How Do Coupons Apply to One-Time Charges and Standalone Invoices in Recurly Subscriptions?

Coupon Application Timing

Coupons apply to the subscription or charge before the next invoice is created. They cannot be applied retroactively to an invoice that has already been generated.

Workflow for One-Time Charges

The coupon must be active on the customer's account before the one-time charge is invoiced.

• 1. Apply the Coupon: The coupon must be added to the customer's account before the final Add Charge or Purchase API call is made.

• 2. Generate the Invoice: When the Add Charge or Purchase operation generates the next invoice, the active coupon will automatically discount the relevant line items within that invoice in Recurly Subscriptions.

Handling Already Generated Invoices

If an invoice has already been created, the coupon cannot be applied directly. You must take an alternative action:

• Option 1: Issue a Refund Issue a partial refund to the customer equal to the value that the coupon would have discounted.

• Option 2: Stop Collection and Re-Invoice

  • Stop collection on the old, full-price invoice.

  • Apply the coupon to the customer's account.

  • Re-invoice the charge or purchase. The new invoice will reflect the coupon discount.