Content Policy
How we ensure quality, safety, and trustworthiness on MateCode
Last updated: 19 February 2025
Our Commitment to Quality
MateCode is committed to maintaining a safe, trustworthy platform for Australians to share and discover legitimate referral codes. Our comprehensive moderation system combines automated tools with human review to ensure all content meets our quality and safety standards.
Key principle: No code on MateCode is published automatically. Every submission is manually reviewed by our team before it goes live.
What We Accept
We accept referral codes for legitimate services and businesses that meet our standards:
✅ Accepted Categories
- Transport & Ride-Sharing: Uber, DiDi, Ola, Shebah
- Food Delivery: DoorDash, Uber Eats, Menulog, Deliveroo
- Banking & Finance: CommBank, ANZ, NAB, Westpac, ING, Up Bank, neobanks
- Telecommunications: Telstra, Optus, Vodafone, Aussie Broadband
- Shopping & E-commerce: Amazon Australia, Kogan, Catch, eBay Plus
- Streaming & Entertainment: Netflix, Stan, Kayo, Binge, Disney+
- Travel & Accommodation: Airbnb, Booking.com, Qantas Frequent Flyer
- Grocery & Retail: Woolworths, Coles, HelloFresh, Uber Direct
- Utilities & Energy: Energy Australia, Origin, AGL
- Fitness & Health: ClassPass, Fitness First, Sweat
- Education: Duolingo, Udemy, Coursera
- Cryptocurrency: Coinbase, Binance Australia, CoinSpot (legitimate exchanges only)
- Insurance: Budget Direct, NRMA, Bingle
✅ Requirements for Acceptance
To be approved, submissions must:
- Be for a legitimate, verifiable business with an established online presence
- Include an accurate description of what the new user gets
- Specify a realistic value estimate (not inflated)
- Be formatted correctly (if the company has a standard code format)
- Not contain personally identifiable information (PII) in the description
- Be written in English and follow basic grammar standards
- Comply with Australian consumer law
What We Reject
The following types of submissions are automatically rejected:
🚫 Prohibited Categories
- Gambling & Betting: Sportsbet, Ladbrokes, TAB, online casinos
- Payday Lenders: Nimble, Cash Converters loans, high-interest credit
- Adult Content: Pornography, escort services, adult dating
- Multi-Level Marketing (MLM): Pyramid schemes, recruitment-based "opportunities"
- Unverified Crypto Projects: DeFi platforms, NFT mints, meme coins, unregulated exchanges
- Get-Rich-Quick Schemes: Trading bots, Forex signals, investment "gurus"
- Weapons & Dangerous Goods: Firearms, explosives, dangerous chemicals
- Illegal Substances: Cannabis (except where legally prescribed), drugs, unregulated supplements
- Political Campaigns: Party memberships, political donations
🚫 Reasons for Rejection
Individual submissions are rejected if they:
- Cannot verify the company: No website, social media presence, or business registration found
- Contain false claims: Inflated value estimates, misleading descriptions
- Duplicate existing codes: Same code already published and still active
- Spam or low-quality: Gibberish, placeholder text, excessive capitalization
- Violate terms of service: Codes explicitly prohibited by the company's T&Cs
- Contain personal info: Phone numbers, email addresses, home addresses
- Promote harmful services: Scams, phishing, fraudulent schemes
Our Manual Review Process
Every referral code submitted to MateCode goes through a multi-step manual review process before publication:
Submission & Queue
When users submit referral codes, they are automatically marked as "Pending Approval" and queued for moderation review. Submissions undergo basic automated validation for format and completeness.
Company Verification
Our moderators verify that the company is legitimate by checking:
- Official website and online presence
- ASIC/ABN registration (for Australian businesses)
- App Store/Google Play listings (for apps)
- Independent customer reviews (Trustpilot, ProductReview, etc.)
Code & Description Review
Moderators check that the code format matches known patterns for that company, the description is accurate and not misleading, the value estimate is realistic, and the expiry date (if provided) is reasonable.
Category & Policy Compliance
The submission is checked against our prohibited categories list and content policy. Codes for gambling, payday loans, MLMs, and other prohibited categories are rejected.
Approval or Rejection
Codes that pass all checks are approved and published with a "✅ Verified by MateCode" badge. Rejected codes are not published, and the reasons are logged for internal tracking.
Ongoing Monitoring
Published codes are continuously monitored through user reports and feedback. Users can report expired, invalid, or problematic codes, which triggers a re-review process that may result in code removal or updates.
Review Timeline: We aim to review all submissions within 24-48 hours. During peak periods, this may extend to 72 hours.
How to Report Policy Violations
If you encounter a code or content that violates our policy, please report it immediately. We rely on the community to help us maintain quality.
What to Report
- Codes that don't work or have expired
- Misleading or false descriptions
- Codes for prohibited services (gambling, payday loans, etc.)
- Spam or low-quality submissions
- Codes that violate company terms of service
- Fraudulent or scam referral programs
How to Report
- Click the "Report" button on any code listing (on the code detail page)
- Select the reason for reporting (expired, misleading, prohibited, etc.)
- Optionally provide additional details
- Submit the report
For serious violations or urgent issues, email us directly at support@matecode.com.au.
Response Time: Reported codes are reviewed within 48 hours. Codes with multiple reports are deprioritized in listings immediately, even before review is complete.
Consequences for Policy Violations
We take policy violations seriously. Depending on the severity and frequency of violations, consequences may include:
For Individual Violations
- First offense (minor): Code rejected, no further action
- Repeated minor violations: IP address flagged for additional scrutiny on future submissions
- Serious violation: Code rejected, IP address flagged, user warned
- Severe/malicious violation: IP address banned from submitting codes
Examples of Violations & Penalties
⚠️ Minor: Inflated value estimate
Code rejected with note. Repeat offenses may lead to submission ban.
⚠️ Moderate: Submitting expired codes multiple times
IP address flagged. All future submissions marked for extra scrutiny.
🚫 Serious: Submitting codes for prohibited categories (gambling, payday loans)
Immediate rejection. IP address may be banned from future submissions.
🚫 Severe: Submitting fraudulent/scam referral programs
Permanent IP ban. Reported to relevant authorities if applicable.
Zero Tolerance Policy: We have zero tolerance for scams, fraud, and malicious submissions. Users who repeatedly violate our policy or engage in harmful behavior will be permanently banned.
Appeals Process
If you believe your submission was rejected in error, you may appeal the decision:
- Email support@matecode.com.au with the subject "Appeal: Code Rejection"
- Include the company name, code, and submission date
- Explain why you believe the rejection was in error
- Provide evidence of the code's legitimacy (e.g., screenshots, official links)
We will review appeals within 3-5 business days. Our decision on appeals is final.
Note: Appeals are only accepted for codes rejected due to potential errors in verification. Codes rejected for prohibited categories or clear policy violations are not eligible for appeal.
Questions About Our Content Policy?
Our moderation team is here to help. Contact us with any questions about content guidelines or to report violations.
Contact Moderation TeamContent Policy last updated: 19 February 2025
We may update this policy from time to time. Continued use of MateCode constitutes acceptance of the current policy.