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Code cards in packs and what they are worth
A code card is not a playing card. It is a slip of paper with a single-use code that unlocks content in the game's digital version, and it is used up as soon as someone redeems it. You cannot tell whether the code has been used until you try, which is the whole problem when they are resold.
Quick facts
| What it is | A single-use code for the game's digital version |
|---|---|
| Playable at the table | No. It is not a playing card |
| Counts in the set | No. Not part of the card numbering |
| Can be reused | No. The code is used up once redeemed |
| Can you tell if it has been used | No, not until you try to redeem it |
| Resale value | Low, and relies entirely on trust in the seller |
Why they are in the packs
- The manufacturer wants to link physical and digital. You buy cards and get something in the app.
- The code often corresponds to the same product digitally, meaning a pack in the game's own version.
- The card takes up a slot in the pack but does not count as one of the numbered cards.
- It is normally at the top or bottom of the stack, separate from the playing cards.
- Digital editions are replaced over time, and codes for discontinued services become worthless.
Selling or buying code cards
| Usually sold | In bundles of twenty or fifty |
|---|---|
| Price per code | A fraction of the pack's price |
| The risk as a buyer | That the code has already been redeemed |
| The protection | Buy from someone who takes responsibility, not from an anonymous seller |
| As a seller | Send pictures of the codes only once the deal is done |
Common mistakes
- Throwing away the code card thinking it is advertising, if you play digitally.
- Saving code cards thinking they will become valuable. They are consumables.
- Counting the code card as one of the pack's cards when comparing contents.
- Buying codes loose from an unknown seller.
- Photographing and posting an unredeemed code publicly. The first person to see the picture redeems it.
Frequently asked questions
- Is the code card a real card? No. It cannot be played with and is not part of the set.
- What happens if I don't use the code? Nothing. It just stays unused.
- Can the code have expired? Yes. Codes for discontinued digital editions do not work.
- Does it lower the value of the pack? No. The code card is part of the product as the manufacturer put it together.
- Can I tell if a code has been used? Not in advance. That is why the secondhand trade relies on trust.
The code card in the pack
| Where it is | At the top or bottom, separate from the playing cards |
|---|---|
| What it looks like | Thinner paper, often folded, with the code printed visibly on the inside |
| Does it count as a card | No, not in the set's numbering |
| Can it be graded | No, it is not a collectible |
| What to do if you don't play digitally | Give it away, trade it or put it aside |
Why the resale value is low
A code cannot be checked in advance. The buyer pays for a promise that no one has already redeemed it, and that promise is worth exactly as much as the seller's reputation. That is why codes are almost always traded in large bundles at low prices, where the odd used code gets lost in the crowd.
Add to that the fact that digital editions are replaced at regular intervals. A code for a service that has been shut down does not work, whether or not it is unused. That makes code cards a consumable and not something you collect.
What to do with the codes you don't use
- Give them away to someone who plays digitally. They cost you nothing.
- Trade them for bulk or sleeves in a play group.
- Collect them and sell them in a bundle, if you open a lot.
- Leave them in the box. They take up little space and do not deteriorate in themselves.
- Don't leave them visible. A photographed code is a used code.
Tell the code card apart from the promo card
Both sit outside the set's numbering, but they are different things. A promo card is a real playing card with its own marking, often only available through a specific product or event, and it can have collector value. A code card is a slip of paper with a code and has none.
Mixing them up goes wrong both ways: promo cards get thrown away as advertising, and code cards get saved in the belief that they will become valuable.
Read more about where the cards are in the pack, the pack types and how to open packs.
Shop: boosters at Bangerpack.
Written by us who run Bangerpack. Range and prices change continuously. What applies when you read this is shown in the category.
