A promo code in WaveRez is a discount code that must already exist on the account before it can be used. This article explains how an existing promo code is applied in the three places it can be used: by a guest at checkout on the WaveRez Booking Portal (the customer-facing booking page), by staff during internal order creation in WaveRez Admin (the staff-facing backend), and by staff on an Order that has already been created. A promo code lowers the price before taxes and fees are calculated, so it also reduces the tax and fee amounts. On the Booking Portal a guest types the code into a free-text field. Internally, staff cannot type a code at all: they select it from a dropdown that lists only codes set to appear there. Applying a code to an Order that has already been paid lowers the total and creates a refund due to the customer. Every application counts against the code's usage limit, and all restrictions configured on the code (eligible Trips, date windows, minimum price, and usage cap) are enforced in all three places.
Prerequisites
The promo code must already be created and active in WaveRez Admin under Marketing > Promotions before it can be applied anywhere. A code that does not exist on the account is rejected at guest checkout and does not appear in the internal dropdown. To be applied internally by staff, the code must also have View in internal pull down menu checked on its General tab.
Where Promo Codes Can Be Applied in WaveRez
A promo code in WaveRez can be applied in three separate places, and the method differs depending on who is applying it. Understanding which place applies to a given situation determines the steps to follow.
The first place is guest checkout on the WaveRez Booking Portal, the customer-facing booking page where guests select and purchase Trips. The guest types the code into a free-text field and applies it themselves.
The second place is internal order creation in WaveRez Admin, the staff-facing backend, while a staff member is building a new booking. Staff select the code from a dropdown of available codes. They cannot type a code manually.
The third place is an existing Order in WaveRez Admin, meaning an Order that has already been created and saved. Staff select the code from a dropdown on the Order's Customer Info tab. They cannot type a code manually, and if the Order has already been paid, applying a code creates a refund due to the customer.
In all three places, the discount is applied to the price before taxes and fees, so taxes and fees decrease as well, and every application counts against the code's usage limit.
Apply a Promo Code at Checkout on the WaveRez Booking Portal (Guest-Facing)
The WaveRez Booking Portal is the customer-facing booking page where guests select Trips and pay. When a guest has a promo code, they enter it themselves on the cart page before checkout. The field is free-text, so the guest types the exact code. The discount is applied to the subtotal before taxes and fees are calculated, which lowers the taxes and fees as well as the subtotal.
On the cart page, below the Trip summary, the guest sees a Have a promo code? section containing an Enter Promo Code field and an Apply code button.
Step 1 — Type the promo code into the Enter Promo Code field in the Have a promo code? section on the cart page. The field accepts free text, so the guest enters the exact code as advertised.
Step 2 — Click Apply code. WaveRez validates the code against the booking and, if the code is valid, applies the discount. The displayed discount amount and the grand total both drop. Because the discount is calculated on the subtotal before taxes and fees, the taxes and fees also decrease. For example, a $40 subtotal with 6% taxes and fees totals $42.40; a 25% code lowers the subtotal to $30, recalculates taxes and fees on $30, and lowers the grand total accordingly.
If the code is not valid for the booking, the discount is not applied and the order total does not change. A code can be rejected because it does not exist or is inactive, the Trip is not eligible, the departure date is outside the code's arrival window, the booking date is outside the code's promo window, the subtotal is below the code's minimum price, the departure time is outside the code's schedule restriction, the usage limit has been reached, or the code was mistyped.
Apply a Promo Code During Internal Order Creation in WaveRez Admin
WaveRez Admin is the staff-facing backend where staff create Orders on behalf of guests. While building a new booking, staff apply a promo code from inside the cart. Unlike the guest-facing Booking Portal, the internal flow does not allow staff to type a code: staff can only select a code from a dropdown, and that dropdown lists only codes that have View in internal pull down menu checked on the code's General tab. A code without that setting cannot be applied internally and works only at guest checkout.
During a New Booking, after adding one or more Trips to the cart, staff open the Manage Order Items modal from the cart icon. The modal shows a Promocode field with an Apply button at the top, above the cart line items and the Total.
Step 1 — In the New Booking flow, add the Trip or Trips to the cart, then open the Manage Order Items modal by clicking the cart icon in the top-right corner. The modal lists the cart line items and shows the running Total.
