Squarespace discounts are offers you create for your own customers in the Discounts panel: percent off, amount off, Buy X get Y, or free shipping, applied with a promo code or automatically at checkout. This page is about running discounts in your store, not about codes for buying Squarespace itself.
Here's the catch that confuses store owners. When two automatic discounts of different types could both apply, Squarespace applies the Amount off discount, even if the Percent off one would save the customer more. Your shopper sees the smaller saving and assumes your site's broken. Squarespace's advice is to run only one or two promotions at a time so they can't stack in ways you didn't plan.
Who can create discounts
As of October 2026, you can create discounts on the Core, Plus, Advanced, Business, Commerce Basic and Commerce Advanced plans, and you need to be the Store Owner or an Administrator. Several settings are limited to Core, Plus, Advanced and Commerce Advanced, and some are also open to the Digital Product plan. If you're still weighing up plans, here's how Squarespace pricing works.
| Discount setting | Where it's available, as of October 2026 |
|---|---|
| Percent off, Amount off, Free shipping | All plans that allow discounts |
| Buy X get Y | Core, Plus, Advanced and Commerce Advanced, on a computer only |
| Automatic discount (no code) | Core, Plus, Advanced, Commerce Advanced and Digital Product |
| Limit total orders | Core, Plus, Advanced, Commerce Advanced and Digital Product |
| Limit one per customer | Core, Plus, Advanced, Commerce Advanced and Digital Product |
| Rules for subscription renewals | Core, Plus, Advanced, Commerce Advanced and Digital Product, on a computer |
The four discount types
- Percent off: a whole-number percentage off a product, order or pricing plan. It never applies to shipping.
- Amount off: a flat amount off. It doesn't apply to shipping, or to orders smaller than the discount.
- Buy X get Y: free or cheaper items when a customer buys a set number. It only works on one-time physical, service and download products, not subscriptions, pricing plans or gift cards. You can pick up to 200 products or categories, and the cheapest qualifying items are discounted first.
- Free shipping or local delivery: for all shipping methods or all local delivery options, not both at once, and only on Any order or Orders over offers. You can't charge a handling fee on those orders.
You then decide what the offer covers: any order, orders over a set subtotal, a single product, a pricing plan for a Digital Product, or products by category. A single product discount only applies to one unit if someone buys several. A category discount only works for products on the one store page you picked.
How to create a discount
- Open the Discounts panel and click Add Discount. Click Recommended if you'd like Squarespace's AI to suggest up to three.
- Pick the type and what it applies to.
- Choose Promo code and type a unique code, or choose Automatic discount. You can have up to 100 automatic discounts.
- Add limits: total uses, one per customer, and how it treats subscription renewals.
- Set a start date to schedule it, and an expiry date or Never expires.
- Click Save, then check it sits under Active or Scheduled.
In the Squarespace app you can create a code from the Commerce tab, but Buy X get Y, pricing plan and category discounts need a computer. Promo codes show in capitals at checkout but aren't case-sensitive.
Stacking: what combines and what doesn't
Discounts apply to the order subtotal, never to tax or shipping, apart from free shipping. A discount can't be bigger than the subtotal, and if it's bigger, the customer can't use it at all. Free shipping always applies and combines with anything. Two discounts can't combine on an order with only one product.
| Combination | Works together? |
|---|---|
| Single product plus amount off any order | Yes |
| Category plus amount off any order, or amount off orders over | Yes |
| Two categories, on different items | Yes |
| Single product plus a category that includes the same item | No |
| Two discounts on the same item | No |
| Orders over plus any order, when one of them is a percentage | No |
| Automatic amount off plus automatic percent off any order | No; the amount off wins |
If two automatic percent off discounts clash, the larger one applies. A percent off any order discount only combines with free shipping, unless the other discount covers just some items in the cart.
Why a discount fails at checkout
First, check the order meets the discount rules. Then check these, in order. The code must be unique, and that includes expired codes: a new discount can't reuse an old code. The discount can't exceed the subtotal. Free shipping codes only work after the shopper enters an address and picks a shipping method, and they don't work with Apple Pay checkout. A discount turns Invalid if you remove the product, category or shipping option it points at, or if it's automatic and your plan no longer supports that. If nothing else works, delete it and recreate it.
Two more things you can't undo by editing. Once a customer applies a discount to a subscription or membership, the original terms carry on for every renewal, even if you change the discount later or its end date passes. And if you change a code you've already sent in an email campaign, the campaign doesn't update.
Getting the code in front of shoppers
Squarespace suggests an announcement bar for everyone who visits, a promotional pop-up with a newsletter signup that sends a welcome code, abandoned checkout emails with a code added, and a loyalty list. For that last one, filter your contacts to people with three or more orders, copy them to a mailing list and send them a code. Only contacts who accept marketing are copied across.
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If you'd rather show savings to every visitor with no code, sale pricing adds a Sale badge and shows the old price crossed out. Discounts suit targeted or time-limited offers, and the Discounts panel shows how many times each one has been redeemed. One limit to know: discounts can't be used to buy a gift card, and there's no automatic way to block a code on items already on sale. The workaround is a sale category that you leave out of the discount.
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My verdict on Squarespace discounts
I'd keep it to one live offer plus free shipping if you're on a plan with automatic discounts, because that combination always works and nobody has to type anything. Skip automatic Amount off and Percent off offers running together, since the amount off wins even when it's smaller. Before a launch, test the code yourself with a real basket. If you're still deciding where to sell, my Shopify or Squarespace comparison is worth a read first.
Frequently asked questions
Can I combine discounts on Squarespace?
Some, yes. A single product discount combines with an amount off any order, and free shipping combines with anything. Two discounts on the same item, or two on an order with only one product, won't combine.
Why won't my Squarespace discount code work?
The usual reasons are a code that matches an expired one, a discount bigger than the subtotal, an incompatible combination, or a free shipping code entered before the shopper picked a shipping method.
Can customers use a discount to buy a gift card?
No. Discounts can't apply to buying gift cards, but customers can use a discount when they pay with a gift card.
Do Squarespace discounts apply to shipping?
No. Percent off and amount off discounts apply to the subtotal, not tax or shipping. Use a free shipping discount for shipping.
Are Squarespace promo codes case-sensitive?
No. They show in capitals at checkout but aren't case-sensitive.
