How to Create Coupon Codes in WooCommerce (Step by Step)

Coupon codes are one of the simplest ways to grow a WooCommerce store. A well-placed discount can win back an abandoned cart, reward a loyal customer, or turn a first-time visitor into a buyer who comes back again. The good news is that you do not need any extra plugin to create coupon codes in WooCommerce. The coupon system is built right into WooCommerce, and it can handle percentage discounts, fixed cart discounts, free shipping offers, minimum spend rules, usage limits, and product-specific deals. In this guide I will show you exactly where the Coupons screen lives in the dashboard, how to create your first coupon step by step, and how to configure each discount type with real store examples like WELCOME10 and FREESHIP.

Where Is the Coupons Menu in WooCommerce?

If you are following an old tutorial and cannot find Coupons under the WooCommerce menu, you are not missing anything. WooCommerce moved the Coupons screen. In current versions of WooCommerce it lives under Marketing and click Coupons. You will find it there alongside the email and ad-campaign tools. If the Coupons screen seems to be missing entirely, check under WooCommerce and click Settings, then open the General tab and make sure the Enable coupons checkbox is ticked. If that box was off, tick it and save. The Coupons menu item will appear under Marketing right away. If the dashboard layout is new to you, our beginner tour of the WordPress dashboard shows where every menu item lives.

How to Create Your First Coupon Code in WooCommerce

Creating a coupon takes less than five minutes. The flow is the same for every coupon type, so once you have done it once you can create any discount WooCommerce supports.

Step 1: Open the Coupons Screen

1. In your WordPress dashboard, go to Marketing and click Coupons.
2. Click the Add coupon button at the top of the screen.

Step 2: Set the Coupon Code and Description

1. In the Coupon code field, type the code customers will enter at checkout, for example WELCOME10. WooCommerce generates a random code if you leave it blank, but a readable code is much better for marketing.
2. Add a short description for your own reference, such as “10% off for new customers, valid in October”. Customers never see this description, but it keeps you organized when you have many coupons.

Step 3: Configure the Discount

Switch to the General tab under the coupon data panel. This is where you choose the discount type and the amount. WooCommerce offers three discount types, and I will explain each one in the next section with real examples. Pick the type, enter the amount, decide whether the coupon is free shipping, and set an expiry date if the offer should end.

Step 4: Set Usage Rules and Publish

1. Open the Usage restriction tab to add a minimum spend, restrict the coupon to specific products or categories, or exclude sale items.
2. Open the Usage limits tab to cap how many times the coupon can be used in total, or how many times one customer can use it.
3. Click Publish to make the coupon live. Your coupon is now active and customers can enter it in the coupon field on the cart and checkout pages.

Understanding the 3 Coupon Discount Types

The single most important setting is the discount type. It controls how the discount is calculated, and picking the wrong one is the most common beginner mistake.

Percentage Discount

A percentage discount takes a percentage off the cart subtotal. Enter 10 in the coupon amount for 10% off, and do not include the percent sign. This type is ideal for storewide promotions. For example, create a coupon code WELCOME10 with a 10% discount and no minimum spend to welcome new customers. It works on any order size, which makes it perfect for a first-purchase incentive. Percentage coupons scale automatically, so a 10% coupon gives a bigger absolute discount on a large order, which encourages customers to add more to their cart.

Fixed Cart Discount

A fixed cart discount takes a fixed amount off the whole cart. Enter 25 in the coupon amount for a $25 discount (or 25 in your store currency). This type is best when you want a concrete, easy-to-advertise offer like “Get $25 off orders over $150”. Pair it with a minimum spend so a $25 coupon cannot be used on a $20 order, which would wipe out your margin. A real example: a store selling phone accessories creates BIGSAVE25, a fixed cart discount of $25 with a $150 minimum spend. The fixed amount feels more generous to shoppers than a percentage on higher-priced items.

Fixed Product Discount

A fixed product discount takes a fixed amount off each qualifying product in the cart, not the cart total. If you set it to $5 and the customer buys three eligible items, they get $15 off. This type is useful when you want to discount specific products rather than the whole order. It pairs naturally with product or category restrictions, which I will cover in the restrictions section below.

If you are setting up a store that takes cash on delivery, you may also want to read our guide on setting up cash on delivery in WooCommerce, since coupons combine well with the COD payment method that many customers prefer.

