thread How do you apply coupon to only one item at checkout in Customer Engagement

How do you apply coupon to only one item at checkout

Cateye — Sun, 21 Sep 2025 07:48:17 GMT

When customers sign up/enroll for text messaging from me, they receive a $5 coupon as a reward. When you apply this coupon to their purchase, the system applies to it every item they are purchasing. How can I set it up where these coupons are only applied to one item without having to remove the $5 discount from every item in their "cart" except for one item?

Re: How do you apply coupon to only one item at checkout

TheRealChipA — Fri, 01 Sep 2023 18:26:49 GMT

Hi @Cateye. Unfortunately, you are in a Catch-22 situation here. Here’s why.

Currently, Square POS does not allow us to apply dollar discounts to items — only percentage discounts. On the other side of this Catch-22 is the fact that discounts applied at the check level (such as marketing coupons) are always prorated amongst all the items on the check, based upon that item’s percentage of the check subtotal. So, unfortunately I have to inform you that you can’t do that.

Having said all of that, if you are so inclined, you can submit a feature request to the POS team, asking them to either allow us to have dollar discounts at the item level, or be able to specify somehow which item(s) a check-level discount applies to. (Or, if you have a better idea, requests some other mechanism.)

Regards,

Re: How do you apply coupon to only one item at checkout

PartyManiaMD — Sat, 02 Sep 2023 01:40:44 GMT

One workaround I found out and that works for me is to create a LOT of percentage based discounts and I essentially ignore the coupon IF it doesn't qualify on certain items. if it's say 20% off X items I will manually apply a 20% discount to the items being discounted.

If it's off $X of certain items you could price adjust the individual items at checkout.

While it's annoying that it doesn't capture the use of said coupon for reporting purposes it prevents un-discounted items from getting discounted.

IMO Square needs to treat discounts and coupons like a "return" popup, select the items it applies to and hit next and have it only discount those items.

Re: How do you apply coupon to only one item at checkout

TheRealChipA — Sat, 02 Sep 2023 01:57:05 GMT

I’m in total agreement there @PartyManiaMD. Given your rather involved workaround, which is certainly creative, you might be the person to make a feature request for this. You should submit one with that solid example of why the current situation isn’t the best. I’d support that one, for sure.