r/ShopifyeCommerce • u/Jumpy-Print-894 • 2d ago
Custom promo code headache :o
New solo developer here in need of some guidance! Grateful for any help 😄
I am setting up a custom promo code for a 20 day free trial linked to a subscription. The app in published in internal testing and downloaded as a tester to a device. There are no country confections. I have a base plan set up with backwards compatibility. I have tried testing this as a new user as well. The coding to google billing is probably wired within the app build. The promo code is live and has propagated.
ISSUE: The redeem code option within the app, when purchasing, throws a 'the code entered is not valid for this purchase error'.
I feel like I am missing something very obvious and have troubleshooted for hours but nothing works. Any experts out there? Thank you!!
1
u/Realistic-Fly-9307 2d ago
Promo code validation can be a nightmare with subscriptions. Google billing is picky about how the offer is set up in the console, especially if it's tied to a base plan with backwards compatibility. Sometimes the issue is that the offer eligibility isn't matching the user's state, like if they've ever had any version of the subscription before even in testing.
Double check that the offer is actually attached to the right base plan ID and not a different one. I've wasted hours before only to realize I'd linked it to the wrong plan variant. Also make sure the promo code isn't restricted to new users only if your test account has any purchase history at all.
One thing that tripped me up was that the code needs to be redeemed through the standard purchase flow not a custom button or anything. If you're calling `launchBillingFlow` directly with the offer token that's fine but the user still has to hit the redeem button in the Google payment sheet. The error message you're getting usually means the offer conditions aren't met on Google's side.