> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.rapidcert.co.nz/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.
# Discount Management
> Creating and managing discount codes in the RapidCert admin dashboard
# Discount Management
This guide covers creating, managing, and reporting on discount codes in the RapidCert admin dashboard.
## Overview
Discount codes allow you to offer reduced pricing to companies at checkout. Discounts can be a fixed dollar amount or a percentage off, and can be scoped to specific clients, limited by usage count, or set to expire on a given date.
### Who Can Manage Discounts
| Role | Access |
| ------------------------- | --------------------------------------------- |
| **Admin** | Create, edit, delete, and report on discounts |
| **Assessor** / **Viewer** | No access |
Navigate to **Settings** in the sidebar, then select the **Discounts** tab to access discount management.
## Creating a Discount
Click **Create Discount** in the top-right corner of the Discounts tab.
Enter a custom code or click **Generate** to create a random 8-character alphanumeric code. Custom codes can be up to 20 characters. Codes are case-insensitive and must be unique.
Select **Percentage** (0–100%) or **Fixed Amount** (dollar value) and enter the discount value.
Fill in any of the optional fields below to refine how the discount applies.
Click **Save** to create the discount. It syncs to Stripe automatically.
### Discount Fields
| Field | Required | Description |
| ---------------------- | -------- | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| **Coupon Code** | Yes | Unique alphanumeric code (8 chars recommended) |
| Type | Yes | Percentage or fixed dollar amount |
| Value | Yes | Amount or percentage to discount |
| **Applicable Clients** | Yes | One or more clients the discount applies to. At least one client must be selected. |
| Start date | No | Date the code becomes active |
| Expiry date | No | Date the code stops working |
| Max uses | No | Total number of times the code can be used |
| Reason | No | Internal note explaining the discount |
| Consultant email | No | Affiliate or consultant email for kickback tracking |
| Kickback % | No | Commission rate (0–100%) paid to the consultant |
Once a discount has been synced to Stripe (i.e., a Stripe coupon has been created), the **Max Uses** and **Expiry Date** fields become read-only. This happens regardless of whether the discount has been used. Plan these values carefully before a code goes live.
## Managing Discounts
### List View
The Discounts tab shows all discount codes with their current status, type, usage count, and expiry date. You can:
* **Search** by code or reason
* **Filter** by status: Active or Inactive (expired codes appear in the list with an Expired badge but are not a separate filter option)
Discount codes are shown in order of most recently created.
### Editing a Discount
1. Click the **Edit** icon in the **Actions** column
2. Make your changes in the modal
3. Click **Save Changes**
Max uses and expiry date cannot be changed after a discount has been synced to Stripe (i.e., a Stripe coupon has been created), regardless of whether the discount has been used.
### Deleting a Discount
Click the **Delete** icon next to a discount to remove it. Deletion is a soft delete — the record is retained for reporting purposes but the code can no longer be applied at checkout.
## Discount Statuses
Discount status is derived from the discount's active flag and its configured date fields.
| Status | Description |
| ------------- | ---------------------------------------------------------- |
| **Active** | Code is valid and can be used at checkout |
| **Inactive** | Code exists but has been manually disabled |
| **Scheduled** | Code is active but the start date has not yet been reached |
| **Expired** | Past the expiry date or max uses reached |
## Usage Tracking
Each discount shows a **Uses** count on the list view. Detailed usage tracking data — including which companies have used a code — is available on the **Dashboard**.
To view discount usage:
1. Navigate to the **Dashboard**
2. Select the **Discounts & Kickbacks** tab
3. Use the **Discount Codes** subtab to see per-code usage, the companies that applied each code, and order values
## Kickback and Affiliate System
If a discount is linked to a consultant or affiliate, RapidCert tracks commission owed and paid.
### How Kickbacks Work
When a discount with a consultant email is applied at checkout, the system records:
* The order value after discount
* The kickback percentage
* The calculated commission amount
Commissions are automatically adjusted if an order is refunded — the kickback amount reflects the net revenue received.
### Marking Consultants as Paid
1. Navigate to the **Dashboard**
2. Select the **Discounts & Kickbacks** tab
3. Select the **Consultants** subtab
4. Find the consultant by email
5. Review outstanding commissions
6. Click **Mark as Paid** to record payment
## Discount Reports
Discount activity reports are available on the **Dashboard** under the **Discounts & Kickbacks** tab. This tab has four subtabs:
| Subtab | What it shows |
| ------------------ | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| **Overview** | Total discount value applied, number of uses, and period-over-period comparison |
| **Consultants** | Consultant commission tracking and payment status |
| **Discount Codes** | Per-code usage, total value discounted, and companies that applied each code |
| **Kickbacks** | Kickback amounts, payment status, and reconciliation data |
## Stripe Integration
When you save a discount in RapidCert, it is automatically synced to Stripe as a coupon with a corresponding promotion code (discounts with a zero value are not synced to Stripe). This means:
* Discounts are enforced at the payment level, not just in the UI
* Stripe processes the reduced amount directly — no manual adjustments needed
* The Stripe promotion code matches the code you set in RapidCert
If Stripe sync fails due to a network error, the discount is still created in RapidCert but will not work at checkout until the sync is retried.
### Zero-total discounts
When a discount reduces a contractor/supplier's total to \$0, the checkout behaviour depends on whether the discount is synced to Stripe:
* **Stripe-synced discounts** (percentage or fixed amount discounts that have been synced to Stripe) — the contractor/supplier is still redirected to Stripe Checkout so that Stripe records the promotion redemption and enforces usage limits. No card details are required.
* **App-only zero-total discounts** (fixed amount discounts not synced to Stripe, such as those with a \$0 value) — the evaluation is confirmed immediately without redirecting to Stripe. No card details are required.
This distinction matters when you configure **Max Uses** or **Expiry Date** on a discount intended to produce a zero-total checkout. If the discount is Stripe-synced, Stripe enforces those limits. If it is not synced, RapidCert enforces them.
### Immutability After Sync
Once a discount has been synced to Stripe (i.e., a Stripe coupon has been created), the following fields are locked, regardless of whether the discount has been used:
* **Max Uses** — Stripe tracks redemptions and cannot rewind this value
* **Expiry Date** — Stripe enforces this server-side; changes would create inconsistency
If you need to effectively change these values, deactivate the existing code and create a new one with the correct settings.
Test discount codes in your staging environment before distributing them to ensure the correct amount is applied at checkout.
## Next Steps
Configure platform settings
Manage the companies that apply discount codes