This guide is for course providers setting up price reductions and applying them to bookings. A Discount is the saved rule. A promo code is the code a customer enters when that rule uses Require Promo Code. A Gift Card is different: it holds a reusable monetary balance. See Create, Sell and Redeem Gift Cards.
Customers enter codes during a new public course checkout. Administrators choose the saved Discount with Add Discount when creating or editing an eligible order; they do not type the code.
Discounts apply to eligible course items only. They do not reduce custom items under Other Items, such as room hire or an administration fee. If a discount makes the course free but a custom charge remains, that charge still has to be paid. For those items, see Create an Order and Request Payment.
Open Discounts
You need System Admin access to create, edit or delete Discounts.
Open Discounts in the Admin dashboard. If it is hidden from the left menu, check More → Discounts. If you still cannot open it, ask a System Admin for help.
Select New Discount, or Create Discount when the list is empty.
Example only: the list shows sample Discounts. Discounts in the left menu and New Discount are outlined.
Create a Discount
1. Add the basic information
In Basic Information, enter a required Name that staff can recognise.
Optionally add an Internal Note. This is for administrators; public wording is entered later under Visibility.
Example field values only: choose a name and note for your own offer.
2. Set the calculation
Under Calculation → Discount Type, choose Percentage to reduce the qualifying price by the percentage you enter, or Fixed Value to subtract the amount you enter.
Enter a value greater than zero in Percentage Amount or Fixed Amount. The Fixed Amount field shows your account currency, but Cademy applies the number without exchange-rate conversion. For example, a fixed value of 10 reduces an eligible £100 price by £10 and an eligible €100 price by €10, including a date with its own currency. Check the discount against every currency in which the selected courses or dates are sold. See Choose Currencies for Courses, Memberships and Gift Cards.
In a public basket, a fixed reduction applies to each qualifying course selection, rather than once to the entire basket. Multiple eligible Discounts are calculated against the same qualifying price; their combined deduction is capped at that price. Two percentage Discounts are not applied one after the other to an already reduced amount. Always check the final checkout total, including tax and fees.
Example only: this field shows a 50% reduction. Choose the amount appropriate for your offer.
3. Choose the application method
Choose Automatically for a Discount that does not need a code. It applies when the course, availability and checkout criteria qualify.
Alternatively, choose Require Promo Code and enter the required Promo Code. The customer must enter it during public checkout and meet the eligibility rules.
Example only: SUMMER2026 is a sample code, not a code customers should copy from this guide.
4. Choose the courses
Under Applies To, choose one option:
All courses.
All courses except..., then select the exclusions under Exclude these courses. With no exclusions selected, all courses remain included.
Specific courses only, then choose at least one course under Select courses.
Courses in specific collections, then choose at least one collection under Select collections.
Example only: the selected course shows how a specific-course rule is entered.
5. Add optional eligibility criteria
Leave Criteria empty when no additional customer or basket conditions are needed. Course and availability rules still apply. Select Add Criteria to choose a field, operator and value:
Checkout Total: the selected price options and add-ons across the basket, before discounts, fees and any added VAT. This is not necessarily the final amount the customer pays.
Checkout Spaces: the total requested spaces across the basket’s course selections.
Contact Tag: tags on the contact making the booking. This does not check each attendee’s tags.
Organisation Tag: tags on the organisation linked to that booker’s contact.
For a numeric rule, choose a comparison such as is greater than and enter the number. For a tag rule, use is any of to match at least one selected tag, or is none of to exclude those tags, then select the tags. The tags are read from the Contact and organisation records each time someone checks out, so adding or removing a tag there changes who gets the Discount. See how to add and remove tags.
Use Add Condition for another rule. Click the AND or OR badge between rules to change their relationship: AND requires every rule in that group; OR requires at least one. Add Group creates a separate group whose rules can use their own relationship.
For example, to require a basket above £100 and at least three spaces, set Checkout Total → is greater than → 100 and Checkout Spaces → is greater than or equal to → 3, joined with AND. Changing that AND to OR allows either condition to qualify. This is an illustrative rule for a GBP checkout; check it against your intended offer before saving.
