banned behaviour: self-referrals, referring accounts you control and multiple accounts. Polymarket US can withhold or claw back bonuses and suspend the account.
• Changes: the programme can be modified, paused or ended at any time.

If a friend already trades on Polymarket US, their username works as well as any media code, and both of you get the credit. If you use a publisher’s link instead, you receive whatever that campaign offers; the docs do not say that the two can be combined, so assume they cannot.

How the Polymarket international referral programme works

On polymarket.com the picture is different. There is no welcome credit for new users. The help-centre article “Referral Program” (published 24 June 2026) describes a fee-sharing scheme for the person who shares a link:

• Qualification: your own account needs at least $10,000 in lifetime trading volume before you earn anything. You can share links earlier, but rewards only start once you pass that threshold.
• Your link: use the share button on any market or profile page. The new user must sign up within 30 days of clicking your link.
• Rates: 10% of net fees from direct referrals and 5% from indirect referrals (people your referrals bring in).
• Duration: rewards run for 30 days after the referred user signs up, or until that user reaches the Platinum tier, whichever comes first.
• Net fees: the share is calculated on what Polymarket keeps after the referred user’s own tier rebate.
• Fee-free markets earn nothing. Geopolitics markets charge no fee, so trades there generate no referral reward.
• Payout: daily at midnight UTC, in pUSD.
• Enforcement: Polymarket may disqualify referrals or claw back rewards for self-referrals, linked accounts or inauthentic trading, and may change the terms without notice.

For the person who signs up through a link, the help article lists no benefit: no fee discount and no credit. Third-party pages that still quote a 30% revenue share or a flat payment per sign-up describe earlier or unofficial schemes; the current rates are the ones above.

What the referral share is worth in practice

Take a direct referral who trades sports markets in their first month and generates $40 of net fees for Polymarket. Your 10% share is $4, paid in pUSD over the days the fees accrue. If that person had been trading only geopolitics markets, your share would be $0, because those markets are fee-free. After 30 days, or as soon as they reach Platinum, the share stops. In short, the international programme rewards active traders who bring in other active traders, and it is not a sign-up bonus.

Polymarket fees explained

Neither version charges a fixed commission per trade. Both use a taker fee that depends on the contract price and is largest at 50 cents, where the outcome is most uncertain, and falls towards zero near $0.01 or $0.99.

Polymarket US fee schedule

The schedule on docs.polymarket.us took effect across the exchange at 1:00 pm ET on 19 October 2026. The taker fee is Θ × C × p × (1 − p), where C is the number of contracts, p the price in dollars, and Θ = 0.0695 for standard markets (0.10 for table tennis markets). Fees are rounded to the nearest cent with banker’s rounding and are only charged on fills; cancelled, expired or rejected orders cost nothing.

Makers, whose resting orders are filled, pay no fee and can earn a rebate once their prior-month maker volume reaches $10 million. Takers get a weekly rebate of 3% to 30% of fees paid from $250,000 of monthly taker volume upward. For a normal user trading a few hundred dollars, neither rebate applies, so the formula above is the real cost.

Polymarket international fee schedule

The international docs use the same shape of formula, fee = C × feeRate × p × (1 − p), with a rate that depends on the market category. Makers are never charged.

Polymarket says it charges nothing to deposit or withdraw. Intermediaries such as an exchange or a card on-ramp may charge their own fees, and the blockchain you send from charges network (gas) fees that go to the network, not to Polymarket.

Deposits and withdrawals

Polymarket US: dollars in, dollars out

Polymarket US accounts are held in US dollars. The deposit-methods page lists:

Card and ACH deposits can give you buying power before they clear, but you cannot withdraw those funds until they have cleared. Withdrawals go back only to the original payment method, first in, first out: if you deposited $100 by debit card and then $200 by ACH, the first $100 you withdraw returns to the card. Deposits must come from accounts in your own name. That rule is an anti-money-laundering control, and it also means the welcome credit cannot be “cashed out” through a different account.

Polymarket international: crypto in, crypto out

On polymarket.com all trading collateral is pUSD (Polymarket USD), an ERC-20 token on Polygon. Polymarket’s docs describe it as a wrapper that represents a USDC claim, backed by USDC under the smart contract rather than by an algorithm or a fractional reserve. It replaced bridged USDC.e as the collateral in 2026. For a user, the practical point is that whatever you send in is converted to pUSD, and you see a dollar balance.

You sign up with Google, an email code or a crypto wallet (MetaMask, Rabby or Phantom). The help article on signing up does not mention identity verification. When you deposit, Polymarket gives you one deposit address per address type: an EVM address (Ethereum, Arbitrum, Base, Optimism, Polygon, BNB Smart Chain and other EVM chains), a Solana address, a Bitcoin address and a Tron address. Assets sent to the right address are bridged and swapped to pUSD automatically.

