One BonusCoupons and offers
Updated 31 August 2026
A coupon is a named, one-time offer a customer claims and then redeems once. Unlike a standing discount it can target a single product, run for a fixed window, and be counted afterwards — which makes it the sharpest instrument in a loyalty program.
What a coupon does that a discount cannot
A discount applies to everything and to everybody. A coupon applies to one thing, for one customer, once — so it can move a slow product, fill a quiet Tuesday, or bring back a specific group of people without touching the price anyone else pays.
It also ends. A campaign with an end date can be measured against the period before it, which is the only way to know whether an offer worked.
Claimed with points, or given
A coupon claimed with points costs the customer something, which means only people who want it take it, and the points come off your outstanding balance when they do. That is a coupon paying for itself twice.
A coupon simply granted — to a level, to a lapsed customer, to everyone in a slow week — is an advertisement with a measurable response rate. Both have their place; the mistake is granting the expensive ones to everybody.
Stopping a coupon being used twice
A printed voucher can be photographed, and a code posted online is a code everybody has. A coupon on a member account is attached to a person and consumed at the till when it is used, so it works exactly once regardless of how many screenshots exist.
Coupons on One Bonus
A business names the coupon, sets what it gives — a discount amount, a percentage, or a specific reward — and decides whether it is claimed with points or granted outright. The app shows customers what they can claim, and the till consumes it once.
Because the claim and the redemption are both recorded, a campaign has a real number at the end of it: how many claimed, how many redeemed, and what they spent while they were there.
Common questions
What is the difference between a coupon and a discount?
A discount applies to every sale that meets its condition. A coupon is issued to a specific customer, is used once, and expires. That makes a coupon targetable and measurable in a way a standing discount never is.
Should customers pay points for a coupon?
For anything valuable, yes. Charging points means only customers who genuinely want the offer take it, and it draws down the points balance you already owe them. Free coupons are better used to reach people who have stopped visiting.
How do I stop a coupon being reused?
Attach it to the customer rather than to a code. On One Bonus a coupon lives on the member account and is consumed at the till, so it cannot be used twice however many times the screen is photographed.
Run your first coupon campaign
Read next
- Loyalty programsPoints, stamps, levels, discounts, cashback, coupons and referrals — what each mechanic rewards, who it suits, and how to pick one for a business in Armenia.
- Bonus programsHow each kind of bonus program works and which one fits a business: points on spend, stamp cards, levels, coupons and referrals. Run any of them on One Bonus.
- Discount programsWhen a discount beats points, when it does not, and how to pick a percentage or a fixed amount. Discounts on One Bonus are recorded, so a campaign can be measured.
- CashbackWhat a cashback program returns, how the percentage is set, and where cashback beats a straight discount. Run cashback as points on One Bonus and measure what returns.
- Stamp cardsHow a digital stamp card works, how many stamps to ask for, and why paper punch cards leak. Every stamp on One Bonus is recorded against the customer, not the card.
- Points systemHow to set an earn rate, what a point should be worth at the till, and how expiry and minimum redemption change behaviour. The arithmetic behind a points program.
- Tiers and levelsHow a tier program lifts spend, where to put the thresholds, and what each level should actually give. Levels on One Bonus rank on lifetime points, not the current balance.
- Referral programsHow a referral program brings new customers at a known cost, what to reward each side, and how to stop it being gamed. Referrals on One Bonus pay out on a real purchase.