Which Shopify discounts work with preorders

Use this guide to find out which Shopify discount codes, and STOQ’s own offer-level discount, work with a preorder offer. Whether a given discount applies comes down to one setting: which purchase option mode the offer uses.

Before you begin

Whether a discount applies to a preorder product depends on which purchase option mode your offer uses. This is set in the offer editor: click Preorders in the left menu, then the Offers tab. Click the offer to open it, click Customize, then in the editor click More settings to expand it, click Advanced, and find Purchase option.

Choosing Full payment & partial payment as the payment type (letting customers pick between paying in full or with a deposit) requires a paid STOQ plan.

Choose your setup

STOQ has two purchase option modes for a preorder offer, and each has different discount trade-offs:

1. Use Shopify purchase option (default, Recommended)

   This mode creates a native Shopify selling plan attached to your preorder products, which enables partial payments, scheduled fulfillments, and standard Shopify discount codes.

   What works:

   • Percentage-off, fixed-amount-off, and order-level Shopify discount codes
   • The STOQ offer-level discount (percentage or fixed amount set in the offer’s Payment section)
   • Both discount types can be active on the same offer simultaneously

   What does not work:

   • Gift cards and store credits as payment: Shopify does not allow gift cards or store credits at checkout when a cart contains selling-plan (purchase-option) items, a Shopify platform restriction
   • Buy X Get Y (BXGY) automatic discounts: Shopify’s BXGY discount type is not supported for selling-plan items, a Shopify platform restriction

2. Use without purchase option

   In this mode, STOQ manages the preorder through its storefront integration instead of a Shopify selling plan. This trades away some payment and discount features for broader compatibility.

   What works:

   • Gift cards and store credits at checkout
   • Buy X Get Y discounts
   • Managed markets and Shopify Markets
   • Split orders

   What does not work:

   • Partial payments (deposit and remaining balance); full payment only
   • The offer-level discount set in the Payment section
   • Scheduled fulfillments and “on-hold” fulfillment dates, which require a selling plan

Caution

Turning off Use Shopify purchase option resets the offer’s payment to full payment with no discount, and a Scheduled fulfillment status to On hold. Reconfigure your payment and discount settings afterward, they don’t come back automatically if you switch to the Shopify purchase option again later.

Offer-level discount vs. Shopify discount code

These are two independent discount mechanisms and can coexist on the same offer.

	Offer-level discount	Shopify discount code
Where it’s set	Preorders in the left menu → Offers tab → open your offer → Customize → Payment in the sidebar → Discount on total price	Shopify Admin → Discounts
Types available	Percent, Amount (fixed), None	Percentage, fixed amount, free shipping, BXGY, order-level
How the customer gets it	Applied automatically, no code needed	Customer enters the code at checkout
Requires purchase option?	Yes, turning off the purchase option resets it to no discount	Depends on type (see above)
Visible before checkout?	Yes, STOQ can show a “Save {{ discount }}” badge and discounted price on the product page	No, only visible at checkout

The offer-level discount is stored on the Shopify selling plan and reduces the displayed and charged price automatically.

What customers will see

• On the product page, the STOQ offer-level discount can show a “Save {{ discount }}” badge and the discounted price automatically. A Shopify discount code isn’t shown until the customer enters it at checkout.
• At checkout, gift cards and store credits aren’t offered as a payment method if the cart contains a purchase-option (selling-plan) item.
• Buy X Get Y promotions only apply at checkout when the offer uses Use without purchase option; they don’t apply to purchase-option items.

Set it up

Note

Shopify’s discounts still have a Purchase type setting (All purchase types, One-time purchase, Subscription) that’s meant to control whether a discount applies to purchase-option (selling-plan) items, but it doesn’t work for preorders: it doesn’t distinguish preorder selling plans from regular one-time purchases. So choosing One-time purchase does not block a discount from applying to preorder items, the discount can still apply to preorder products at checkout regardless of this setting.

1. Open your discount in Shopify Admin

   Go to Shopify Admin → Discounts, then create a new discount or open an existing one. Set it up as you would any discount; there’s no preorder-specific setting to toggle.

2. Test it on a preorder product

   Add a preorder product to your cart with the preorder button, enter the code at checkout, and confirm the discount is reflected in the order total.

Stop a discount from applying to preorders

Because the Purchase type setting doesn’t exclude preorder selling plans, the only reliable way to keep a discount off your preorder products is to scope it by product or collection in Shopify. Use the discount’s Applies to setting:

• Only include the products you want discounted: set Applies to to Specific products or Specific collections and choose your regular products, leaving preorder products out.
• Exclude preorder products: create a collection that contains all your regular products but not your preorder products, then set Applies to to that collection.

1. Open the discount’s product scope

   In Shopify Admin → Discounts, open the discount and find the Applies to setting.

2. Scope it away from preorder products

   Choose Specific collections or Specific products, and select only the products or a collection that excludes your preorder products.

