Cloudways Promo Code 2026: 30% Off + Free Credits [Verified]

I have been using Cloudways since 2022 (full review here) and I test every code on this page monthly through a fresh, real signup. Below are the only three that actually work in September 2026, plus the November Black Friday deal when that window is live.

Heads up: Cloudways does a $1 refundable authorization hold during signup. It is a fraud check, not a charge. Once verified, your discount (or credit) applies automatically on the next invoice. If it does not, Cloudways support adds it manually the same day.

Cloudways uses hourly billing (more on how that works below), so the "best" code depends on your monthly spend. I built a savings calculator that does the math, but here is the breakdown of each code first.

1. THATMY30: 30% Off for 3 Months

THATMY30 is our primary exclusive partner code. Drop it in at signup and Cloudways knocks 30% off your invoice for 3 full months. The percentage scales with your bill, so you save more as you grow. At $11.00/mo starter that is $3.30/mo back. At $100/mo agency spend it is $90 total over the 3-month window.

It works across both Cloudways product lines: Cloudways Flexible (managed WordPress, Magento, Laravel, PHP on DigitalOcean, Vultr, Linode, AWS, GCE) and Cloudways Autonomous (managed WordPress with autoscaling). The 30% also applies to Cloudflare Enterprise and other add-ons on your invoice during the discount window.

• ✅ Scales with spend, so saves more on larger servers. $90 total at $100/mo, $4.20/mo at starter pricing.
• ✅ Works on all cloud providers: DigitalOcean, Vultr, Linode, AWS, and GCE.
• ✅ Covers Cloudways Flexible and Cloudways Autonomous plans.
• ✅ Discount extends to Cloudflare Enterprise, SafeUpdates, and other add-ons on the same invoice.
• ✅ Delete the server anytime, billing stops immediately. No contracts.

Here is what that does to the plans on Cloudways' own pricing page, across your first three monthly invoices:

2. CLOUDS2022: $30 Free Credit

If you would rather take a flat $30 than a 3-month percentage, CLOUDS2022 is the alternative path. This is the code I used on my very first Cloudways signup, and it has been working without interruption since 2022. Cloudways drops $30 into your Funds balance at signup, and that balance pays your invoices automatically until it hits zero.

• ✅ $30 flat credit. Covers about 2.7 months on a $11.00/mo starter plan.
• ✅ Never expired since launch. The longest-running Cloudways code on the market.
• ✅ Best when your monthly spend is below $34/mo (the flat credit beats 30% of a small bill).
• ✅ During the Cloudways Black Friday window, the seasonal sale beats both codes (it was 50% off for 3 months in 2025).

Note: CLOUDS2022 applies to Cloudways Flexible plans only. For Cloudways Autonomous, use THATMYCLOUD below.

3. THATMYCLOUD: The Cloudways Autonomous Code (Managed WordPress)

THATMYCLOUD is the dedicated discount for Cloudways Autonomous, their fully managed WordPress product. Autonomous is a separate product line from the flexible VPS lineup: it autoscales for traffic spikes, keeps dynamic eCommerce and LMS sites fast under load, and ships with free Cloudflare Enterprise (a value of around $250).

If you are running a high-traffic WooCommerce store, an LMS, or any WordPress site that spikes during promotions, Autonomous is built for that pattern and THATMYCLOUD is how you discount your entry into it. It pairs well with the Lightning Stack NGINX benchmarks we have published.

• ✅ Autoscaling for traffic spikes, so your site stays fast under load.
• ✅ Prevents crashes during promo spikes, Black Friday, product launches.
• ✅ No server management, it is fully managed, no sysadmin work.
• ✅ Free Cloudflare Enterprise CDN included, roughly $250/year in value.
• ✅ Object Cache Pro bundled for faster WooCommerce and dynamic queries.

4. Black Friday Deal: Cloudways' Biggest Sale of the Year (November)

Every November, Cloudways runs its biggest discount of the year. In 2025 Cloudways called it the 50/50/50 offer: 50% off all hosting plans for 3 months, 50 free expert-led migrations, and 50% off add-ons, valid November 12 to December 5. I signed up during Black Friday 2022, and that deal saved me more than any other code I've ever used with them.

