Every rules page answers the same seven questions.
Sweep Entry Guide shows you where those answers live, how each entry method works, which deadline is the one that actually matters, and what to do when a notification arrives. Tap any clause below to see what it means.
Four ways in, and what each one costs you
All four appear in real rules pages. Where a promotion is free to enter, at least one of them will be.
| Method | What it costs | Where it is written | Watch out for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Online formThe default route | Nothing beyond data | Top of the entry section | One entry per person unless stated |
| Daily entryRepeatable | Nothing | Entry limits clause | Resets at the promoter\'s local midnight |
| Postal entryThe classic free route | A stamp | Usually last, under alternative entry | Received by, not posted by, the closing date |
| Purchase-linkedReceipt or code | The purchase | Entry section, with the free alternative beside it | The free alternative must give the same chance |
Four dates, and only one of them is the closing date
People miss prizes on the third and fourth of these far more often than on the first.
Opening
Entries accepted from this moment. Anything sent earlier does not count, even if it arrives.
Closing
The last moment an entry can be received. Postal routes often need extra days to arrive in time.
Draw and notification
When winners are selected and how they will be told. The rules name the method, usually email or phone.
Claim window
How long you have to reply before the prize is redrawn. Seven to fourteen days is common. This is the one that costs people prizes.
Questions readers actually send us
How this site makes money
Short version: the weekly email carries paid placements.
- Free to readEverything on this site and in the weekly email is free. There is no account, no paywall, and no charge for anything we link to.
- Paid placementsOperators pay to appear in the weekly email and in placement slots on the site. Anything paid for is labelled as a placement so you can tell it apart from what we wrote.
- Paid for the slot, not the wordsOur explainers and summaries are written by us. Payment buys a place in the email, never a different conclusion.
One walkthrough a week.
A rules page taken apart clause by clause, answers to reader questions, and promotions that are open to enter right now. Unsubscribe in one click.