Deposits below an asset’s minimum are not processed, and the list of supported assets changes over time. Polymarket’s own warning is blunt: sending unsupported tokens “may cause irrecoverable loss”. If you send the wrong token, the docs point to a recovery tool at recovery.polymarket.com, but recovery is not guaranteed. For sums above $50,000 from another chain, the docs suggest a third-party bridge to reduce slippage.

Withdrawals run the other way. pUSD is unwrapped to USDC and swapped to native USDC on Polygon, then bridged to the chain and token you choose (EVM chains, Solana, Bitcoin or Tron). Polymarket charges no withdrawal fee and describes withdrawals as instant, but the conversion goes through a Uniswap pool that can run low; if a withdrawal fails, the docs suggest smaller amounts or waiting. Some exchanges no longer accept pUSD directly, so withdraw as USDC unless you know your destination accepts pUSD.

If you are new to self-custody, read our guides to crypto wallets and to setting up MetaMask before you move money. Buying the USDC to fund an account normally happens on an exchange; our crypto exchange guide covers how the main ones handle network selection.

Avoiding the wrong-network mistake

1. Copy the deposit address from the Deposit screen each time; do not reuse an address from a chat, email or old screenshot.
2. Match the network to the address type: an EVM address takes Ethereum, Polygon, Base, Arbitrum and similar; Solana, Bitcoin and Tron each need their own address.
3. Check the token is on the supported list for that chain. USDT on Tron is listed; USDT on a chain not in the list is not.
4. Send a small test amount above the minimum first and wait for it to show as pUSD.
5. Only then send the rest. Keep the transaction hash in case you need support.

Stablecoins carry issuer risk as well as network risk. Our USDT and stablecoin page explains how issuers can freeze tokens and why that matters when you hold balances on any platform.

Who can use Polymarket US and who can use Polymarket international

Polymarket international: blocked and close-only countries

Polymarket’s developer docs publish the geoblock list it enforces. “Close-only” means you can close existing positions but cannot open new ones.

A country missing from this list is not automatically a place where trading is legal. Some regulators act on their own, whatever Polymarket’s list says, and national gambling or securities law still applies to you. We do not recommend using a VPN to get around a geoblock: it can breach the platform’s terms and local law, and accounts reached that way have no protection if something goes wrong.

Polymarket US: state availability

Polymarket US is not available in every state, and its help docs do not publish a list of excluded states; eligibility is checked during sign-up. CBS Sports’ state tracker of 23 October 2026 names at least four states with restrictions: Polymarket US is not available in Nevada or Connecticut, it is blocked in Tennessee, and a lawsuit has blocked its sports markets in Maryland. Several other states are suing prediction-market operators, so the list can change from week to week. If the app says you are not eligible, no code changes that.

US residents cannot use the international site: the United States is on its close-only list. That separation dates back to January 2022, when the CFTC ordered Blockratize Inc., trading as Polymarket, to pay a $1.4 million civil penalty for offering event-based binary options to US users without registration. Polymarket’s route back into the US was QCX LLC, which Polymarket acquired in 2025. QCX LLC (doing business as Polymarket US) is a designated contract market, and QC Clearing LLC (Polymarket Clearing) is the derivatives clearing organisation.

Prediction markets are not the same as offshore crypto casinos. If you came here looking for the latter, our page on crypto casinos and US law explains why offshore sites are unlicensed in the US.

Polymarket US vs Polymarket international

Polymarket vs Kalshi in brief

Kalshi (KalshiEX LLC) is the other large US event-contract exchange and, like Polymarket US, is regulated by the CFTC as a designated contract market. Accounts are in dollars, and its help centre lists bank, debit card, PayPal, Venmo and crypto funding routes. Kalshi also charges probability-based fees published in its fee schedule, and some of its markets carry maker fees, which Polymarket’s standard US schedule does not. New-user offers at Kalshi also come through publisher codes with their own amounts; Covers listed a $60 credit offer requiring a $10 deposit and $25 of trades on 24 October 2026.

In practice the bigger difference is market selection and liquidity on the contracts you care about, not the welcome credit. Compare the price of the same contract on both apps before you choose where to trade.

Risks before you use any Polymarket code

Prices can go to zero

An event contract pays $1 if the outcome happens and nothing if it does not. A promotional credit does not change that, and the welcome credit only extends how much you can lose. Covers’ own terms for its Polymarket code say “100% loss can occur”, which is accurate for any single position. Set a limit before you deposit, and never chase a loss with a fresh deposit to unlock another campaign.

Crypto custody and fraud

On the international platform, your account is secured by the email code, Google login or wallet you used to sign up. Polymarket’s help centre warns never to share the 6-digit login code because anyone who has it can access your funds, and support cannot recover funds lost that way. Fake “Polymarket promo code” sites, copycat apps and direct messages asking you to “verify” a wallet are common across crypto. Type polymarket.com yourself rather than following a link in a message, and never sign a wallet request you do not understand. Our guide to wallet-connected gambling sites explains how token approvals work and how to revoke them.

