Create and Manage Promo Codes in WaveRez Admin

Promo codes in WaveRez Admin let Partners offer discounts to guests at checkout on the WaveRez Booking Portal, internally on staff-created Orders, and optionally on TripShock when the Partner is live on that OTA. Each promo code can be configured as a fixed dollar amount or a percentage discount, restricted to specific Trips, restricted to certain departure time windows, restricted to a date range for either booking date or arrival date, and capped at a maximum number of uses. Promo codes are managed under Marketing > Promotions in WaveRez Admin and must exist on the account before guests can use them — codes that have not been created in WaveRez Admin will be rejected at checkout. This article covers the full workflow for creating, configuring, viewing, and deactivating promo codes.

You must be logged in as a user with permission to access Marketing > Promotions in WaveRez Admin. To make a promo code available on TripShock, the Partner account must be live on TripShock as an OTA channel — otherwise the TripShock toggle on the Availability tab has no effect.

The Promotions page is the central location for creating, viewing, and managing all promo codes on a WaveRez Admin account. It is reached through the Marketing section of the left sidebar.

Step 1 — Click Marketing in the left sidebar of WaveRez Admin to expand the Marketing submenu.

Step 2 — Click Promotions in the Marketing submenu. WaveRez Admin loads the Promotions page, which displays all promo codes on the account.

The Promotions page has two tabs at the top — Active and Inactive. The Active tab shows promo codes currently usable on the account, each with an Available status label, and a View details button. The Add new promo button sits in the top-right corner. A three-dot menu appears on the right side of each promo code row for managing it.

Creating a promo code starts with a quick form that captures the essentials — the name, the code guests type at checkout, the discount amount, and the discount unit. After this form is submitted, WaveRez Admin opens the full promo code configuration page where the remaining fields and restrictions can be set.

Step 1 — Click the Add new promo button in the top-right corner of the Promotions page. WaveRez Admin opens the New promo modal dialog.

Step 2 — Enter a label for the promo code in the Name field. The Name is internal — it appears in WaveRez Admin and in reports but is not shown to guests. Use a clear internal label such as "Military Discount" or "Summer 25% Off."

Step 3 — Enter the exact code guests will type at checkout in the Promo code field. This is the customer-facing string — for example, "MILITARY" or "SUMMER25." Promo codes must be unique on the account.

Step 4 — Enter the discount value as a number in the Amount field. Do not include a dollar sign or percent symbol — just the number.

Step 5 — Click the Unit dropdown and select either $ for a fixed dollar discount or % for a percentage discount. For example, an Amount of 50 with Unit set to $ is a $50 off promo, and an Amount of 50 with Unit set to % is a 50% off promo.

Step 6 — Click Create. The button activates once all required fields are filled. WaveRez Admin creates the promo code and opens the full promo code configuration page on the General tab, where the remaining setup is completed across four tabs: General, Product, Schedules, and Availability.

The General tab contains the promo code's name, code string, internal description, discount amount and unit, application unit, minimum price requirement, internal pulldown visibility, and priority. The Name, Promo code, Amount, and Unit fields entered in the New promo modal are the same fields that appear here.

Step 1 — Confirm or update the Promo name field. The name entered when the promo was created appears here and can be edited at any time.

Step 2 — Confirm or update the Promo code field. This is the customer-facing string guests type at checkout.

Step 3 — Enter an internal-only Description for the promo code. This is for internal reference only and is not shown to guests — use it to record details like the campaign name, who requested the code, or which marketing piece it appears in.

Step 4 — Confirm or update the Amount field and the first Unit dropdown. The Unit dropdown contains $ for a fixed dollar discount and % for a percentage discount.

Step 5 — Set the second Unit dropdown to control how the discount is applied across the cart. The two options are:

For most setups these behave similarly, and Whole cart is the safer default. Use Every cart item only when you specifically need per-item discount behavior.

Step 6 — Set the Min price field if the promo should only apply when the Order total reaches a minimum amount. Enter 0 for no minimum. For example, set Min price to 100 to require a $100 Order subtotal before the promo can be applied.

Step 7 — Check the View in internal pull down menu checkbox to make the promo code visible in the internal promo code dropdown that staff see when creating an Order in WaveRez Admin. Leave it unchecked to hide the code from the internal dropdown — guests can still apply the code at checkout, and staff can still type it manually, but it will not appear as a selectable option.

