---
title: "Signing In to the Microsite With a Verification Code"
description: "Coming soon: guests sign in to your microsite with a one-time code sent to their email or phone, and returning guests' details fill in automatically."
url: "https://help.aesauctions.com/article/n00vyzb50m-signing-in-to-the-microsite-with-a-verification-code"
category: "Coming Soon"
updated_at: "2026-10-30T21:58:58Z"
---

# Signing In to the Microsite With a Verification Code

**Coming soon.** This feature is arriving in an upcoming release of the event microsite. Until then, guests check out, donate items and accept tickets the way they do today.

Guests will soon start with just their email address or cell phone number, then confirm it with a one-time verification code. AES fills in their details from the record they already have in your organization, so returning supporters don't retype everything and you see far fewer duplicate contributors.

**This article covers:**

- Where guests will see it
- How signing in works
- How returning guests are matched
- Invited guests and express check-in
- What changes in your contributor records

### Where guests will see it on the Microsite

Guests who aren't already signed in on the microsite are asked for a verification code when they:

- Click the new sign in button in the main menu
- Check out for any purchases
- Use the [**Donate an Item**](/article/iqygkw3k6z-collecting-in-kind-donation-items-via-the-microsite) form to give an in-kind donation
- [**Accept a ticket**](/article/qrl5mrctt3-accept-tickets-messaging-template) a host sent them
- Complete [**Express Check-In**](/article/vtmamoahvn-express-check-in)

### How signing in works

1. When its time to log in, the guest enters their email address or cell phone number. ![](https://files.helpdocs.io/va4glpkhhk/articles/n00vyzb50m/1793393034502/image.png)
2. AES sends a verification code by email or text message, depending on what they entered.
3. The guest enters the code.![](https://files.helpdocs.io/va4glpkhhk/articles/n00vyzb50m/1793393282446/image.png)
4. Once verified, their contact details appear, filled in from their existing record when AES finds one. They can update anything that's changed, such as a new address, and then continue.

There is a fallback for guests that are having trouble receiving the verification code. They can skip this step and create a new account which you can [Merge](/article/j3c8qbghyg-merging-duplicate-contributors) later in Auction Conductor if it causes a duplicate.

**Where codes come from.** Emailed codes come from no-reply@aesauctions.org. Texted codes come from 22395, not your event's usual texting number. If a guest can't find their code, ask them to check their spam folder or their texts from 22395.

![](https://files.helpdocs.io/va4glpkhhk/articles/n00vyzb50m/1793397525650/image.png)

### How returning guests are matched

Once the code is confirmed, AES looks for records with that email address or cell phone number across all events in your organization, including this one.

- **One person found:** AES uses that person's most recent record and fills in their details. If they appear in several events, only the most recent record is used.
- **Different people found:** When family members share an email address or phone, for example, the guest sees the profiles with different names and picks their own. They can then select which one they wish to use to complete the login.
- **No one found:** Only the email address or cell phone is filled in. The guest completes the rest, and AES creates a new contributor.

### Invited guests and express check-in

When a host assigns a ticket during checkout, AES looks for an existing record with the same first and last name and the same email address or cell phone number, and uses it when it finds one.

When the guest accepts their ticket, they confirm their email address or phone with a code, then choose which profile is theirs. If the host's details matched an existing record, it's already selected at the top of the list. Guests who go straight to express check-in without accepting their ticket follow the same steps.

When a guest picks an existing profile, the record created from the host's invitation is removed, so the guest keeps a single record.

### What changes in your contributor records

- **Fewer duplicates.** Returning guests are matched to the record they already have in your organization instead of getting a new one each time.
- **Contact details stay current.** When a guest updates their details while signing in, their existing record is updated.
- **Each event keeps its own activity.** Purchases, bids and payments still belong to the event where they happened.

### Frequently asked questions

- **Do smart links still work?** Yes. Guests who open a smart link from one of your messages are already signed in, so they won't be asked for a code.
- **Two people share an email address. Will one see the other's details?** Not when their names differ. After the code is confirmed, the guest picks their own profile from the list.
- **Will a guest's record from a past event be used?** Yes, if that event is in your organization. AES searches every event in your organization and uses the most recent record it finds.