Wrong network, wrong token

Crypto transfers cannot be reversed by your bank. A token sent on a chain or to an address type Polymarket does not support can be lost for good. Follow the test-deposit routine above, and check the supported list on the day you deposit, because it changes.

Regulation outside the US

Several regulators treat Polymarket-style markets as unlicensed gambling, whatever the platform calls them:

• France: the national gambling authority, the ANJ, ordered internet providers to block Polymarket from 16 July 2026; the regulator had been pursuing the platform since November 2024, and Polymarket said in July it would challenge the order in court.
• Brazil: the Finance Ministry blocked Polymarket, Kalshi and other prediction-market sites in April 2026, and a National Monetary Council resolution bans contracts on sports, politics and entertainment.
• Germany: the joint gambling regulator (GGL) has said Polymarket holds no German licence; Germany is on Polymarket’s close-only list.
• United Kingdom: Polymarket lists the UK as close-only, and neither Polymarket nor Kalshi holds a UK Gambling Commission licence.
• Belgium, Poland, Singapore, Thailand, Taiwan and others also appear on the close-only list.

Rules differ even where Polymarket is open, and tax treatment of gains on event contracts or crypto varies by country. Check your local position before you trade, and keep records of deposits, trades and withdrawals.

Regulation inside the US

Polymarket US is federally regulated, but states continue to challenge sports event contracts in court, and availability can change at short notice.

Responsible trading

Treat a welcome credit as a marketing cost for the platform, not as free money for you. A few rules help: decide on a monthly amount you can afford to lose, keep it separate from savings, avoid trading outcomes you are emotionally invested in, and stop if you notice yourself depositing to “win back” a loss. Polymarket US’s participant terms require users to be 18 or older; some states set a higher age of majority, and the app checks this at sign-up.

If trading or gambling stops being fun, help is free and confidential. In the US, call or text 1-800-MY-RESET (the National Council on Problem Gambling helpline). Elsewhere, our responsible gambling page lists national helplines and self-exclusion tools.

Polymarket promo code FAQ

Is there a Polymarket promo code right now?

No single public code exists. Polymarket US runs campaigns tied to the link or code used at onboarding; the default Campaign A from 16 October 2026 gives $25 credit for a first deposit of at least $10 within 7 days, even without a code. A friend’s username adds a $25 referral credit for both of you. Media sites advertise their own branded codes for similar credits.

Do I need a promo code to sign up for Polymarket?

No. Both Polymarket US and polymarket.com let you open an account without a code. On Polymarket US a code or referral username has to be entered during sign-up if you want one; it cannot be added afterwards.

Can I withdraw the Polymarket US bonus credit?

Not directly. Polymarket US says promotional credits can be used to open positions and pay fees but may not be withdrawn as cash. If a position bought with credit settles in your favour, the proceeds become normal collateral that you can withdraw once your deposits have cleared.

How does the Polymarket referral program work outside the US?

On polymarket.com, once your own lifetime trading volume reaches $10,000, you earn 10% of the net fees paid by users you refer directly and 5% from users they refer, for 30 days after sign-up or until the referred user reaches Platinum tier. Rewards are paid daily in pUSD, and fee-free markets such as geopolitics earn nothing. The person you refer receives no bonus.

What are Polymarket’s trading fees?

Polymarket US charges a taker fee of 0.0695 × contracts × price × (1 − price) on standard markets, effective 19 October 2026, so 1,000 contracts at $0.50 cost $17.38 in fees. Polymarket international uses rates from 0.04 to 0.07 depending on the category, with geopolitics markets free. Makers pay no fee on either version, and Polymarket charges nothing to deposit or withdraw.

Which countries can use Polymarket?

Polymarket blocks Iran, Syria, Cuba, North Korea and occupied regions of Ukraine completely, and sets close-only mode in 36 countries and regions including the US, UK, France, Germany, Italy, Australia, Brazil, Singapore and four Canadian provinces. Ireland, Japan, the Netherlands, South Korea and Malta (sports) are close-only on the website. US residents must use Polymarket US instead.

Is Polymarket US legal in every state?

No. Polymarket US is a CFTC-regulated exchange, but CBS Sports reported on 23 October 2026 that it is not available in Nevada or Connecticut, is blocked in Tennessee, and has its sports markets blocked in Maryland. The app confirms your eligibility during sign-up.

What crypto can I deposit on Polymarket international?

Polymarket accepts assets from 15 chains, including USDC and USDT on Ethereum, Polygon, Arbitrum, Base, Optimism and BNB Smart Chain, SOL and USDC on Solana, BTC on Bitcoin and USDT on Tron. Everything is converted to pUSD on Polygon. Minimum deposits range from $2 to $9 depending on the chain.