Applying Coupons to Subscription Products
About Coupons for Subscriptions
You can create coupons that apply a discount not just to the initial purchase but also to the recurring payments of a subscription product. This allows you to offer promotions like a discount for the first few months or for the entire lifetime of a subscription.
Setting Up a Coupon for Recurring Discounts
Creating or Editing a Coupon
To define how a coupon applies to subscription payments:
- Go to Coupons and click Create Coupon or select an existing coupon to edit.
- In the discount settings, find and check the box labeled: "Also apply to recurring/future payments based on a duration or forever, if applicable."
- Once checked, you must select one of the following options:
- Forever: The discount will be applied to every recurring payment for the life of the subscription.
- Multiple Months: The discount will be applied for a specific number of months. When you select this, a field will appear where you can enter the desired duration in months.
How the Coupon is Applied
The behavior of the coupon depends on the type of product it is applied to.
- One-Time Products: The duration setting has no effect. The discount is applied a single time to the purchase.
- Subscription Products: The discount follows the duration you selected when creating the coupon.
- If you did not enable the recurring payments option, the discount applies to the first payment only (Once).
- If you selected Forever, the discount applies to all recurring payments.
- If you selected Multiple Months, the discount applies for the specified number of months from the subscription's start date and then stops.
Viewing Applied Coupons
After a coupon is applied, its duration is visible in the coupon management area. On the Subscription Details and Order Details pages, you will see the discount clearly described next to the payment information, such as "10% off for first 4 months" or "$10 off for all payments."
Examples
- Monthly Subscription (10-month term): A coupon set for 4 months will apply the discount to the first four monthly payments, starting from the subscription's activation or trial start date.
- Annual Subscription (3-year term): A coupon set to Forever will apply the discount to all three annual renewal payments. A coupon set for 4 months would only apply to the initial payment, as the first renewal occurs after 12 months, which is outside the 4-month window.
- Weekly Subscription (6-month term): A coupon set for 2 months will apply the discount to each weekly payment that occurs within those two months (approximately 8 payments).
Important Notes
- The subscription's billing frequency (daily, weekly, monthly, etc.) does not change how the duration is calculated. A 2-month duration means the discount applies for two calendar months from the start date.
- For subscriptions that are scheduled to start in the future, the coupon duration begins on the scheduled start date.
- For coupons created before this feature was available, the behavior remains the same. If the recurring payments option was previously enabled, it defaults to Forever. If it was disabled, the discount applies Once.