• ✅ 50% off for 3 months in 2025, ahead of every code on this page.
• ✅ 50 free expert-led migrations, plus 50% off add-ons: Cloudflare, Malware Protection, Rackspace Email, Elastic Email, DNS Made Easy, and Advanced Support.
• ✅ The 2025 window ran for 24 days, so mid-November is a safe time to check.

Our Cloudways Black Friday 2026 page tracks this year's dates and every past deal since 2021.

My honest advice: If it's November and the Black Friday sale is live, take it. If it's not November, scroll back up and use THATMY30 or THATMYCLOUD instead.

5. 3-Day Free Trial (No Code Needed)

A lot of "coupon" sites list the free trial as if it's some exclusive deal they unlocked for you. It's not. Every Cloudways account gets a 3-day free trial automatically, no code needed, no special link required.

• ✅ 3 days of full server access. No credit card required.
• ✅ Install WordPress, test TTFB, and explore the dashboard at no cost.
• ✅ Launch on DigitalOcean, Vultr, or Linode at up to 4GB. AWS, Google Cloud, and larger servers open up once you upgrade the account.
• ✅ Cloudways Autonomous has its own 3-day trial, and it runs the full Growth plan spec ($99.00/mo): 150 GB bandwidth, 20 GB disk, 100 PHP workers.
• ⚠️ 3 days is plenty for a speed test, but short for a real migration or a traffic test.

What I'd do: Skip the bare trial. Use THATMY30 or CLOUDS2022 to turn those 3 days into 2+ months of real testing time.

Cloudways Promotions and Events in 2026: What Ran, What's Live, What's Next

Codes are only half the picture. Cloudways also runs its own sales, launch offers, and events through the year, and timing matters because a code locks to your account at signup. Sign up a week before a bigger sale and you miss it.

I track them here from the Cloudways homepage, the pricing page, and the What's New panel inside my own dashboard. Last checked September 15, 2026.

Recent and Running Cloudways Promotions

Also new inside Cloudways, from the What's New panel in my dashboard:

• PHP version per application (public preview, August 8, 2026): each app on a server can run its own PHP version.
• Access Token Management (July 16, 2026): multiple API tokens, each scoped to specific permissions.
• Site Manager (new on Cloudways Flexible): safe updates, performance monitoring, and visual regression testing for all your WordPress sites in one place.

Upcoming Cloudways Sales and Events

Whichever window you land in, one rule holds: Cloudways allows one code per account, locked at signup. Pick your code first, then follow the five signup steps below.

Which Cloudways Promo Code Should You Use?

I get this question every week. The answer depends entirely on one number: your expected monthly bill. This is the cheat sheet I send to everyone who asks. If you want the exact math, the savings calculator further down does the work for you.

• Most users / any monthly spend? → Use THATMY30 (30% off for 3 months, scales with your Cloudways plan size). ★ Start here.
• Prefer a flat credit? → Use CLOUDS2022 ($30 in Funds balance, best below $34/mo bills, see our full Cloudways review for setup).
• Running managed WordPress on Cloudways Autonomous? → Use THATMYCLOUD (dedicated discount for the Autonomous product line, autoscaling, free Cloudflare Enterprise).

Which Cloudways Product Is Your Promo Code For?

Cloudways now sells three products from one dashboard: Flexible, Autonomous, and Velocity. Picking the right code starts with knowing which one you are signing up to, because the codes on this page cover Flexible and Autonomous.

Two more 2026 additions worth knowing: Cloudways AI Copilot ships free with new accounts and gives 1-click troubleshooting and instant insights across your servers. Client Billing and Reporting automates recurring billing and invoicing for agencies managing multiple client sites, which pairs well with Cloudways' unlimited-sites policy. And since August 10, 2026, Cloudways also runs Managed AI Agents, launched at 50% off (see the promotions table).

One thing to expect: After you sign up, Cloudways runs a $1 refundable authorization hold on your card. It is a fraud check, not a charge. The dollar reverses within minutes, and your 30% discount kicks in on your first invoice automatically.

How to Apply a Cloudways Promo Code (Step-by-Step)

Cloudways buries the promo code field. It's not in your face like Hostinger or SiteGround's checkout pages. If you rush through the signup form without knowing exactly where to look, you'll end up on a bare 3-day trial with zero credit and no way to add the code after the fact.

