Ah, online competitions—so much fun, aren’t they? A chance to win a holiday, that new gadget you’ve been eyeing, or a cheeky bit of extra cash! But there’s always that niggling worry at the back of your mind: “Will entering this competition result in endless spam flooding my inbox?”
Well, grab a cuppa, because we’re going to chat about how you can enjoy entering online competitions without feeling like you’ve just opened the floodgates to spam galore. There are a few handy tricks and tools that can help you avoid the dreaded spam, and I’m going to walk you through them step-by-step. No fluff, just the good stuff!
Table of Contents
1. Create a separate email account just for competitions
One of the simplest ways to stop spam from interfering with your personal life is by creating a dedicated email address for competitions. Trust me, this is a game-changer. You can set up a free account with Gmail, Outlook, or even ProtonMail (which has brilliant privacy features) and keep all your competition entries separate from your usual inbox.
This way, if your comping email starts to get a bit overrun with newsletters or spam, it won’t clutter your personal inbox. You can dip into it when you want to enter competitions and easily manage the flow of emails.
Pro Tip: Use an email alias if your provider allows it. With Gmail, for example, you can use “[email protected],” and it’ll still deliver emails to your primary inbox. That way, you can also filter emails by using the “+competitions” bit in your email address.
2. Use disposable email services
If you’re entering a competition on a site you don’t fully trust or you just want to avoid giving your real email address, disposable email services can come to the rescue. These are temporary email addresses you can create on the fly, perfect for one-time use.
Sites like Guerrilla Mail, 10 Minute Mail, and Mailinator are fantastic for this. You enter a competition, receive the confirmation or any entry information, and then the email address self-destructs. That means any spam sent to that address disappears without you ever seeing it.
However, a quick word of caution: make sure you’re not using a disposable email if it’s a competition where you’ll need to claim a prize later. No one wants to win a holiday and not get the email, right? If they say they’ll contact you by phone if you’re the winner, then these services should work for you just fine.
3. Look for privacy policies on competition websites
A good, trustworthy competition site should have a clear privacy policy. Always check how they plan to use your data. If they’re transparent about only using your email for the purpose of the competition or for sending updates on new competitions, you can feel more confident that your inbox won’t get bombarded with junk.
On the other hand, if you see a line in their privacy policy that says something like “we may share your details with third parties who offer services that may be of interest to you” proceed with caution. Sometimes sites NEED to share your details, for example to provide services (such as payment services), but they don’t need to share them with third parties that ‘might be of interest’. That might mean they’re going to sell your email address to marketers, and that’s when the spam can start flowing in.
One website that’s brilliant for avoiding the spammy side of things is ThePrizeFinder. It’s a well-established competition directory with a good reputation for not sharing your details with dodgy marketers. It’s also wise to stick to competition sites that are well-known and reputable, like MoneySavingExpert or Loquax, where you’re less likely to run into spammy practices.
4. Use email filters
If you’re a bit tech-savvy—or even if you’re not, because this is surprisingly easy—you can set up email filters to automatically manage your inbox. Most email providers, like Gmail and Outlook, have filter settings that allow you to send specific types of emails to certain folders or label them.
Here’s how you can do it in Gmail, for instance:
- Go to Settings > Filters and Blocked Addresses.
- Click “Create a new filter.”
- Enter keywords that spammy emails tend to use, i.e. any recurring spam terms you’ve noticed.
- Set the filter to send those emails directly to the spam folder or a separate competition folder.
It’s a great way to pre-emptively stop spam from overtaking your inbox, and you can refine these filters over time. You’ll still see the genuine competition emails but filter out the junk automatically.
5. Beware of ‘comping clubs’ and subscriptions
Let’s talk about something sneaky: ‘comping clubs’ or paid services that promise you loads of amazing competition entries for a subscription fee. Some of these clubs are legit, but others are just fronts for collecting your email address to send you marketing spam. Before joining any service like this, do a bit of research—read reviews on sites like Trustpilot or ask around in Facebook groups where other compers share their experiences.
There’s absolutely no reason to pay for subscriptions to access lists of competitions when there are so many competition lists freely available. If a site feels shady or pushes hard for a subscription, it’s probably best to steer clear.
6. Be cautious with social media comps
Social media competitions—Facebook, Instagram, Twitter (well, X now)—can be fabulous, but they also come with their own set of risks. A few years ago, I entered a competition on Facebook and within hours, my inbox was flooded with messages from suspicious accounts. Yikes!
Here’s how to protect yourself:
- Don’t share personal details publicly: If a competition asks you to comment with your email or phone number, don’t do it! Always private message if required.
- Watch for fake accounts: Scammers create fake accounts that look identical to legitimate brands. Always check for the blue verified tick and the number of followers before entering.
- Be wary of “tag to win” competitions: While these can be genuine, some less reputable companies use them to farm your details. A popular one lately has been ‘we have a slightly damaged prize [such as a campervan] that we can’t sell: like, share and tag a friend to win”. Be realistic – no company is going to throw a £25k campervan into a giveaway because it has a scratch on it. Stick to well-known brands and influencers who regularly run comps.
- Keep your social media profiles private: If you enter loads of competitions, scammers could try and scrape your details from public profiles. Lock down your privacy settings to avoid being targeted.
A quick plug here: platforms like Woobox or Gleam manage social media competitions and often require you to log in with your account, which keeps things a bit more secure. Plus, they’re used by legit brands, so you’re less likely to fall into a spammy trap.
7. Check for GDPR compliance
If you’re entering competitions on UK-based websites, they should be GDPR compliant. This means they have to get your explicit consent to send marketing emails, and you should always have the option to opt out. The exception is if you purchase a ticket – then they do have the right to send you marketing material, provided that there is an opt-out method (such as an unsubscribe link) in every email from day 1.
When entering, look for that little checkbox that asks if you want to receive promotional emails—it should be un-ticked by default. If they’ve pre-ticked it, they’re breaking the law! That’s a big red flag, and you’ll want to avoid those sites. GDPR is there to protect you from spam, so make sure the site is following it.
8. Unsubscribe from unwanted emails
Let’s say you’ve been entering competitions for a while, and now you’re starting to see some spam trickle in—what can you do? Instead of getting frustrated, take control by unsubscribing from the ones you don’t want.
Legitimate competition sites will always give you the option to unsubscribe. Look for an “unsubscribe” link at the bottom of the email, and if it’s a site you trust, go ahead and remove yourself from the list.
However, be cautious about using unsubscribe links from spammy emails. Sometimes clicking those links tells spammers that your email is active, and you’ll get even more junk mail. If an email looks dodgy, it’s better to mark it as spam and let your email provider filter it out automatically in the future.
Also be aware that sometimes a condition of entering the competition is to be on the newsletter list. Unsubscribing at the time of the draw could leave you ineligible to win. Prize sites also occasionally announce the winner in the newsletter and you need to contact them to claim, so don’t unsubscribe and miss the announcement!
9. Use a password manager
Finally, a little bonus tip—use a password manager. While this doesn’t directly stop spam, it helps protect your personal details when entering competitions online. With so many entries and different sites, you don’t want to reuse the same password everywhere. A password manager like LastPass or 1Password will help you create strong, unique passwords for each competition, keeping your accounts safe from hackers and spammers alike.
Wrapping up
At the end of the day, entering online competitions should be fun—not a headache of endless spam. By setting up a separate email, using disposable addresses when necessary, and being mindful of the websites you’re using, you can enjoy all the comps you want without worrying about your inbox overflowing with junk mail. A bit of vigilance and a few good tools go a long way in keeping your online comping experience smooth and spam-free. Now, go forth and enter those competitions with confidence!