How to Create a Free Shipping Coupon

Free shipping is often the strongest coupon offer of all, because shipping costs are the top reason customers abandon carts. WooCommerce handles this with a checkbox rather than a discount type. Create a coupon as usual, then on the General tab tick the Allow free shipping box. This grants free shipping to anyone who applies the coupon, provided at least one free shipping method is available in your shipping zones. Important: the checkbox does not create a shipping method on its own. You must already have a free shipping method configured under WooCommerce and Settings, then Shipping. Without it, the coupon does nothing. A classic example: FREESHIP, a coupon with a 0 discount amount, free shipping enabled, and a $75 minimum spend. The customer pays full price for the products but skips the shipping fee, which feels like a real win and still protects your margin on small orders.

Setting Usage Restrictions the Smart Way

The Usage restriction tab is where you protect your margins. Every coupon you publish for the public should have at least one restriction, or someone will eventually find a way to use it that you did not intend.

• Minimum spend: enter an amount like 100 so the coupon only applies to orders above that total. This is the single most important restriction for fixed discounts. Set the minimum spend comfortably above the coupon value so the offer always stays profitable.
• Maximum spend: optional, but useful when a percentage coupon could get expensive on very large orders. A 20% coupon on a $2,000 order costs you $400, so cap it if your store sells high-ticket items.
• Products and categories: restrict the coupon to specific products or categories with the Products and Product categories fields. This is how you run a “20% off all shoes” sale without discounting the whole store. You can also use the Exclude products fields to protect new arrivals or low-margin items from a storewide coupon.
• Exclude sale items: tick this box so the coupon cannot be stacked on products that are already discounted. Without it, a customer can combine a 30% sale price with a 20% coupon and you lose money on every order.
• Allowed emails: limit the coupon to specific email addresses or domains. This is how you create a genuine VIP coupon, for example limiting LOYAL20 to your repeat customers. You can even allow a whole domain like *@company.com for a corporate offer.

Controlling Usage with Limits and Expiry Dates

The Usage limits tab stops a coupon from being abused. The Usage limit per coupon field caps the total number of redemptions across all customers. Set it to 100 for a flash sale so you know your maximum exposure before the campaign starts. The Usage limit per user field caps redemptions per customer. Set it to 1 for a welcome coupon so each customer can use WELCOME10 exactly once. Then set a Coupon expiry date on the General tab. An expiry date creates urgency in your marketing (“ends Sunday night”) and guarantees the offer cannot haunt you two years later. For one-time or short campaigns, always combine a per-user limit of 1 with an expiry date. For stores targeting Pakistan, where mobile wallets are popular, our guide on accepting JazzCash and Easypaisa in WooCommerce pairs well with coupon strategies, since wallet customers respond strongly to discount codes.

Common Coupon Mistakes to Avoid

• Forgetting to publish: a coupon saved as a draft does not work at checkout. Always click Publish and then test it on the cart page yourself before announcing it.
• No minimum spend on fixed discounts: a $20 fixed coupon with no minimum spend can be used on a $22 order, leaving you with almost nothing. Always pair fixed discounts with a minimum spend.
• Allowing coupons on sale items: unless you intend to stack discounts, tick Exclude sale items. Double discounts are the fastest way to lose money on a promotion.
• Unclear codes: codes like X7Q2 are hard to remember and hard to type on a phone. Use readable uppercase codes like WELCOME10 or FREESHIP that customers can recall from an ad or an email.
• Never testing: add a product to the cart, apply the coupon, and walk through to the payment step. Confirm the discount math, the minimum spend rule, and the expiry behavior all work as expected.

For a deeper look at how WooCommerce handles every coupon setting, the official WooCommerce coupon management documentation covers each field in detail, and the general WordPress documentation on wordpress.org is a good reference for dashboard basics.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I create a coupon code that applies automatically without customers entering it?

WooCommerce coupons need to be entered in the coupon field by default. If you want an automatic discount, use a plugin that applies coupons by URL or schedule, or simply run the promotion as a sale price on the products instead. Sale prices apply automatically with no code needed.

How many coupon codes can I create in WooCommerce?

There is no limit. You can create as many coupons as you want, and WooCommerce handles them all from the same Marketing and Coupons screen. For large campaigns, use clear descriptions so you can tell the coupons apart later.

Can a customer use two coupon codes on one order?

Yes, WooCommerce allows multiple coupons per order by default. If you want to prevent stacking, set usage restrictions or use a plugin that limits orders to one coupon at a time.

Why is my coupon code not working at checkout?

The most common causes are: the coupon is still a draft and not published, the expiry date has passed, the cart does not meet the minimum spend, or the products in the cart are excluded by the usage restrictions. Check each of these in the coupon edit screen.

Last updated: October 2026.