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Manage discount charges

Zuora

Manage discount charges

You can manage discount charges to apply discount charges to specific regular product rate plan charges.

This feature is restricted if you have the Orders, Orders Harmonization, or Order Metrics feature enabled. See Known Limitations in Orders and Order Metrics for more information.

Create a discount charge

Use the following steps to create a discount charge:

  1. Click your username at the top right and navigate to Billing > Enable Charge Types / Models.
  2. Enable the discount charge models that you want to use. For example, Discount-Fixed Amount or Discount-Percentage. 
  3. Create a product rate plan charge that uses a discount charge model. You must create the discount charge as a recurring charge. 
  4. In the Charge Amount section, specify the following information:
    • Charge Model: Select the charge model you want to use, either Discount-Fixed Amount or Discount-Percentage. See Discount charge models for more information.
    • Stacked: Select this checkbox to create a stacked discount charge. This checkbox is visible only for the Discount-Percentage charge model.
    • Discount Amount:
      • For the fixed amount discount, enter the Discount Amount for the billing period of the fixed amount discount.
      • For the percentage discount, enter the Discount Percentage.
    • Discount Class: From the list, select the discount class to which the discount charge belongs. Only active discount classes are displayed in the list.
      This field is optional. If you do not select any discount class, the discount charge does not have one discount class.
    • Apply Discount To: Select the level at which you want to apply the discount, and specify the application details about this discount charge. For more information, see Specify the scope for discount charges to be applied.
  5. In the Timing and Frequency of Charge section, specify the following information:
    • Trigger Condition: Select a trigger condition from the list. The trigger condition determines when the charge will be applied.
    • End Date: Select an end date option from the list. The end date option determines when the charge ends after the charge starts billing. 
    • Billing Period: The frequency with which the charge repeats. You can configure these options under Define Invoice Periods. 
    • Billing DayDetermines when the specific charge is billed. You can configure these options under Define Invoice Periods.

      Selecting the Default from Customer Account option overrides the bill cycle day specified for the customer. For example, if you select the fifth of the month for the billing date, this charge will be billed every month on the fifth of the month, for all customers who have purchased this product. See Product Catalog Dates: Product Rate Plan Charge Date Attributes for more information about these settings. 

    • Billing Period Alignment: Select a value from the list.
  6. Select whether to copy the accounting code from another (non-discount) charge, or define a dedicated accounting code on the new discount charge. In the Name section, select Use Discount Specific Accounting Code, then select an Accounting Code from the list to use this feature.
  7. Click save.

Use discount-specific accounting codes, rules, and segments to manage revenue

If you select the Use discount specific accounting codes, rule and segment to manage revenue checkbox under the Finance section, additional configurations are displayed, as shown in the following figure.

  • When the Use discount specific accounting codes, rule and segment to manage revenue checkbox is selected, the discount will use the revenue recognition rule and accounting codes that you configure on the screen shown above.
  • When the checkbox is not selected, the discount will use the accounting codes and revenue recognition rule of the charge that the discount is being applied to.

The segment values that the discount uses depend on how you have configured the Discount segment value setting located in Finance > Configure Segments.

See Additional configurations for more information.

As an example, let's say that you have a rate plan that contains a flat fee charge ("Monthly Service Fee") and a discount charge ("Coffee Discount"). You have not selected the Use discount specific accounting codes, rule and segment to manage revenue checkbox.

When the Coffee Discount is applied to the Monthly Service Fee, the resulting discount invoice item will automatically use the same accounting codes, revenue recognition rule, and segment values as the Monthly Service Fee.

There is a limitation of 100 years maximum between the EffectiveStartDate and TermEndDate of termed subscriptions when using DiscountMetrics.

Specify the scope for discount charges to be applied

To specify the scope for a discount charge to be applied, complete the following steps when creating the discount charge:

  1. From the Apply Discount To list, select one of the following levels at which you want to apply the discount. By default, The All charges in the rate plan option is selected.
    • All charges in the rate plan
    • All charges in the subscription
    • All charges in the account
  2. Select the types of charges that you want to apply the discount to. For example, if you want to apply the discount charge only to the one-time charges, select the One-Time checkbox, and clear the Recurring and Usage checkboxes. By default, the three checkboxes are all selected.
    • If you select All charges in the rate plan, in the Include the following product charges area, select specific regular charges from the current product rate plan.

      By default, no charges are selected in the area, which indicates that the discount charge applies to all charges in the product rate plan. After you select specific charges, the discount will be applied to only those charges rather than all charges in the rate plan.

      • Optional. Select Allow apply to billing period partially to enable the Enhanced Discount feature, allowing discounting a regular charge for a partial period that is shorter than its billing period. If selected, you can only select One-Time or Recurring checkbox.  For more information, see Manage Enhanced Discount.

    • If you select All charges in the subscription, specify application details in the Include the following product charges area. You can select regular charges from any product and product rate plan.

      By default, no charges are selected in the area, which indicates that the discount charge applies to all charges in the subscription. After you select specific charges, the discount will be applied only to those charges rather than all charges in the subscription. 

      1. Optional. Select Allow apply to billing period partially to enable the Enhanced Discount feature, allowing discounting a regular charge for a partial period that is shorter than its billing period. If selected, you can only select One-Time or Recurring checkbox.  For more information, see Manage Enhanced Discount.
      2. From the Product list, select a product that includes the specific charges to which you want to apply the discount charge.
      3. From the Rate Plan list, select a product rate plan that includes the specific charges. 
      4. Select specific charges to which you want to apply the discount charge.
      5. Click add. The rate plan of the selected charge is displayed above the Include the following product charges area.
    • If you select All charges in the account, no more action is required.

Change a discount charge

You can update a percentage discount charge by creating an amendment. But you cannot update a fixed-amount discount charge to change the value of a discount that you have already provided. Because your customers may have applied the discount to their subscriptions, you cannot change the terms of the discount.

To update a fixed-amount discount charge, you must remove the existing discount charge and add a new discount:

  1. Create an amendment to remove the incorrect discount charge.
  2. Create a second amendment to add the corrected discount charge.
  3. Your customers can then apply the new discount to new subscriptions.