> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.macropay.ai/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Discounts

> Run promos and coupons on any product or subscription — tax-correct, MoR-handled, code or auto-applied

A discount lowers the price a customer pays at checkout. Because Macropay is your **merchant of record**, you set the promo and we handle the rest: the sales tax / VAT is recalculated on the discounted total, remitted on your behalf, and your tax liability stays capped. Discounts work the same way on one-time products and on subscriptions, so a single coupon can power a launch sale, a partner offer, or a win-back campaign.

<img className="block dark:hidden" src="https://mintcdn.com/macrodeepinc/S4T0jM7ZWV5HVLft/assets/features/discounts/create.light.png?fit=max&auto=format&n=S4T0jM7ZWV5HVLft&q=85&s=d210dfd989ba4ec284d8e702a15b9ea6" width="2598" height="1710" data-path="assets/features/discounts/create.light.png" />

<img className="hidden dark:block" src="https://mintcdn.com/macrodeepinc/S4T0jM7ZWV5HVLft/assets/features/discounts/create.dark.png?fit=max&auto=format&n=S4T0jM7ZWV5HVLft&q=85&s=d8b3cc157bd8841ad8ca1f9d63f20b97" width="2414" height="1702" data-path="assets/features/discounts/create.dark.png" />

## Create a discount

Open the **Products** page in the dashboard and switch to the **Discounts** tab. Each discount is defined by a few fields.

| Field                     | What it does                                                                                                                                                               |
| ------------------------- | -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| **Name**                  | Shown to the customer once the discount is applied.                                                                                                                        |
| **Code**                  | Optional, case-insensitive coupon the customer types in (e.g. `SPRING25`). Leave it blank to make the discount code-less — applicable only via a Checkout Link or the API. |
| **Percentage discount**   | Takes a percentage off the product or subscription price.                                                                                                                  |
| **Fixed amount discount** | Subtracts a flat amount from the price.                                                                                                                                    |

### Recurring behavior

For subscriptions, choose how long a percentage discount keeps applying:

* **Once** — applied to the first invoice only.
* **Several months** — applied for a fixed number of billing cycles, then full price resumes.
* **Forever** — applied indefinitely for the life of the subscription.

### Restrictions

Tighten where and when a discount can be redeemed:

* **Products** — limit the discount to specific products. By default it covers every product, including ones you create *after* the discount.
* **Starts at** — the discount becomes redeemable on this date.
* **Ends at** — the discount stops being redeemable after this date.
* **Maximum redemptions** — cap the total number of times the discount can be used.

<Tip>
  Pair **Maximum redemptions** with **Ends at** for a true "first 100 customers before Friday" launch offer — once either limit is hit, the code stops working automatically.
</Tip>

## Apply a discount

There are three ways to get a discount onto a customer's checkout.

### 1. Auto-apply via a Checkout Link

When you build a [Checkout Link](/features/checkout/links), you can attach a discount that applies the moment a customer lands on the page — no code to type, no chance they forget it. This is the cleanest path for a campaign where you want the price guaranteed: a Product Hunt launch link, an affiliate partner's URL, or a newsletter promo.

<Info>
  Code-less discounts can only be applied through a Checkout Link or the API. If you want customers to enter a coupon manually, give the discount a **Code**.
</Info>

### 2. Prefill a code via query parameter

Append a `discount_code` query parameter to any Checkout Link to prefill the coupon field:

```
https://buy.macropay.ai/c/your-link?discount_code=SPRING25
```

This only fills in the field — the customer still sees the code in the form and can change or remove it. Use it when you want the offer visible (and editable) rather than silently baked in.

### 3. Apply programmatically via the Checkout API

Create a Checkout Session and pass the discount yourself. Handy for AI agents and apps that assemble a personalized cart — for example, an upgrade flow that grants a loyalty coupon based on a customer's usage:

```bash theme={null}
curl -X POST https://api.macropay.ai/v1/checkouts/ \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $MACROPAY_API_KEY" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{
    "products": ["prod_team_seat"],
    "discount_id": "disc_spring25",
    "customer_email": "ada@example.dev"
  }'
```

See the [Checkout Session reference](/features/checkout/session) for the full payload, including how to pin the discount so the customer can't swap it out.

<Note>
  However a discount is applied, Macropay stays the seller of record on the customer's statement and remits the correct tax on the *discounted* amount — you never reconcile VAT against a coupon yourself.
</Note>