Search “Polymarket welcome bonus code” and the mental picture is a sportsbook signup page: an account form, a field labeled Promo Code, a string of letters that unlocks a bigger offer. Polymarket US — the CFTC-regulated exchange that runs the actual welcome program — is built differently, and the difference is what most pages chasing this query skip past.
Why There Is No Code Field
Polymarket US onboards new users through a referral slot, not a generic promo-code box. That slot takes a referral link or an existing user’s username — media partners’ codes like COVERS, SIBONUS, or FOX are simply tracked versions of that same link, not separate coupon strings decoded by a hidden system. Typing a “code” and clicking a referral link land in the same place.
The order is the whole game. The referral link or username has to be entered before the account finishes registration. There is no menu screen after signup where a new user can retroactively add a code and collect the credit — skip the step and the welcome offer is gone for that account, permanently.
What Actually Posts the Credit
Three things have to happen in sequence: open the account through the referral slot, complete identity verification the way any CFTC-designated exchange requires, and deposit at least $10. Once those clear, the $25 trading credit posts — no separate qualifying trade is required first, which is a lighter gate than several affiliate pages imply when they describe a “$50 sign-up bonus” without mentioning it is split across two accounts. That breakdown is covered in full on the Polymarket bonus code page; this page is about the mechanics of claiming it, not the math behind the headline number.
Existing Users Don’t Get a Second Bite
An account that already exists without a referral attached cannot go back and claim the welcome credit later by entering one. The program is built for the moment of account creation, not as a retention offer for accounts already trading. Anyone who signed up cold and is now hunting for a code to apply after the fact is looking for something Polymarket US does not offer.
Claim order: referral link or username entered before signup completes → identity verification → $10+ deposit → $25 credit posts.
Not available in: Arizona, Illinois, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Montana, Nevada, and Ohio, per current tracking — confirm in the signup flow.
International site: no welcome offer at all; separate high-volume referral program only.
Still Not a Deposit You Can Pull Back Out
Getting the credit to post is only the mechanical half of it. It is trading credit, not cash, and it only turns into withdrawable money once a position funded with it settles or is liquidated. Confirm state eligibility in the signup flow before building any expectation around a code someone posted online — and treat the credit as something that has to be traded well, not money that already belongs to the account.