3. Confirm on a preorder product

   Add a preorder product to your cart and enter the code at checkout. Confirm the discount does not apply, while it still applies to a regular product.

Tip

Keep the excluding collection up to date: when you add a new preorder product, make sure it stays out of the discount’s collection, or it’ll get discounted too.

Check your setup

1. Add a preorder product to your cart using the preorder button.
2. At checkout, enter the discount code.
3. Confirm the discount is reflected in the order total.

If the discount doesn’t apply, confirm the offer is using Use Shopify purchase option and that the code is valid and active.

Troubleshooting

A discount code doesn't reduce the price of a preorder product

Confirm the offer uses Use Shopify purchase option and that the code is valid and active. The discount’s Purchase type setting isn’t the cause: it doesn’t distinguish preorder selling plans from one-time purchases, so a “One-time purchase” discount still applies to preorder items.

A customer needs to pay with a gift card or store credit

Switch the offer to Use without purchase option (Preorders in the left menu -> Offers tab -> open your offer -> Customize -> Advanced in the sidebar -> Purchase option). This also disables partial payments, the offer-level discount, and scheduled/on-hold fulfillments.

You want to run a Buy X Get Y (BXGY) promotion

BXGY automatic discounts aren’t supported for purchase-option (selling-plan) items, a Shopify platform restriction. Either:

1. Switch the offer to Use without purchase option.
2. Offer a percentage-off or fixed-amount discount code instead, which does work with purchase-option preorders.

A free shipping discount code isn't applying to preorder orders

Free shipping codes are applied at checkout by Shopify. Confirm the offer uses Use Shopify purchase option and the code is valid, then test it end-to-end.

A discount code isn't working inside a third-party bundle app

Test the code against that bundle app’s checkout before enabling it for customers. Compatibility depends on how the bundle app integrates with Shopify’s selling plans.

Limitations

• STOQ’s POS, B2B & Bundles section, in the offer editor, lists bundle apps that have been tested and confirmed to work with preorders: Adoric Bundles, Foxsell Bundles, Fast Bundle, MBC Bundles, and Easy Bundles.
• Native Shopify Bundles (using Shopify’s own bundle product type) are separate; compatibility with preorders depends on how that bundle app integrates with Shopify’s selling plans. Test before going live.

FAQ

A customer says their discount code didn't apply to their preorder. What should I check?

Confirm your offer is using Use Shopify purchase option (Preorders in the left menu → Offers tab → open your offer → Customize → Advanced in the sidebar), since discount codes work through the purchase option. Also check the code is valid and active in Shopify Admin → Discounts. The discount’s Purchase type setting isn’t the cause: it doesn’t distinguish preorder selling plans from one-time purchases, so a “One-time purchase” discount still applies to preorder items.

How do I stop a Shopify discount from applying to my preorder products?

The Purchase type setting won’t do it, since it doesn’t distinguish preorder selling plans. Instead scope the discount by product in Shopify: set its Applies to to specific products or a collection that leaves your preorder products out. See Stop a discount from applying to preorders above.

Can I stack my STOQ offer discount with a Shopify discount code?

Yes. The STOQ offer-level discount, set in the offer’s Payment section, and a Shopify discount code are independent. A customer can benefit from both at once: the offer discount reduces the selling plan price, and a valid discount code applies on top at checkout.

Do percentage-off and fixed-amount Shopify codes work the same way on preorders?

Yes. Both percentage and fixed-amount discount codes are designed to apply at checkout for purchase-option preorders. Checkout behavior is controlled by Shopify, not STOQ, so test each code end-to-end.

If I switch to Use without purchase option to accept gift cards or store credits, will I lose my discount settings?

Yes. Turning off the Shopify purchase option resets payment to full payment with no discount, and a Scheduled fulfillment status to On hold. If you switch back to the Shopify purchase option later, you’ll need to reconfigure the offer-level discount and payment settings, they aren’t restored automatically.

Will a free shipping discount code work on preorder orders?

Free shipping codes are applied at checkout by Shopify. The Purchase type setting doesn’t affect this for preorders, since it doesn’t distinguish preorder selling plans from one-time purchases, so test the code on a preorder order the same as any other.

My offer uses a third-party bundle app. Do Shopify discount codes still work?

STOQ lists specific bundle apps, Adoric Bundles, Foxsell Bundles, Fast Bundle, MBC Bundles, and Easy Bundles, that have been tested and confirmed to work with preorders. Discount code compatibility within a bundle depends on how that app structures its checkout. Test a discount code end-to-end with your specific bundle app before enabling it for customers.

Related guides

Set up preorder discountsConfigure a percentage or fixed-amount offer-level discount inside STOQ.

Set up payment for preordersConfigure full payment, partial payments, and deposit amounts.

Preorder advanced settingsSwitch between purchase option modes and configure developer settings.

Preorder free vs. paid featuresSee which STOQ features require a paid plan.