Automatic discounts

The Automatic discounts lets you apply automatic discounts created in Shopify to subscription orders in Recharge.

This guide explains how the feature works and how to manage your automatic discounts.

How it works

Automatic discounts are created and managed in Shopify. You can configure automatic discounts to apply to both one-time and subscription purchases. With this feature, automatic discounts apply to both checkout and recurring orders.

Recharge imports the automatic discount in one of two ways:

• A customer completes their checkout order with the automatic discount applied
• You sync the discount to Recharge using the discount importer

Once imported, the discount automatically applies to eligible future subscription orders.

Applying an automatic discount to existing subscriptions

By default, automatic discounts apply only to new subscriptions created at checkout. You can edit your discount in the Recharge merchant portal so that Recharge:

• Evaluates active subscriptions against the discount’s eligibility rules
• Applies the discount to eligible subscriptions

Recharge must regenerate applicable upcoming orders to apply the discount to eligible subscriptions. Processing time for this step depends on the number of eligible subscriptions. 

Disabling or reactivating a discount

If you disable the discount in Recharge, it is removed from subscription orders. To stop the discount from applying at checkout, you must also deactivate it in Shopify.

If you reactivate the discount in Recharge, it will reapply to eligible subscriptions that previously had the automatic discount applied. If previously set to apply to existing subscriptions, Recharge will also evaluate newly eligible subscriptions and apply the discount accordingly.

Automatic discount expiration

If you set an expiration date for the automatic discount in Shopify, Recharge automatically removes the discount from existing subscriptions when that date passes.

If you reactivate an expired automatic discount in Recharge, Recharge removes the expiration date so the discount can continue applying to eligible subscriptions.

You cannot set a new expiration date in Recharge. To remove the discount from existing subscriptions in the future, you must manually deactivate it.

Set up automatic discounts

Step 1 – Create and configure the automatic discount in Shopify

Create the automatic discount in Shopify and ensure it applies to recurring purchases. You cannot create automatic discounts in Recharge.

1. Log in to your Shopify admin.

2. Go to Discounts.

3. Click Create discount and select the discount type you wish to create.

4. Choose Automatic discount as the discount method type.

5. Configure the discount details (value, eligibility rules, collection, etc.).

6. Ensure the discount is set to apply to both one-time and subscription purchases, or just subscription purchases, under Purchase type.

7. Save the discount.

After you save the discount code in Shopify, it will appear in the Discounts section of your Recharge merchant portal the first time it applies to a subscription checkout order. Alternatively, you can use the Shopify discount importer to add the automatic discount to Recharge immediately.

Optional – Edit the automatic discount into Recharge

By default, once enabled, the automatic discount code applies only to subscription orders created during checkout. You can edit the automatic discount in Recharge to apply to existing subscriptions. 

1. From your Recharge merchant portal, select Discounts and click Automatic discounts.

2. Select the automatic discount.

3. Click Apply to existing subscriptions.

4. Confirm your selection.

Recharge will evaluate eligible subscriptions and regenerate affected upcoming orders.

Use cases

Review the following use cases to understand how other merchants use automatic discounts to reward customers:

Considerations

Consider the following when using Shopify's automatic discounts for checkout and recurring orders: