Create and test direct-booking coupons

This guide is for someone with commercial authority to define discounts. The outcome is a promotional code whose amount, period, and total limit you can explain and verify before distributing it.

The default front-desk role may expose coupon controls, but seeing a button does not authorize a campaign decision. Give those staff Check a coupon presented by a guest, and keep creation, discount, validity, and activation under a designated owner.

Before creating a coupon#

This feature belongs to the Agency plan and requires coupon permissions. Decide in writing:

• campaign goal and audience;
• percentage or fixed amount;
• whether to waive the cleaning fee as well;
• minimum purchase;
• maximum discount for a percentage;
• dates and total maximum uses.

Do not use codes beginning with EXT-: they are reserved for extension links generated by Holidario and do not work as ordinary public coupons.

Create a controlled coupon#

1. Open Marketing > Coupons and select Create.
2. Enter an uppercase code without spaces, using letters, numbers, hyphens, or underscores; the maximum is 50 characters.
3. Add a clear internal name and optional description.
4. Choose Percentage or Fixed Amount and enter the value. EUR is the available currency.
5. Enable Free Cleaning only if the complete cleaning fee should also be waived.
6. Set minimum purchase, discount cap, total maximum uses, and validity period where needed.
7. For the first review, save it inactive or with a future start date.
8. Open its detail and verify code, discount, status, validity, and limits.

The Max Uses Per Customer field is visible, but the verified public flow does not enforce it as a launch control. Do not rely on it for one use per person; use the total maximum and ask Holidario to confirm if that rule is required.

Test before distributing#

1. Activate the coupon during a controlled window.
2. Privately open a priced property with available dates.
3. Enter the code in the quote.
4. Check the accommodation discount, cleaning fee, total, and minimum purchase.
5. Repeat one test that should fail, such as a stay below the minimum or outside the valid period.
6. Leave before payment; usage increases when a booking completes payment, not when someone requests a quote.

This verifies only the public quote shown before checkout. Treat the minimum as a quote condition, not a guarantee about final-payment enforcement, and do not complete a real payment merely to test it.

If the result is not exact, deactivate the coupon and fix its setup. Do not compensate by editing an existing reservation total manually.

States and recovery#

• Scheduled: the start date has not arrived.
• Active: it can apply when all other conditions pass.
• Inactive: it is rejected even when dates and limits are valid.
• Expired: the end date passed.
• Exhausted: total maximum uses was reached.
• Invalid code: check team, spelling, state, dates, and uses.
• Minimum not met: change the stay; do not lower the threshold for one booking without approval.

To withdraw a campaign, edit the coupon and disable Active. This is safer and more auditable than deleting it. Users without update permission should escalate to marketing or administration.

Periodic verification#

Review the detail to compare Times Used with its maximum and confirm discounts on related reservations. If count or amount differs, retain code, coupon ID, booking, time, and expected calculation; do not adjust counters manually.