Footpatrol raffle guide: how the app draws work
This is the Footpatrol raffle guide we give new members. It covers how the Footpatrol app draw works, what you need set up before entries open, and how to avoid the mistakes that void an entry.
Footpatrol is the London boutique inside the JD Sports group. It gets smaller allocations than JD or Size?, so it is worth understanding on its own.
How the Footpatrol raffle works
Footpatrol runs its limited releases through the Footpatrol app. Nothing limited sells on the website at 8am any more. If a release is hyped, it is a draw.
The pattern is the same every time:
- The release appears in the app under launches, usually a few days ahead.
- Entries open for a window. Typically 24 to 72 hours.
- You pick a size and confirm your delivery and payment details.
- The window closes. Winners are drawn at random.
- Winners get a push notification and an email. Losers get an email too, usually a little later.
Speed has nothing to do with it. Entering in the first minute and entering in the last hour go into the same pot. Set a reminder for the close, not the open.
What you need before entries open
- A Footpatrol account, made in advance. Register in the app with your real name, your real address and a phone number you can answer. Accounts made during the entry window are usually accepted, but a settled account with an order or two on it does no harm.
- A card saved to the account. Footpatrol places a payment authorisation when you enter. The card must have the funds available or the entry fails on the spot.
- Push notifications switched on. Winners are told through the app first. Missing that message is the most common way to lose a pair you won.
- Your size decided. You choose one size per entry and cannot change it after the window closes.
The payment hold
This catches people out. When you enter a Footpatrol raffle, the app takes a pre-authorisation for the full price of the shoe. Your bank shows it as pending. If you lose, the hold drops off within a few days, depending on the bank. If you win, it converts to a charge.
Two practical points follow from that.
First, the money is tied up while the draw runs. Enter five raffles at £160 each and £800 of your balance is unavailable for most of a week. Plan for it.
Second, a card with insufficient funds gets rejected at entry, not at the draw. Check the balance before you tap confirm.
Odds, honestly
Footpatrol gets boutique allocations. A hyped Jordan or Dunk release might be a few dozen pairs across all sizes. Entries run into the thousands. Your odds on any single Footpatrol draw are poor and there is no trick that changes that.
What does change over a year is breadth. If the same pair is on Footpatrol, Size?, JD, Footasylum and three skate shops, one honest entry at each is seven chances instead of one. Most people enter two. That gap is the entire edge available to you.
A small pattern worth knowing: releases labelled as a restock in the app title usually carry very little stock. Enter them anyway. It takes a minute. Just do not expect much.
Why Footpatrol voids entries
Footpatrol and the wider JD group check entries for duplicates. Two entries that share a name, address, card or phone number get treated as one person, and they usually cancel all of them rather than keep one.
Things that get entries removed:
- The same delivery address on more than one account.
- A card already used on another entry for the same release.
- A billing address that does not match the card.
- A parcel forwarder or reshipping warehouse as the delivery address.
Trying to work around any of that is how people lose their account. One entry, real details, done.
After you win
The win email says how long you have. Usually the payment is already taken from the hold, so you do not need to do anything except wait for the dispatch email. Some releases are collection only from the Soho shop, and the app makes that clear before you enter. Read the launch page. If it says in-store collection and you live in Aberdeen, skip it.
Is a Footpatrol win worth money?
Sometimes. Check what the pair sells for before you enter, not after you win. A pair listed at £120 that resells at £140 leaves you nothing after fees and postage. A pair that resells at £250 is worth the entry. Plenty of releases sit under retail within a month.
If you want the shoes to wear, none of that matters.
Quick checklist
| Item | Footpatrol |
|---|---|
| Where you enter | Footpatrol app |
| Account required | Yes |
| Payment taken at entry | Pre-authorisation, converted if you win |
| Entry window | Typically 24 to 72 hours |
| Does speed matter | No |
| Duplicate entries | Voided, all of them |
| How winners are told | App push and email |
Common questions
How do you enter a Footpatrol raffle?
Download the Footpatrol app, create an account with your real details, save a payment card, and open the launches section. Pick the release, choose your size, and confirm. A payment hold is placed at entry and converts to a charge only if you win.
Does Footpatrol charge you when you enter a raffle?
Footpatrol places a pre-authorisation for the full price when you enter. It shows as pending on your bank statement. If you lose, the hold is released within a few days. If you win, it becomes the payment and the shoes are dispatched.
Can I enter a Footpatrol raffle more than once?
No. Footpatrol checks name, address, card and phone across entries and removes duplicates. In practice they cancel every matching entry rather than keep one, and repeat offenders lose their account. One honest entry per person is the only approach that lasts.
When does Footpatrol announce raffle winners?
Winners usually hear within a day of the entry window closing, by push notification and email. Losing entries get an email too, sometimes a few hours later. If you have heard nothing after two days, check the app, because the notification can fail to arrive.
Are Footpatrol raffle odds better than JD Sports?
Per pair, no. Footpatrol has a much smaller allocation. Per entrant it is closer than people expect, because fewer people know to enter. The honest answer is that neither is good, and entering both is what improves your chances.
Where this fits
Footpatrol shares its app system and its duplicate checks with Size? and JD Sports, so if you enter one, enter all three. The wider picture, including which retailers are worth your time, is in UK sneaker raffles explained. Paragn Network members get raffle reminders and a release calendar, which is mostly what stops people missing the close.