Example only: two sample rules are joined by AND. The AND badge, Add Condition and Add Group are outlined.
Checkout Total is also a numeric condition. A threshold of 100 does not convert between currencies: check what it means for each booking currency. If the same reduction or threshold is not suitable across currencies, restrict the Discount to appropriate courses or use a percentage reduction where suitable. A course restriction still includes that course’s dates.
6. Set the availability
Fixed Dates shows From, to and a timezone selector. Leaving both dates empty removes the fixed start and end boundaries. Course and eligibility rules still apply.
Confirm precise start and expiry timing with Support before advertising a timed offer. Do not rely on the displayed timezone or assume the offer lasts until the end of the selected end date. If an existing Discount’s dates appear blank or differ from the list, stop before saving and ask Support to check them.
Relative to Course Start uses Available starting and Available until. Enter non-negative whole numbers of days before the selected course start:
For a window from 30 days before the course until 7 days before it, enter 30 for Available starting and 7 for Available until.
When both fields are filled, Available starting must be greater than or equal to Available until.
A blank field removes that boundary. 0 means the course start time; the calculation uses 24-hour days counted back from that time.
A selected course start date is required even if both relative fields are blank. For a course without a selected start date, use Fixed Dates instead.
Example only: Relative to Course Start is selected, with 30 in Available starting and 7 in Available until.
7. Choose what customers can see
Under Visibility, choose whether to enable Show discount on qualifying course page and Show discount on qualifying course checkouts. Add the optional public Label and Description explaining the offer.
These settings advertise the Discount. Hiding an automatic Discount does not stop it applying. A displayed offer is not a guarantee that it will apply: basket totals, spaces and booker tags are checked later in checkout.
Example public label and description. The selected visibility options are illustrative, not the defaults for every Discount.
8. Save the Discount
Review the amount, application method, courses, criteria, availability and public wording. Resolve any date uncertainty before saving.
Select Create Discount and check for Discount created.
Return to Discounts, reopen the saved record and check its settings. Do not share a code or announce a deadline until you have checked the intended result.
To change a saved Discount, open it, review the current values, make the required changes and select Save Discount. Check for Discount updated, then reopen it. If dates disagree with the list, contact Support before changing or saving them.
To delete a Discount, select Delete, read the Delete Discount confirmation and select Delete only when intended. The dialog states that this cannot be undone. Return to the list to check that the record is gone.
What customers see
Public course page and checkout
When the relevant Visibility option is enabled, the course page or checkout can show the public Label and Description. At Payment, eligible automatic Discounts appear under Discounts Applied:, and the summary shows the deductions. Customers should check the final total before finishing.
If you offer deposits or monthly instalments, both are worked out on the total left to pay after automatic Discounts and any promo code. When nothing is left to pay, or a part payment would be below the minimum charge, those options are not shown. See Offer and Manage Deposits and Offer and Manage Monthly Instalments.
Use a promo code during public checkout
Start a new booking from the provider’s public course page, choose the course and price option, and select a date if required.
Continue to Payment. Its step number can vary, including when Sign In is shown.
Open Apply promo code or gift card. Enter the code in Enter code... and select Apply.
Check for Voucher applied successfully! and review the updated total and deductions.
Finish the booking using an available payment method for any amount due. If the total is zero, select Continue. Check the booking confirmation.
Example only: the sample code TEAM10 is applied, and Your Basket shows the deduction and the new Total.
For a checkout with nothing to pay, the code field is hidden unless a code has already been applied. A customer can use one manually entered promo code or Gift Card at a time; eligible automatic Discounts may also apply. Existing invoice and payment-link pages have no code field. Do not ask someone with an existing order to book again to use a code.
To give a customer instructions for entering a code, send them Book a Course for Yourself or Other People.
Apply a Discount to an order
A System Admin selects a saved Discount with Add Discount, including one set to Require Promo Code. No code needs to be typed. Gift Cards are not listed here.