I almost made this mistake myself when I first signed up. So here's the exact 5-step process I followed, with screenshots from my own signup, to make sure the Cloudways coupon code actually stuck:

1. 1. Open Signup Through Our Link First

   Before you touch the signup form, open Cloudways through our partner link. It drops a tracking cookie that tells Cloudways which code to apply to your account (THATMY30 for 30% off, or CLOUDS2022 for credit if you pick that path). Skip this step and the codes will not bind to your account.

   

   Read the Signup + Migration Guide ➜

2. 2. Find the "Hidden" Promo Link

   On the signup form, stop. Do not fill out your details yet.

   

   Look for the tiny text link that says "I have a promo code" (with a ticket icon). They tucked it right above the Terms checkbox, so it's easy to miss if you're not looking for it.

   ✅ How to know it worked:

   You'll see a light green banner at the top saying "Promo code applied successfully". If you don't see that banner, the code didn't stick. Try clearing cookies and starting over.

   

3. 3. Don't Use a VPN (Seriously)

   Cloudways has aggressive fraud detection. When I first tried signing up through a VPN, they flagged my account and wanted a passport scan. Here's how to avoid that headache:

   

   ⚠️ How to avoid manual review:

   • Turn off your VPN: Signing up from a datacenter IP is an immediate red flag.
   • Use Mobile Data: If you've created an account before on your WiFi, switch to your phone's 4G/5G to get a fresh IP fingerprint.

4. 4. The $1 Authorization Hold (Don't Panic)

   After signing up, you'll see your "Funds" balance at $0.00. I panicked the first time I saw this, but it's totally normal. The trial account just hides the credit until you verify.

   Click "Upgrade My Account" and add your card. They'll charge a $1.00 authorization hold that refunds automatically. It's just a bot check. Once you clear it, the $30 appears in your balance.

   Why do they need my card? The $30 credit buys real compute time on real servers. Cloudways needs a card on file to stop people from spinning up free servers for crypto mining. It's annoying, but fair.

   

5. 5. Check Your Credit Balance

   Once you're fully activated, head to Account (top right) → Real Time Billing.

   You should see "Promotion Credit: $30.00" as a line item. That balance will automatically pay your future invoices until it's used up. Here's what my dashboard looked like after applying the Cloudways coupon code:

   

$30 Credit vs 30% Off: Which Cloudways Promo Code Saves More?

This is the question I get asked more than anything else. The crossover point is roughly $34/mo. If your monthly Cloudways bill stays below that, the flat $30 credit (CLOUDS2022) gives you more total value in the first 2 months. If you're above it, the percentage code (THATMY30) pulls ahead, and it keeps getting better the more you spend. Here's the breakdown at real-world price points:

How Cloudways Billing Works for Promo Codes

Cloudways billing is different from every other host: they bill hourly based on actual server usage, and your promo codes interact with a live billing engine instead of a static shopping cart. Once you understand the mechanics, you can stretch the discount further than the checkout page suggests.

1. Post-Paid Hourly Billing (This Changes Everything)

Unlike SiteGround or Bluehost where you pay for 36 months upfront to get the advertised "deal," Cloudways bills you after you use the service, the same way your electricity or phone bill works.

• You only pay for hours used: Spin up a server at 9 AM, delete it at 11 AM, and you're charged for 2 hours (~$0.04). Not a full month. Not even a full day.
• Invoices arrive after the fact: Cloudways generates your invoice on the 1st of every month for whatever you used in the previous month. There's no upfront payment, no annual lock-in, and no surprise charges mid-month.

2. Resource Reservation (Stop vs. Delete)

This tripped me up at first. Since Cloudways rents real infrastructure from DigitalOcean or Vultr, stopping a server doesn't stop the billing meter.

3. What Drains Your Credit (and Where Add-Ons Fit)

Your $30 credit (or THATMY30's 30% discount) applies to the total invoice, not just server rental. The invoice includes:

• Compute + storage: CPU, RAM, NVMe, and dedicated IP, billed per hour.
• Offsite backups and email: Offsite backup storage runs $0.033/GB, and Rackspace/Elastic email add-ons bill per mailbox.
• Premium add-ons: Cloudflare Enterprise, SafeUpdates, and Object Cache Pro flow through the same invoice. THATMY30's 30% discount applies to these too for the first 3 months, which is a quiet win for anyone running a production WooCommerce site.