Step 2 — Click the Promocode field. A dropdown of available promo codes appears. Only codes with View in internal pull down menu checked on their General tab appear here. There is no way to type a code manually in this field.
Step 3 — Select the promo code from the dropdown, then click Apply. WaveRez validates the code against the cart and, if it is valid, applies the discount and recalculates the Total. The discount is applied to the price before taxes and fees, so those amounts decrease as well.
All restrictions configured on the code are enforced when staff apply it internally, exactly as they are at guest checkout. This includes the eligible Trips, the arrival date window, the promo (booking) date window, the minimum price, the schedule time restriction, and the usage limit. Staff cannot bypass these restrictions. Every internal application also counts against the code's usage limit.
Apply a Promo Code to an Existing Order in WaveRez Admin
WaveRez Admin is the staff-facing backend, and an existing Order is an Order that has already been created and saved. Staff can add a promo code to an existing Order from the Order's Customer Info tab. As in the internal order-creation flow, staff cannot type a code here: they select it from a dropdown that lists only codes set to appear in the internal pulldown.
⚠️ Applying a promo code to an Order that has already been paid creates a refund due to the customer. On an existing Order, applying a promo code lowers the Order total. If the Order has already been paid in full, lowering the total means the customer has now paid more than the new total, so a refund is due for the difference. If the Order is unpaid, applying the code simply lowers the balance owed before payment is taken. Confirm the Order's payment status before applying a code to an existing Order.
On the Order, the Customer Info tab contains the Customer Details section. Within it, below the contact fields, is a Promocode field with an Apply button.
Step 1 — Open the Order and click the Customer Info tab. WaveRez displays the Customer Details section containing the contact fields and the Promocode field.
Step 2 — Click the Promocode field. A dropdown of available promo codes appears. Only codes with View in internal pull down menu checked on their General tab appear here. There is no way to type a code manually in this field. If the dropdown shows No options, no promo codes on the account are currently set to appear in the internal pulldown.
Step 3 — Select the promo code from the dropdown, then click Apply. WaveRez validates the code against the Order and, if it is valid, lowers the Order total. The discount is applied before taxes and fees, so those amounts decrease as well.
Step 4 — Click Save to commit the change to the Order. If the Order was already paid, the lowered total leaves a refund due to the customer for the difference; process that refund through the Order's payment tools. If the Order was unpaid, the lowered total reduces the balance owed.
All restrictions configured on the code are enforced when staff apply it to an existing Order, including eligible Trips, date windows, minimum price, schedule time restriction, and usage limit. Every application counts against the code's usage limit.
Troubleshoot Promo Codes That Will Not Apply
A guest's promo code is rejected at checkout on the Booking Portal
Symptom: A guest enters a promo code in the Enter Promo Code field on the WaveRez Booking Portal cart page, clicks Apply code, and the discount is not applied. The order total does not change.
Cause and resolution: Open Marketing > Promotions in WaveRez Admin and check the code against the booking. The code is rejected if it is on the Inactive tab rather than Active, if the guest's Trip is not checked on the code's Product tab, if the departure date is outside the Arrival from / Arrival to window or falls on a blackout date, if the booking date is outside the Promo from / Promo to window, if the Order subtotal is below the Min price, if the departure time is outside the code's Schedules restriction, if the Uses limit has already been reached, or if the guest mistyped the code. Correct the relevant setting and have the guest re-enter the code.
A promo code does not appear in the internal dropdown when creating or editing an Order
Symptom: A staff member opens the Promocode dropdown during New Booking or on an existing Order's Customer Info tab, and the expected code is missing or the dropdown shows No options.
Cause and resolution: Internally, staff can only select codes that have View in internal pull down menu checked on the code's General tab. Staff cannot type a code manually in WaveRez Admin. Open the code under Marketing > Promotions, go to the General tab, check View in internal pull down menu, and click Save Changes. The code then appears in the internal dropdown. Confirm the code is also on the Active tab, since inactive codes do not appear.
Applying a promo code to a paid Order created a refund due
Symptom: A staff member applied a promo code to an existing Order that had already been paid, and the Order now shows a refund or credit owed to the customer.
Cause and resolution: This is expected behavior. Applying a promo code to an existing Order lowers the Order total, and if the Order was already paid in full, the customer has now paid more than the new total, so a refund is due for the difference. Either process the refund through the Order's payment tools, or, if the discount was applied in error, remove it and confirm the Order total returns to the paid amount.