Discounts in Opencals let you reduce the price of bookings — either automatically at checkout or with a promo code customers type in. You can take a percentage or a fixed amount off, target specific services, staff, or locations, require a minimum purchase or appointment length, restrict who's eligible, cap how many times a discount is used, and limit it to certain hours or dates. This guide walks through the whole form.
Create a discount once and it applies to every qualifying booking. Choose Automatic to discount at
checkout with no code, or Discount code to hand out promo codes like SUMMER20. Set a percentage or
fixed amount off, add optional requirements, eligibility, and usage limits, then decide whether it's
always active or limited to a schedule.
Before you start
You'll need admin access to your Opencals dashboard. If you want a discount to apply only to certain services, staff members, or locations, set those up first so you can select them in the form.
Step 1 — Open Discounts and create one
Go to Discounts in the dashboard. The list shows every discount with its Status, Method, Value, Usage, and Validity. Click Create discount to start a new one.
| Title | Status | Method | Value | Usage | Validity |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Summer sale | active | Automatic | 20% | 48 | Scheduled |
| FIRST10 — first-time customers | active | Code | 10% | 12/100 | — |
| Black Friday | scheduled | Automatic | $25.00 | 0 | Scheduled |
| Launch promo (paused) | disabled | Code | 15% | 30/50 | — |
Status is derived automatically:
- Active — currently live and accepting redemptions.
- Scheduled — limited to a schedule whose windows are all in the future.
- Expired — limited to a schedule whose windows are all in the past.
- Disabled — manually paused. A disabled discount never applies, even if a cart qualifies.
Step 2 — Choose the method and add codes
The Method decides how customers get the discount:
Method
Choose how customers receive this discount.
Customers must enter one of these codes to apply the discount
Title
Used to identify this discount. Not shown to customers.
Automatic
Applied automatically at checkout when the conditions are met — no code required. Best for store-wide sales or off-peak deals.
Discount code
Customers enter a code to apply the discount. Best for targeted or exclusive promotions.
When you pick Discount code, a Discount codes section appears. Click Add code to add one or more
codes (for example SUMMER20 and a SUMMER20-VIP variant) — every code shares the same rule, value, and
limits. Remove a code with the delete icon beside it. Codes are matched case-insensitively and must be unique
within your store.
The Title identifies the discount internally. For automatic discounts it's a short name shown at checkout; for code discounts it's just for you and your staff and isn't shown to customers.
Step 3 — Set the value and what it applies to
Under Value, choose Percentage or Fixed amount from the dropdown and enter the amount off — 20
with Percentage means 20% off, 10.00 with Fixed amount means your currency's 10 off.
Value
Choose a percentage or a fixed amount off.
Applies to
Limit the discount to specific services, staff, or locations. Leave empty to apply to every booking.
Apply discount to add-ons proportionally
Applies to targets which bookings qualify:
- Services — limit the discount to specific services. Leave empty to apply to every booking.
- Staff members — restrict it to bookings with selected staff.
- Locations — restrict it to bookings at selected locations.
- Include add-ons — off by default, the discount only touches the base service price. Turn it on to spread the discount across the service and its add-ons proportionally.
Populated targeting fields combine with AND logic — a booking must match every field you set — while leaving a field empty means "any".
Step 4 — Add requirements, eligibility, and limits
These sections are all optional, but they're where you fine-tune who qualifies and how often a discount can be used.
Requirements
Set a condition that a booking must meet for the discount to apply.
Customer eligibility
Maximum discount uses
Combinations
Allow this discount to combine with other automatic or code discounts.
Requirements — pick one condition a booking must meet:
- No minimum requirement — applies to any eligible booking.
- Minimum purchase amount — requires a minimum order subtotal before the discount applies.
- Appointment duration — only applies to appointments within a Minimum / Maximum length range.
Customer eligibility — choose All customers (anyone can use it) or Specific customers (restrict it to selected customer accounts). When you pick specific customers you can also turn on First order only, so the discount applies only to a customer's first order.
Maximum discount uses — two independent caps:
- Limit number of times this discount can be used in total — a store-wide cap; once reached, the code stops working.
- Limit to one use per customer email — one redemption per customer, matched by checkout email.
Combinations — Combine with other discounts is off by default, making the discount exclusive (only the best-matching exclusive discount wins on a line item). Turn it on to let it stack with other combinable discounts.
A discount never charges below zero
If a fixed amount or stacked discounts exceed a line item's price, Opencals clamps the price at zero and discards the excess — a customer is never charged a negative amount.
Step 5 — Set the active period
Finally, decide when the discount is available.
Active period
Control when the discount is available. Leave it always active or limit it to a schedule.
Always active
Available at all times while the discount is enabled — the simplest option for an ongoing offer.
Limit to a schedule → Weekly recurring
Repeats every week on chosen days and time windows, e.g. Monday and Wednesday 09:00–12:00 for a morning happy-hour deal.
Limit to a schedule → Date ranges
Specific date-and-time ranges, e.g. a Black Friday weekend or a June-long summer sale.
A booking qualifies if its start time falls within at least one of your windows. When every window is still in the future the discount shows as Scheduled; it flips to Active once a window is live. Save the discount and it's ready to apply.
Use the summary to sanity-check before saving
The form's right-hand Summary card shows the method, value, targeting, requirements, eligibility, and schedule at a glance, plus any codes you've added. Skim it before saving to confirm the discount does exactly what you intend.
Frequently asked questions
Frequently Asked Questions
Keep going
Discounts overview
See how Opencals evaluates discounts, stacking, and add-on participation across the cart.
Set up add-ons
Offer paid extras on your services — and choose whether discounts apply to them proportionally.
Manage orders
Applied discounts appear on order line items — track and manage every booking's total.
Send invoices & collect payments
Invoice the discounted total and take payment by card, cash, or bank transfer.
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