Quick tip: Drop Backup Retention to 1 week during your credit period. That alone can stretch a $30 balance across an extra week of live server time.

Verified by ThatMy.com

Status: Active & Verified for September 2026
Partnership: Official Cloudways Affiliate Partner since 2018.

We do not use auto-generated coupons. I personally test THATMY30, THATMYCLOUD, and CLOUDS2022 monthly on live signups to ensure each code triggers correctly. The screenshots on this page are from my own account dashboard.

Free Trial vs Full Access: What Changes When You Add a Card

A promo code and a free trial are not the same offer, and they do not overlap the way most pages suggest. In September 2026 I signed up again as a brand new customer, ran three days on the trial, then added a card and watched what the console changed. Here is the difference, screen by screen.

1. On the trial: three days, one server size, no card

The trial runs 3 days and needs no card to launch. A countdown sits at the top of every console page, and the launch form is where the limits show up.

• Only the Basic server type. General Purpose and CPU Optimized carry a padlock, and so do AWS and Google Cloud. You can launch on DigitalOcean, Vultr or Linode only.
• One size in practice. The trial preselected a DigitalOcean 4GB Premium server, $54.00/mo, shown struck through at $0. A cheaper 4GB Standard was refused with "Server size is not allowed with Trial Account".
• Cloudways Autonomous has its own 3-day trial, in two regions only, Frankfurt or Iowa, and its usage and autoscaling charts stay locked on the trial.
• Cloudways Velocity offers only the Starter and Professional plans on trial; Growth and above are greyed out.

2. Your promo credit is waiting for an invoice, not for the trial

This is the part worth knowing before you spend a trial day on it. The code goes in at signup, in the field that only appears once you click "I have a promo code", and it is not something you can add afterwards from inside the console. What it does is put $30 into your account balance, and that balance is applied to your next invoice. The trial does not generate an invoice, so nothing is spent while you are on it, and nothing is wasted either. When billing starts, credit is used before your own money.

3. Adding a card: $1, and a change of wording that matters

"Get Full Access" asks for a card or PayPal and states that $1 is charged for verification and automatically reversed. Mine was. What the page does not spell out is the second effect, which showed up in the banner at the top of the console:

The trial no longer ends, it converts. The same happens on the other two products: an Autonomous trial rolls into the Growth plan at $99.00/mo, and a Velocity trial moves onto a paid plan when its three days are up. If you were only testing, delete the trial site before that countdown reaches zero.

4. What full access unlocks, and the default it changes

• AWS and Google Cloud open up, along with General Purpose and CPU Optimized servers and more sizes.
• The launch form changes what it recommends. On the trial it offered a Basic Premium 4GB server at $54.00/mo. After full access it preselected a CPU Optimized 4GB server at $72 a month, marked Recommended. Check the size before you press Launch Now, because the default is no longer the cheap one.
• An add-on step appears before launch, offering Site Manager Pro from $3 per app a month and Malware Protection from $5 per app a month. Malware Protection's own page lists $4 per app for 1 to 5 apps, so the upsell quotes the higher number. "Skip for Now" is the small link at the bottom.

The order that wastes nothing: enter the code on the signup form, start the trial without a card, build and test on the free 4GB server, then add the card when you are ready to keep the site. You get the trial days, the credit lands on your first invoice, and no countdown turns into a plan you did not choose. For everything the console charges for after that, see the Cloudways setup cost guide.

Why I Kept Using Cloudways After the Promo Code Ran Out

When my $30 credit ran out back in 2022, I considered switching back to shared hosting. Three things in that first paid month made me realize I never would:

• Speed on the Lightning Stack: My site went from a 3.2s shared-hosting load to under 900ms on Cloudways Vultr HF. Cloudways' own Lightning Stack NGINX rollout pushed response times roughly 65% faster than the old Apache stack.
• No renewal trap: With Hostinger and SiteGround, the price jumps to $14.99+/mo after the intro term. With Cloudways, the price on day one is the price today. (See also Cloudways vs Kinsta for a fixed-fee comparison at the managed-WordPress tier.)
• Actual server control: SSH access, PHP memory limits, cloud provider switching, SSL management, and Cloudflare Enterprise available as a one-click add-on, all without a support ticket.

