Trying to activate a 12 month Adobe Creative Cloud Phot but getting the error "this code is invalid"

I am trying to redeem a code for a 12 month Adobe Creative Cloud Photography subscription that I got with my new HP laptop. I read that the code is tied to the device, so I use my laptop. I clicked on the link in the email from HP, which automatically opens up the page for entering the code, and the code is correctly pre-filled. When I click active, I get the error " this code is invalid". What could be wrong? The account that I am logged in does not have any active subscriptions, and I didn't have a subscription before (not sure if that plays a role). What could be wrong?