Discount codes

Discount codes reduce ticket prices for attendees who enter a code at checkout. You create each code in the Discounts tab, set the discount type and value, and share the code string with the attendees you want to give it to.

Creating a discount code

Open the Discounts tab and click New code. The dialog asks for the following fields:

• Code — the string attendees type at checkout. Required; 2–50 characters; letters, numbers, hyphens, and underscores only. The UI uppercases whatever you type.
• Type — Percentage (e.g., 15% off) or Fixed amount (e.g., $25 off).
• Percent off / Amount off — the numeric value. Percentage codes cannot exceed 100. Fixed-amount codes are capped at the attendee's subtotal at checkout, so they cannot produce a negative total.
• Valid from / Valid until — optional date-time range (interpreted in your event's timezone). Leave either blank to skip that boundary.
• Active — toggle on or off. Inactive codes are rejected immediately at checkout without deleting the code or its history.

Limiting who can use a code

The Restrict to email domains field accepts a comma-separated list of domains (e.g., utoronto.ca, mcgill.ca). When set, checkout rejects any attendee whose email address does not end in one of the listed domains. Leave the field blank to allow any email.

The Apply to tickets checklist restricts the discount to specific ticket types. Leave all boxes unchecked to apply the code to every ticket type on the event.

If your event has price tiers, an Apply to price tiers checklist appears alongside. When you select both ticket types and price tiers, a cart line earns the discount if its ticket type matches or its price tier matches — not both. Lines that match neither scope are excluded from the discount calculation.

Limiting how many times a code can be used

The Max uses field sets a per-code cap as a whole number. Once that many registrations have applied the code, checkout rejects it for any subsequent attempt. Leave the field blank to allow unlimited uses.

The Used column in the Discounts table shows the current count. When a max uses limit is set, the counter displays as used / limit (e.g., 47 / 100). There is no per-registrant limit — the cap is per code, not per attendee.

Sharing codes with attendees

Mercleo Events does not prefill codes in registration links — there is no copy-link affordance on the Discounts tab. You share the code string directly: paste it into an email, a sponsor brief, or a message to your VIP list. Attendees type it into the discount field on the checkout page.

When a code rejects

Checkout runs through a fixed sequence of checks before accepting a code. An attendee sees one of the following messages if their code fails:

If the attendee submits a blank field, checkout prompts "Enter a code." A code that isn't in your event's discount list returns "Code not recognised."

If the code exists but the Active toggle is off, the attendee sees "This code is no longer active." Date-window failures produce "This code isn't valid yet." or "This code has expired." depending on which boundary was crossed.

A code that has hit its max uses limit shows "This code has reached its use limit." Email domain mismatches return "Your email domain doesn't match this code."

Scope failures depend on what the attendee has selected. If they've picked tickets but none of them match the code's ticket-type or price-tier restrictions, they see "This code doesn't apply to the tickets you selected." If they haven't selected any tickets yet, checkout prompts "Pick a ticket first."

Pausing vs deleting a code

Toggling Active off deactivates the code immediately. New checkout attempts fail, but the code remains in your list with its usage history intact. Turn it back on at any time to re-enable it. Deactivating is the safer choice when you want to stop a code temporarily without losing the record.

Deleting a code removes it permanently. Past registrations that used it retain their recorded discount amount — the deletion does not alter what attendees already paid. However, if an attendee has the code entered in an open checkout tab and has not yet completed registration, their checkout will fail validation when they submit.