If you're running anything that generates money (a WooCommerce store, client sites, a lead generation funnel), the performance and control pays for itself inside the first month. For a full head-to-head with the closest VPS alternative, see best Cloudways alternatives.

My Final Recommendation

My advice: Start with THATMY30 for 30% off 3 months. It scales with your bill and works on both Cloudways product lines. Spin up a Vultr HF server through our migration guide, move one site, and run it for a month under real traffic. If the speed and control impress you the way they did for me, you've found your home. For a deeper look at the platform before you commit, see our full Cloudways review.

🚀 Activate THATMY30 (30% Off 3 Months)
*Applied at checkout. Card verification required.

Coupon Codes for Other Hosting Providers

If Cloudways isn't the right fit, or you want to compare Cloudways discount codes against what other hosts offer, here are the coupon pages I keep updated for every major provider:

Every coupon on those pages follows the same testing methodology I use for Cloudways: real signups, real screenshots, monthly verification. No recycled codes.

Frequently Asked Questions About Cloudways Promo Codes

These are the questions I get asked most often, both in comments and from people who email me directly.

What is the best Cloudways promo code right now?

For September 2026, our primary exclusive code is THATMY30, which gives you 30% off for 3 months. The percentage scales with your bill, so it works whether you are on a $11.00/mo starter or a $200/mo agency stack. At $11.00/mo that is $3.30/mo back in your pocket. At $100/mo it is $90 total over 3 months. Prefer a flat credit instead? CLOUDS2022 drops $30 into your Cloudways Funds balance at signup. Running a managed WordPress site on Cloudways Autonomous? THATMYCLOUD is the dedicated discount for that product line. All three are tested monthly.

Does Cloudways offer a free trial?

Yes. Every new Cloudways account gets a 3-day free trial with no credit card required. You get full dashboard access and can spin up a WordPress site instantly. 3 days is tight for a real migration or a full speed-test cycle, so most people stack a promo code on top. Use THATMY30 for 30% off your first 3 invoices, or CLOUDS2022 for $30 credit that covers roughly 2 months on a Vultr HF 1GB plan.

How do I know the Cloudways promo code actually worked?

Two clear indicators. First, a green banner appears on the signup form confirming the code applied. If you do not see it, the code did not register. Second, after logging in, open Account, then Real Time Billing. For THATMY30 you will see the 30% discount applied on your next invoice. For CLOUDS2022 you will see $30.00 under your Funds balance. If either is missing, clear cookies, switch to a fresh incognito window, and retry.

How do I cancel my Cloudways free trial?

There is no 'cancel' button because Cloudways does not work like traditional hosting. You simply delete your server: go to your server list, open the three-dots menu, and hit Delete. The billing clock stops the instant the server is removed. If you delete during the 3-day free trial, you owe nothing. No cancellation forms, no retention calls, no hidden fees.

How long does the CLOUDS2022 $30 credit actually last?

It depends on your server size and add-ons. On a DigitalOcean 1GB plan (around $11.00/mo), the $30 credit lasts about 2.7 months. On a Vultr HF 1GB plan (around $16.00/mo), about 8 weeks. If you enable offsite backups, add email hosting, or run multiple servers, the credit burns faster. Keep your setup minimal during the credit period (one server, local backups only) to maximize every dollar.

Why do I need a credit card for the code to apply?

Because the discount (or free credit) provisions real server time on real hardware (DigitalOcean, Vultr, Linode, AWS, or GCE) that costs Cloudways actual money. A card on file confirms you are a real person, not a bot. The verification is a refundable $1.00 authorization hold. It shows up and reverses within minutes. After that, your card is only charged once the discount or credit is fully consumed.

Is the Cloudways coupon code CLOUDS2022 still working in 2026?

Yes. I personally test this code on a fresh Cloudways signup every month. As of September 2026, CLOUDS2022 is active and applies the full $30 credit. If it ever stops working, this page is updated the same day. If you would rather take a percentage discount than a flat credit, use THATMY30 for 30% off for 3 months instead.