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Discount codes & referrals

Updated on Saturday 06 June 2026

Create percent or fixed-amount codes that apply to the whole invoice or a single service, and assign one to a client to track referrals internally.

Discount codes are a simple marketing tool: the client types a code during booking and the system subtracts a percentage or a fixed amount from the price. On top of that, you can assign a code to a client to track — internally — how many other people that client brought in (referrals). Useful for:

  • Launch promotions (20% off for your first clients).
  • Attracting new clients (Gs. 30,000 off the first booking).
  • Pushing a specific service (15% off color only).
  • A referral program (each client gets their own code; you see how many friends they brought, they don’t).

Create a code

List of the business’s active discount codes

  1. Go to Discounts in the sidebar.
  2. Tap ”+ New code”.

Form to create a new discount code

  1. Fill in:

Required fields

  • Code: the text the client types. Saved uppercased and without spaces. e.g. LAUNCH20, WELCOME, MARIA20.
  • Discount type:
    • Percent: e.g. 10%, 15%, 25%.
    • Fixed amount: e.g. Gs. 30,000.
  • Discount value: the number (20, 15, 30,000…).

Optional fields

  • Internal name: for you, to remember what it was. e.g. “Summer promo”.
  • Applies to: leave it on “Whole invoice” to discount the total, or pick a service so the discount only applies to that service’s price.
  • Minimum order: the discount only kicks in if the booking is worth at least that amount (measured on the total, even for a service-scoped code).
  • Max uses: how many times the code can be used in total (across the whole business).
  • Starts at / Expires at: the window in which the code is valid.
  • Assign to a client (referrals): search for a client to assign the code to. From then on, Citauno counts how many other people booked with that code. See Referral program.
  1. Tap Create. You land on the code’s page, where you’ll later see its stats.

Applies to: whole invoice or a service

Mode What the discount is calculated on When to use it
Whole invoice The full booking subtotal General promos, welcome coupons
A single service Only that service’s price within the booking Pushing one specific service

Example: a booking with Haircut (Gs. 100,000) + Beard (Gs. 50,000) = subtotal Gs. 150,000.

  • A 20% code on the whole invoice → discounts Gs. 30,000.
  • A 20% code on “Haircut” → discounts Gs. 20,000 (only 20% of the haircut).

If a code is tied to a service and that service is not in the booking, the code doesn’t apply.

Referral program

This is the internal part. When you assign a code to a client, that client becomes the “owner” of the code (the referrer):

  • Every time another person books with that code, it counts as 1 (distinct) referral. If the same person uses it twice, it still counts as 1.
  • The owner can use their own code (it works as a personal discount), but their use never counts as a referral.
  • The referral number is for you only. A client booking with a code never sees how many people anyone brought.

Where you see it

  1. On the code’s page (Discounts → tap the code): at the top you see “Referrals”, “Uses”, “Distinct clients” and “Total discounted”, and below it the list of who used it (with their booking).
  2. On the client profile (Clients → tap the client): in the “Referrals & codes” section you see the codes assigned to that client and how many people each one brought. If that client, in turn, arrived using someone else’s code, you’ll see “Referred by …”.

How the client applies it

During the public booking flow (citauno.com/your-business/book):

  1. The client picks service, professional and time.
  2. Before confirming, they see a “Discount code” field.
  3. They type it and confirm the booking.
  4. The system validates and, if it applies, shows the breakdown on the confirmation:
    • Subtotal: Gs. 150,000
    • Discount (LAUNCH20): −Gs. 30,000
    • Total: Gs. 120,000

If the code is invalid (expired, mistyped, no uses left, below the minimum order, or scoped to a service that isn’t in the booking), a generic message appears — “This discount code isn’t valid for this booking.” — without explaining the exact reason, so it doesn’t give hints that make abuse easier.

How it behaves on reschedule

If you reschedule a booking that had a code, Citauno recomputes the discount on the new prices (if the location or professional changed) and keeps the same code. It is not counted as a new use.

Disabling a code

Action What it does
Pause (Delete button) Deactivates the code. Bookings that already used it are unaffected and the referral history is kept.
Edit Change any parameter (value, expiry, service, assigned client). To un-assign the client, tap “Remove” in the picker and save.

Technical limitations

Limitation Detail
One code per booking The client can apply one code per booking. They don’t stack.
The discount applies before the deposit If you require a deposit, it’s calculated on the discounted price.
Max uses are global The “Max uses” limit is for the whole business. There’s no per-client limit.
No automatic volume discounts “10% if you book 3 services” doesn’t exist natively — use specific codes.
The referral is counted at booking A person counts as referred as soon as they book with the code, even if they later cancel.

Best practices

  1. Simple, memorable names: MARIA20 beats MR2024OCT15.
  2. Set an expiry: eternal codes invite abuse.
  3. For referrals, one code per client: give each client their own code (MARIA20, LUCIA20) so the count is clear.
  4. Share it intentionally: if you want it to be exclusive, don’t post it on open social media.
  5. Watch the code’s page: if after a week it has 0 uses, people aren’t seeing it — rethink the messaging.

Common mistakes

Symptom Cause Fix
“It won’t let me apply the code” Expired, no uses left, below the minimum order, or the service isn’t in the booking Check the code’s restrictions on its page
The discount is smaller than expected The code is scoped to one service, not the whole invoice Check the “Applies to” field
The referral count doesn’t go up The booker is the code’s own owner (doesn’t count) or repeated (counts once) This is the expected behavior

What you already have

  • Percent or fixed-amount codes.
  • Scope: whole invoice or a single service.
  • Validity, uses and minimum-order restrictions.
  • A per-client referral program, with an internal count and a list of who used each code.

Next step

To cut no-shows by requiring upfront payment, set up Deposits and advance payments.