How to set up and use promo codes for discounts in bookings

Susana Moleón
Susana Moleón
  • Updated

Video

 

Where do I find it?

CONFIGURATION > SYSTEM & SETUP > Promo and gift codes

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What does it mean?

Promo codes are short pieces of text (e.g. "SUMMERSALE", "10PERCENT") that can be entered by customers at the time of booking, enabling them to receive a discount.

You could advertise a promo code on your website/email marketing to run a late/early booking sale, give a promo code to an organization to offer their staff/members a discount on your tours or generate a single-use promo code for a customer as a goodwill gesture.

Promo codes can:

  • Apply a percentage discount to a booking.
  • Require the client to provide a membership number (e.g. AAA)
  • Be limited in the number of uses (A single-use promo code can work as a gift voucher for a tour or as a goodwill gesture to a particular client)

Additional options include limiting codes to apply only to:

  • Certain tours.
  • Certain days of the week.
  • Specific travel or booking dates.
  • Certain rate types

Promo code discounts do not apply to credit card or booking fees or local payments (cash).

100% promo code discounts are possible. When setting these up, check that the booking comes through as confirmed. (It will do so if you have configured a successful, full credit card payment to convert a booking to Confirmed).

 

What should I do?

Setup & use

Creating promo codes:

To create promo codes head to Configuration > System & Setup > Promo and gift codes.

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Enter the promo code that customers will enter to get a discount ("10OFF") or generate a random code, and assign a name to it.

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Setting up promo codes:

Choose a name and usage limit for the promo code. Be sure it is set to active.

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Within the Day & date restrictions section, you can configure a date range for the promo code. The date range can refer to when the booking is made (for example, a specific week in which clients can book with a discount, no matter when they want to travel) or to the travel date (a promo code to travel within certain dates), or a combination of both.

Moreover, you can decide which days of the week you want the promo code to be valid (according to the tour start date). For example, the promo code could be valid only on weekdays, in which case clients would always pay the full price on weekends.

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Promo codes can now be limited to specific markups:

Within the Applicable tours & options section, you can choose which tours the promo code applies to (a single tour, multiple tours, or all of your tours).

How the “Product code” field works with multiple tours
When you list several product codes in this field, you are defining where the promo code is allowed to be used, not forcing it to apply automatically to those products. The discount is only applied when the customer actually enters the promo code during booking, and only if the booking matches all other restrictions (dates, channel, rate codes, etc.).
In other words: listing product codes makes the promo eligible for those products – it does not auto‑apply the discount to those specific products by default.

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If you have enabled Private Rate Codes and applied them to specific tours, you can restrict a promo code’s application to those particular rates. To enable private rate fields, go to CONFIGURATION > SYSTEM & SETUP > Tour general settings

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Once this feature is active and you have at least one tour created with private rate codes, a 'Rates' section will appear, allowing you to limit the promo code to selected tour rate codes only.

However, please be aware that configuring a promo code for specific rate codes will prevent it from applying to tour types that do not use the rate code system. This includes quantity-based tours or those utilizing hotel-style pricing.

 

If a tour has options, you can decide if you want the promo code to apply to the options or if you want them to be offered at a full price, even if the tour has a discount.

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Furthermore, you can configure the promo code so that it is only valid if the customer enters a membership number.

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Adding promo codes to a booking

To enable promo code entry via the customer booking engine head to Configuration > Channel > Step 3 - Customer information.

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Staff can enter a promo code at the point of booking creation or afterward via the Add Promo link under the Product tab on the booking edit screen. 

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To build promo code functionality into your API powered booking website/app:

  • Show Promo - Check if a promo code is valid for a given channel, its restrictions (dates, tour IDs,etc.), actual usage, and usage limit. Please check here.
  • Start New Booking - Send a promo code node in the Start New Booking API endpoint to apply the promo to the booking. You can check here.

Redemption & reporting

TourCMS vouchers include details of any promotional code used.

 

FAQs

➕ What happens if a booking with a promo code is cancelled?
In general, the discount itself is not refunded as cash or credit. Any refund due to the customer is calculated based on the amount actually paid after the promo code was applied and follows your usual cancellation policy (deadlines, fees, non‑refundable products, etc.). Make sure your standard terms & conditions explain how discounts are handled on cancellation, so customers know they won’t receive the promo value back as an extra payment.
➕ Can customers reuse a promo code if their booking is cancelled?
Yes. If a booking that used a promo code is cancelled, the system releases that usage, so the same promo code can be used again, as long as it is still within its validity dates and has not reached its overall usage cap.