A coupon is a code the customer types in the cart to get a discount. WooCommerce ships with it, but it is switched off until you enable it, and nearly every coupon “that does not work” fails on a restriction the owner set without noticing. This article covers how to create one and how to find out why the customer says it will not take.
Creating a coupon
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Enable coupons. In WooCommerce settings, on the General tab, tick the use of coupon codes. Without it, the cart has no field to type them in.
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| 2 |
Go to Marketing, Coupons, in the WooCommerce menu, and choose add coupon. Type the code: it is what the customer will enter.
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| 3 |
Choose the discount type. A percentage of the cart, a fixed amount off the cart, or a fixed amount per product. Enter the amount and, if you wish, tick free shipping. A fixed amount uses the shop’s currency.
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Set the expiry. The expiry date ends at the end of that day. Check that the WordPress time zone, in Settings, General, is yours: a coupon that “ends today” may expire too early or too late.
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Open the restriction and limit tabs and fill in only what you really want. What each one does comes next.
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Why the coupon will not take
| Restriction |
What it does, and when it stops the customer |
| Minimum or maximum spend |
The cart must fall within that range. Usually reason number one. |
| Individual use only |
It cannot be combined with other coupons. A second coupon is refused. |
| Exclude sale items |
The discount does not apply to products that already have a sale price. |
| Products and categories |
The coupon is valid only for what you chose. A cart with other products falls outside. |
| Allowed e-mails |
It works only for the addresses on the list. If the customer types another e-mail, it fails. |
| Usage limits |
Per coupon and per customer. Once used up, the coupon stops working even within its expiry. |
| Expiry |
The date has passed, or the time zone is wrong. |
WooCommerce usually gives a message explaining why it refused the coupon. Ask the customer to tell you what it said, or try the same cart yourself. Once you have the cause, the rest is adjusting the restriction.
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If the cart or checkout are cached, coupons stop working properly. Those pages are different for each customer and should never be served from a copy. WordPress cache plugins usually exclude them by default; confirm it. See cache rules for a WordPress site.
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One code per campaign. Give everyone the same code and you will never know what brought sales. One code per newsletter, per social network or per partner shows what works. For the promotion itself, see putting products on sale, and for sending the code without burning your domain, e-mail marketing done properly.
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Does the cart accept no coupon at all, not even the simplest? Tell us the shop address and the code you tested.
Open a support ticket
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