Check eligibility yourself before applying a Discount manually. The selector does not evaluate Checkout Total, Checkout Spaces, Contact Tag or Organisation Tag criteria. For an existing multi-course order, its available options are based on the first active course line and date; do not assume every course in the order was checked.
When creating an order
Follow Create an Order and Request Payment for the complete customer, billing, course, participant and payment choices. Before the final creation action, select Add Discount in the totals, choose the saved Discount and check which course amounts and total change. Then complete the appropriate order-creation steps and verify the saved order. Do not mark an order paid merely because you have applied a Discount.
When editing an existing order
Open Orders and select the existing order.
Select Edit Order. If Discounts are already present, review them and remove the ones being replaced; Add Discount appears only when none remain.
In the totals, select Add Discount and choose the saved Discount. Check the proposed course amounts and total.
Select Review Changes…. Read the preview and select Apply Changes when it matches the intended adjustment.
Reopen the order and verify the saved discount and invoice amounts.
Example only: the Add Discount list is open under Subtotal and shows two sample Discounts.
The selector filters for course and date availability and includes both automatic and code-based Discounts. It does not prove that the customer meets the additional Criteria. For every other change to an order, see Change an Existing Order.
Discounts and VAT are locked after payments or credits have been recorded, or when charges are split across multiple issued invoices. Controls can also be temporarily locked while payment details load or cannot be checked. Wait for loading to finish or reload after an error; contact Support if the records remain unclear.
When an eligible invoice still has an outstanding balance, its More → Add Credit Note action can reduce that balance; see Manage Credit Notes and Customer Credit for the full process. A fully paid invoice needs a suitable refund route instead, and not every payment type offers Refund. Contact Cademy Support if the required action is missing or the order has several issued invoices. A credit note or refund is a separate action, not adding a Discount.
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between a Discount and a promo code?
A Discount is the saved price-reduction rule. A promo code is the code entered to use a rule set to Require Promo Code.
Can a Discount apply without a code?
Yes. Choose Automatically. Its course, availability and eligibility rules must still qualify.
Can a Discount require a code?
Yes. Choose Require Promo Code and enter the Promo Code. Share it after saving and checking the offer.
Why is a promo code rejected?
Check the provider, course, selected date, code, availability and basket or booker criteria. If the dates or expected result are unclear, contact Support before changing the order or asking the customer to book again.
Can a customer enter a code on an invoice or payment link?
No. A System Admin may apply the saved Discount while editing an eligible order. Paid, credited or split-invoice orders can require a separate credit-note or refund process.
Can an administrator use a Discount that requires a code?
Yes. Select the saved Discount with Add Discount. Check eligibility manually; the selector does not apply the four additional Criteria.
Can Add Discount apply a Gift Card?
No. Gift Cards hold reusable balances and use a separate redemption process; see Create, Sell and Redeem Gift Cards.
Can several Discounts apply together?
Eligible automatic Discounts can combine during public checkout, with one manually entered code. They use the same qualifying price rather than successive reduced prices. The administrator’s Add Discount selector selects one saved Discount.
Can I use checkout totals or spaces as criteria?
Yes. Checkout Total uses basket price options and add-ons before discounts, fees and added VAT. Checkout Spaces counts requested spaces across the basket.
Can I restrict a Discount by contact or organisation?
Yes. Use Contact Tag for the booker’s contact or Organisation Tag for the organisation linked to that contact. These do not inspect each attendee’s tags.
Can I limit a Discount to selected courses?
Yes. Choose All courses except..., Specific courses only, or Courses in specific collections, then select the courses or collections.
What if both Fixed Dates fields are blank?
There is no fixed start or end boundary. Other rules still apply. If an existing dated Discount unexpectedly appears blank, ask Support before saving it.
Can Relative to Course Start work without a course date?
No. It requires a selected start date, even with blank boundaries. Use Fixed Dates when there is no course start date.
Can a hidden Discount still apply automatically?
Yes. Visibility controls advertising. It does not disable an automatic Discount.
Does a visible Discount always apply?
No. The final basket and booker criteria must qualify. Always review the checkout total.