Step 8 — Set the Priority field to control the order in which this promo code appears in the internal pulldown menu when staff create Orders. Lower numbers appear higher in the dropdown. Use this to surface frequently used codes at the top of the list. Priority only affects the internal pulldown order — it does not affect which promo code "wins" if a guest enters one manually.

Step 9 — Click Save Changes in the top-right corner of the page. WaveRez Admin saves all General tab changes.

The Product tab restricts the promo code to specific Trips. By default, all Trips on the account are selected — meaning the promo code applies to any Trip a guest books. Unchecking specific Trips removes them from eligibility, and the code only applies to the Trips that remain checked.

Step 1 — Click the Product tab on the promo code configuration page. WaveRez Admin opens the Product configuration view.

Step 2 — Click the Products dropdown to expand the list of Trips on the account. Each Trip appears as a separate checkbox, with a Select all checkbox at the top.

Step 3 — Check or uncheck Trips to control which Trips this promo code applies to. Use Select all to toggle every Trip at once. By default, all Trips are checked.

Step 4 — Click Save Changes in the top-right corner of the page. WaveRez Admin saves the Trip restriction. The promo code will only apply to Orders that include at least one of the checked Trips.

The Schedules tab restricts the promo code to bookings whose departure falls within specific times of day. This is rarely used but useful for time-of-day promotions — for example, a code that only applies to morning departures, or a happy-hour discount limited to late-afternoon time slots. Multiple time ranges can be added.

Step 1 — Click the Schedules tab on the promo code configuration page. WaveRez Admin opens the Schedules configuration view.

Step 2 — Click Add range in the top-right of the Ranges section. A new range row appears with From and To time pickers.

Step 3 — Click the From dropdown to set the start of the time-of-day window. Times are listed in 5-minute increments — for example, 9:00am, 9:05am, 9:10am, and so on.

Step 4 — Click the To dropdown to set the end of the time-of-day window.

Step 5 — Click Add range again to add additional time-of-day windows if needed. The promo code applies to any booking whose departure time falls within any one of the configured ranges.

Step 6 — Click Save Changes in the top-right corner of the page. WaveRez Admin saves the schedule restriction.

If the Schedules tab is left empty, the promo code applies to bookings at any time of day on the eligible Trips.

The Availability tab controls when the promo code can be used, how many times it can be redeemed, whether specific dates are blacked out, the cut-off rule for last-minute redemptions, and whether the code is available on TripShock.

Step 1 — Click the Availability tab on the promo code configuration page. WaveRez Admin opens the Availability configuration view.

Step 2 — Toggle Enabled for TRIPSHOCK.COM on if the promo code should be available to guests booking through TripShock. The toggle is off by default. This setting only takes effect if the Partner account is live on TripShock as an OTA channel — if TripShock is not connected, this toggle has no impact.

Step 3 — Set the Cut off (days) field to define how many days in advance the promo code must be used before the booked departure date. For example, setting Cut off to 7 means the code can only be applied to Orders placed at least 7 days before departure. Leave at 0 for no cut-off rule. This field is rarely used.

Step 4 — Set the Arrival from and Arrival to dates to restrict the promo code to Orders whose scheduled departure date falls within the range. For example, Arrival from July 1 to Arrival to July 4 means the discount only applies to Orders departing within those four days, regardless of when the Order is placed. Leave blank for no arrival date restriction.

Step 5 — Add Blackout Dates to disallow specific dates or date ranges within the otherwise valid arrival window. Click Add range in the Blackout Dates section to add a from/to date range that is excluded from promo eligibility. For example, add July 4 as a blackout to prevent the code from being used on that single day even if July 4 falls within the Arrival window.

Step 6 — Set the Promo from and Promo to dates to restrict the promo code to Orders that are created (booked) within a specific window. For example, Promo from January 1 to Promo to January 31 means the code can only be redeemed on Orders placed during January, regardless of when the trip will actually take place. Leave blank for no booking-date restriction.

Step 7 — Set the Uses field to control how many times the promo code can be redeemed in total across all guests. The default value is 0 — meaning the code cannot be used. For codes shared in marketing campaigns or distributed broadly, set this to a high number such as 9999 to allow many guests to redeem it.

