pch.com
PCH.com is the website of Publishers Clearing House, a long-running U.S. company known for sweepstakes, prizes, games, shopping, and its famous Prize Patrol.
What is PCH.com?
Publishers Clearing House, often called PCH, started in 1953 as a direct-to-consumer business.
The company added sweepstakes in 1967, and its Prize Patrol became a well-known part of the brand years later.
PCH.com launched in 1999 as the company moved more of its business and prize promotions online.
Today, the site mixes shopping with digital entertainment and chance-based prize promotions.
PCH also describes itself as a direct-to-consumer company that uses data and personalized offers to engage its audience.
How does PCH.com make money?
PCH.com is not simply a website that gives away money.
Its business includes online shopping, paid membership plans, digital reward packs, advertising-supported entertainment, and prize promotions.
This mix matters because the large prizes attract attention, while shopping and other paid services provide ways for the company to earn revenue.
The current site also promotes games and videos that can be used to earn entries in certain promotions.
That makes PCH.com closer to a shopping and entertainment platform built around sweepstakes than a simple contest page.
Do you have to buy something to win?
PCH states that a purchase is not necessary to enter or win its giveaways.
Its rules also say that making a purchase does not improve a person's chances of winning.
That distinction has been important in PCH's history.
The U.S. Federal Trade Commission accused PCH of using website designs and marketing that made some consumers think purchases were needed to enter or could improve their chances.
PCH agreed to an $18.5 million settlement and changes to its online business practices.
In April 2025, the FTC said it sent more than $18 million in refund checks to over 281,000 eligible PCH customers.
So it is useful to separate PCH's current stated rules from the company's past regulatory problems.
Who can enter the current PCH giveaways?
The current PCH.com pages say its giveaways are limited to people who are at least 21 years old.
They also say entrants must be legal U.S. residents who are physically living in the United States when they enter and meet the other requirements in the specific rules.
Because these are age-restricted, chance-based promotions, anyone under 21 should not try to enter or work around those restrictions.
The exact rules can also vary by promotion, so older information about PCH eligibility may not match the rules currently displayed on PCH.com.
Is every PCH prize message real?
No.
Scammers often pretend to represent Publishers Clearing House because the PCH name is strongly connected with large prizes.
The FTC warned in 2026 that scammers may call people and claim they have won a PCH prize before demanding money for taxes, shipping, processing, or another fake fee.
The basic warning is simple: a real prize should not require you to send money first.
PCH's own rules similarly state that it does not require a winner to pay money, taxes, fees, or other charges to collect a legitimate prize.
Someone demanding gift cards, bank transfers, cryptocurrency, or payment information to release a supposed prize is showing a major scam warning sign.
What is the main thing to understand about PCH.com?
PCH.com belongs to a real company with a long history, but that does not mean every message using the PCH name is genuine.
It also does not erase the FTC's documented action over PCH's earlier online marketing practices.
The safest way to understand the site is to separate three things: the real PCH company, its current age-restricted sweepstakes business, and unrelated scammers who impersonate the company.
For younger users, the key point is even simpler: the current promotions state a minimum age of 21, so PCH's sweepstakes should be treated as adult-only activities rather than a way to make money online.