Discount codes for subscription products are configured directly within Shopify. Shopify discount codes can be used alone or in conjunction with subscription group discounts.
Subscriptions for Shopify Checkout allows your customers to add or remove Shopify discount codes in the customer portal so you can leverage these discounts in your retention strategy.
Creating discount codes
You can configure your discount codes within the Shopify admin by navigating to the Discounts tab and selecting Create discount.
Supported discount types are as follows:
- Amount off discounts: These are discounts that give your customers a fixed value or a percentage off of the products in an order, but don't apply to shipping costs.
- Free shipping: This is an offer that deducts shipping costs. For example, free shipping on a subscription purchase.
When creating your discount code, you can choose whether you would like to have the discount available for one-time purchases, subscription purchases, or both.
Example
Discount codes can also be created for specific collections or products for a more targeted promotion.
For more information on how to create discount codes for subscriptions, please visit Shopify's Help Center.
Using discount codes
Discount codes can be applied to the initial subscription order in the checkout or to an existing subscription from within the customer portal. A subscription can only have one discount code applied at a time. If an active discount code is already applied to a subscription, it must be removed before a new one can be applied.
Discount codes that no longer valid are automatically removed from subscriptions once the order recurs or the subscription is updated.
For detailed instructions on how to add a discount code to an existing subscription, please visit the following links:
Best practices
Alert: Shopify is responsible for the validation of discount codes whether they are applied to subscriptions or one-time purchases. If you feel as though a discount code should not have applied to an order, please reach out to Shopify support.
If a discount code expires or is no longer valid, it's best to create a new discount code instead of editing the conditions of the discount code. Discount codes that no longer valid are automatically removed from subscriptions once the order recurs or the subscription is updated. An edited discount code will need to be reapplied manually.
Limitations
When using Shopify's discounts with subscriptions, please note the following limitations:
- Automatic and Buy X Get Y discounts are not eligible for subscriptions.
- Quantity based discounts can work with subscriptions, but it is important to note that they continue to apply to recurring orders even if your customer adjusts the quantity from within their customer portal and no longer meets the condition. This is because Shopify verifies the eligibility of a discount code on its first application only.
- When a discount code is applied to a subscription, the product's price does not appear discounted within the customer portal or admin.
- Discount codes with product specific conditions cause errors when swapping. This type of discount code must be removed before attempting a product swap and then reapplied after the swap is complete.
- Combined discounts are not compatible with Bold Subscriptions. While combined discounts work on the initial order, only one discount applies to recurring orders.