Step 8 — Click Save Changes in the top-right corner of the page. WaveRez Admin saves all Availability tab changes.

The View details button opens a read-only summary of the promo code's key settings without opening the full configuration page. This is useful for quickly checking a code's discount amount, eligible Trips, date range, and current usage count.

Step 1 — On the Promotions page, click the View details button on the promo code's row. WaveRez Admin opens the View details modal.

Step 2 — Review the summary fields:

Step 3 — Click Ok to close the modal. To make changes, click the promo code's row on the Promotions page to open the full configuration page.

Deactivating a promo code is done with the Remove button on the promo code's configuration page. Despite its name, Remove does not permanently delete the code — it moves the code to the Inactive tab on the Promotions page. Inactive codes are no longer redeemable but remain on the account for record-keeping.

Step 1 — Open the promo code by clicking its row on the Promotions page. The promo code configuration page opens.

Step 2 — Click the red Remove button in the top-right corner of the page. WaveRez Admin moves the promo code to the Inactive tab and removes it from active redemption.

Step 3 — To view deactivated promo codes, return to the Promotions page and click the Inactive tab at the top. All promo codes that have been removed appear here.

Create the code in WaveRez Admin before advertising it. If a guest enters a code that does not exist on the account, checkout rejects it. Always create the code first, then promote it in marketing materials.

Set the Uses limit before sharing the code publicly. The default Uses value is 1. For any code shared with multiple guests, set the Uses field on the Availability tab to a high number such as 9999.

Use distinctive code strings that are unlikely to collide. Use a prefix or identifier tied to the business — for example, "DESTINJET25" rather than "25OFF" — so the code is unique and recognizable in reports.

Use Arrival date ranges for seasonal promotions. If the discount should only apply to summer departures, use the Arrival from / Arrival to fields on the Availability tab. Without this restriction, a guest could use a "summer promo" on a December booking.

Use Promo date ranges for booking-window flash sales. If the goal is to drive bookings during a specific window — like a "book this weekend only" sale — use the Promo from / Promo to fields. The discount stops applying to new Orders once the Promo to date passes.

Use Whole cart as the discount unit by default. The second Unit dropdown on the General tab defaults to Every cart item, but Whole cart is the recommended default for most setups. Only use Every cart item when per-item discount behavior is specifically needed.

Hide internal-only codes from the staff pulldown. Uncheck View in internal pull down menu on the General tab for codes that should only be available at customer checkout, not in the internal Order creation flow.

Symptom: A guest enters a promo code at checkout on the WaveRez Booking Portal and the code is rejected, the discount is not applied, or an error message appears.

Cause and resolution: Check each of the following in order:

Symptom: The promo code was accepted but the discount amount at checkout is not what was expected.

Cause and resolution: Open the promo code's General tab and check the first Unit dropdown. If it is set to % when the intent was $ (or vice versa), the discount will be calculated incorrectly. For example, an Amount of 50 with Unit % is a 50% discount, not $50. Update the Unit and click Save Changes.

Also check the second Unit dropdown (Every cart item vs Whole cart). Every cart item applies the discount separately to each line item, which can produce a larger total discount than intended. Switch to Whole cart if the discount should apply once to the Order total.

Symptom: A promo code intended for a marketing campaign works for the first guest but is rejected for subsequent guests.

Cause and resolution: The default Uses value is 1, which means the code can only be redeemed once. Open the promo code, click the Availability tab, and increase the Uses field to a high number such as 9999. Click Save Changes. Subsequent guests can now redeem the code.

Symptom: A promo code that was created previously does not appear on the Promotions page.

Cause and resolution: The Promotions page has two tabs — Active and Inactive. Click the Inactive tab to view promo codes that have been removed via the Remove button. To make a removed code redeemable again, contact WaveRez Support — Inactive promo codes are not directly restorable from the standard interface.

Symptom: Guests booking through TripShock cannot see or apply the promo code.

Cause and resolution: Open the promo code's Availability tab and confirm the Enabled for TRIPSHOCK.COM toggle is on. If the toggle is on but the code is still not appearing, confirm the Partner account is live on TripShock as an OTA channel. The toggle has no effect if TripShock is not connected as a channel for the account.