Quick answer
A coupon should express one approved promotion, with explicit eligibility, usage limits, and dates. A percentage discount, fixed-cart discount, and fixed-product discount affect totals differently.
Before you start
Confirm the promotion's amount, eligible products, minimum spend, customer eligibility, sale-item policy, stacking rules, usage cap, and end time. Record the store time zone and test the promotion before distributing its code.
Steps
- Confirm coupons are enabled in WooCommerce's General settings, then open Marketing, Coupons and add a new coupon. Choose a descriptive code and the correct discount type.
- Enter the approved amount and expiry. Set restrictions for products, categories, email eligibility, minimum/maximum spend, and sale items as required by the actual promotion.
- Set total and per-user usage limits. If the coupon offers free shipping, verify that the matching shipping method also permits that condition.
- On staging, compare an eligible cart, an ineligible cart, a boundary amount, and a second coupon. Verify expiry in the store's time zone and review the customer-facing rejection message.
Verify the result
The discount amount and final totals should match the written offer. Publish the offer only after the code and terms agree; a technically valid coupon with misleading copy is still a customer problem.
Troubleshooting and recovery
If the coupon fails, check enablement, dates, eligible items, usage counts, address/email restrictions, and shipping conditions. Preserve the original coupon configuration before changing a widely distributed code.
Related help
- Add a simple WooCommerce product and check its purchase flow
- Run a WooCommerce checkout test without affecting live customers
- Prepare WooCommerce tax settings for review by your tax adviser
Official references
Reviewed October 31, 2026. Interfaces, vendor availability, and account features can change. Check your current account before making changes.
