How to set up Stripe coupons?
As a seller, you can create a coupon code that your customers can apply at checkout to receive a discount.
For example, if you charge $100 per month for a membership subscription, you could create a coupon code, such as 10PERCENTOFF, which offers a 10% discount. When your customers enter this code during checkout, they will only need to pay $90 instead of the full $100.
In this article we’ll show you how to use Stripe coupons and promotion codes in WP Full Pay.
Learn how to fix Stripe coupon code not working.
Stripe coupons and promotion codes - what is the difference?
Stripe offers both coupons and promotions to help businesses provide discounts, but they serve slightly different purposes and are applied in different contexts.
- Coupons: Coupons in Stripe are codes that you can apply to individual subscriptions or checkout sessions to provide a discount. These discounts can be either a percentage off the total amount or a fixed amount off. Coupons are generally used for one-off products and recurring billing (such as subscription services) and are applied directly by the customer at the time of purchase by entering a specific code.
- Promotions: Promotions in Stripe refer to a broader category that includes automatic discounts and can be used without a code. You can set conditions under which these discounts apply automatically, such as during a sale period, for specific products, or for specific customer segments. Promotions offer you more flexibility in application and can automatically trigger under specific conditions without needing any interaction from your customers.
In essence, coupons are code-based and need to be entered by your customers often used for recurring discounts on subscriptions, while promotions can be automatic and are used for more general discount strategies across various types of sales.
There are some differences between coupons and promotion codes, detailed in following table:
| Characteristic | Coupon | Promotion code |
| Stripe Billing required | No | Yes |
| Inline form support | Yes | Yes |
| Checkout form support | No | Yes |
| Case sensitive | Yes | No |
How to set up coupons?
In a nutshell, you need to complete the following steps to use coupons:
- Create a coupon on the Stripe Dashboard
- Create a promotion code for the coupon (if need be)
- Enable the coupon field on your form
The following sections will describe these steps in detail.
How to create a coupon?
1) Choose the API mode in which you’d like to create the coupon in the top-left corner of the Stripe dashboard:
Why the API mode matters?
Coupons created in test mode won’t be available in live mode, and vice versa.
2) You can create a coupon on the Products -> Coupons page of the Stripe dashboard, press the +New button:
3) On the “Create a coupon” page, enter the coupon’s parameters:
| Setting | Description |
|---|---|
| Name | The name of the coupon that customers can use to redeem the coupon. It will appear on receipts and invoices as well. |
| ID | Enter the name of the coupon here is well. (Otherwise the plugin won’t be able to find this coupon) |
| Type | Determines whether a coupon discounts the price by a fixed amount or by a percentage. |
| Percentage off or Discount amount | Indicates how much the coupon actually discounts. If you sell in multiple currencies, a single coupon can define different discount amounts for different currencies. |
Apply to specific products (optional) |
Limits the type of items that the coupon can apply to. |
| Duration | Indicates how long the coupon is valid for. |
Redemption limis (optional) |
Allows you to limit when a customer can redeem the coupon and the number of times a coupon can be redeemed. |
Codes (optional) |
Allows you to create promotion codes for the coupon. |
Once a coupon is created, you’d need to enable the coupon field on the form, see below.
How to create a promotion code?
Promotion code is a Stripe premium feature
This feature is only available for paid Stripe Billing users.
You can create a promotion code as part of the coupon creation process, see above. You can also add a promotion code to an existing coupon, follow these steps:
1) Go to the Products / Coupons page on the Stripe dashboard.
2) Click on the coupon you’d like to add the promotion code to.
3) On the “Coupon details” page, press the +Add a promotion code button:
4) In the “Add promotion code” dialog, enter the promotion code’s parameters:
| Setting | Description |
|---|---|
| Code | The name of the promotion code that customers can use to redeem the code. |
Eligible for first-time order only (optional) |
This code will be eligible for customers who have never made a purchase |
Limit to a specific customer (optional) |
Select the only customer who can redeem the code |
Limit the number of times this code can be redeemed (optional) |
Enter how many times the code can be redeemed |
Add an expiration date (optional) |
Set the data and time of the expiry |
Require minimum order value (optional) |
The promotion code is rejected unless the order value reaches this amount |
Once a promotion code is created, you’d need to enable the coupon field on the form, see below.
Enable the coupon field on your form
The last is to enable the coupon field on the payment or subscription form.
You can enable the coupon field on the “Form fields” tab of the form, turn on the “Show coupon field” option:
Troubleshooting
The coupon code cannot be redeemed
Please check the following:
1) Make sure that the coupon has been created in the API mode the plugin is in right now.
2) Coupons are case-sensitive, please check the coupon code.
3) The coupon might be applicable only to specific products, please check the coupon settings.
4) Make sure that the coupon hasn’t expired yet, please check the promotion code settings.
The promotion code cannot be redeemed
1) Make sure that the coupon of the promotion code has been created in the API mode the plugin is in right now.
2) Make sure that the promotion code hasn’t expired yet, please check the promotion code settings.
Learn how to fix Stripe coupon code not working.
Stripe coupon code not working?
If a Stripe coupon code isn't working, here are steps you can follow to fix the issue:
1. Check if the coupon is valid
- Expiration date: Make sure the coupon hasn’t expired. You can find the expiration date in your Stripe dashboard.
- Maximum uses: Confirm that the coupon hasn’t reached its limit for the number of times it can be used.
- Restrictions: Some coupons only work for certain products, customers, or plans. Verify that the coupon applies to the correct item.
2. Review how the coupon is being applied
- Correct entry: Double-check that the coupon code is entered correctly, without any spelling mistakes, extra spaces, or capitalization errors.
- Applicable plans or products: Ensure the coupon is valid for the product or subscription being purchased.
- One-time or recurring: Confirm whether the coupon is set for a one-time use or recurring discount and apply it accordingly.
3. Check coupon rules and restrictions
- Customer eligibility: Some coupons are limited to specific customers or customer groups. Ensure the coupon is valid for the user trying to apply it.
- Usage limits: If the coupon is set for one-time use per customer, make sure the customer hasn’t already redeemed it.
- Combining coupons: Some setups don’t allow multiple coupons to be used together. Check if there’s a conflict with other discounts.
4. Check API or integration issues
- Integration setup: If you're using Stripe’s API, verify that the coupon code is being passed correctly and that it’s being applied as expected.
- Coupon in the right mode: Ensure the coupon is available in the correct mode (test mode or live mode) based on the environment where you're applying it.
5. Review coupon settings in Stripe
- Incorrect settings: Go back to the Stripe dashboard and confirm that the coupon settings (like discount amount or percentage) are set up correctly.
- Duplicate codes: Check if there are duplicate coupon codes with different settings, which might be causing a conflict.
6. Look for error messages
- If there are any error messages, review them and check Stripe’s documentation to find out what the problem might be.