## Before You Start
- Your business units. A business unit is a line of service in your shop, for example Laundry or Bag Repair. Each discount or surcharge can work on all of them or only on some. See [Introduction to Business Units](/docs/introduction-to-business-units).
- A price list. A price list holds what you charge for each item. Discounts and surcharges are worked out from those prices, so set your prices first. See [Introduction to Price Lists](/docs/introduction-to-price-lists).
Discounts, surcharges and automatic discounts are included in the Standard plan at no extra cost. Item Adjustments, which add or take off an amount on certain items every time, are part of the Professional plan.
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## Where It Works
- POS: your staff add discounts and surcharges in the cart. Automatic discounts come off on their own and show an Auto tag.
- Console: your staff do the same when they create an order, or when they edit the items on an order that already exists.
- Online Store and Mobile App: customers get the automatic discounts their booking qualifies for, and see them in the booking review before they confirm. Customers cannot pick a staff discount or a surcharge.
- WhatsApp mini-app: a booking gets the automatic discounts it qualifies for. The discount stays on the order and comes off when your staff price the items.
- Surcharges are never automatic. Only your staff add them, at the POS or in the Console.
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## What Discounts and Surcharges Are
A discount is a saved amount taken off an order. A surcharge is a saved amount added to an order. Each one has a name and a value: a percentage, like 10%, or a flat amount, like $5.
Saving them once helps your shop in a few ways:
- Staff tap once instead of working out an amount in their head.
- Every staff member gives the same amount for the same reason.
- The receipt shows a clear name, like "Late Order Apology", instead of a number nobody can explain.
There are 3 ways money comes off or goes on an order:
| Kind | Who adds it | CleanFast Laundry example |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Discount added by staff | Your staff, when something calls for it | Late Order Apology $5, when an order is ready a day late |
| Automatic discount | EasyBiz, on every order that qualifies | Birthday 15% in the customer's birthday month, or 2nd Curtain 50% off on certain items |
| Surcharge | Your staff, when the extra work applies | Stain Treatment $5 |
By default, each discount or surcharge works on every business unit. You can limit one to some business units, for example a discount only for Bag Repair.
You can skip this and still go live. Until you add one, the discount and surcharge lists in the cart are empty, so your staff cannot take money off or add a fee at checkout. Add them later, as real situations come up.
---
## Discounts or Loyalty & Rewards?
Discounts and surcharges are for one-off situations: an apology, a sale, a birthday treat, extra work on an item. They are not built to reward the same customer again and again.
To keep regulars coming back, use Loyalty & Rewards instead:
- Store Credit: customers pay ahead and spend their balance later, often with a bonus.
- Loyalty Points: customers earn points on what they spend and use them as money off.
- Membership: customers pay for a plan that takes a percentage off every eligible order.
- Coupons and Prepaid Packages: a code customers bring, or services paid for in advance.
These remember each customer, so staff don't have to recognise a regular to give the right amount. See [Introduction to Loyalty & Rewards](/docs/introduction-to-loyalty-and-rewards).
---
## Where to Find Discounts and Surcharges
1. Click the ⚙️ Settings icon in the top-right corner.
2. Under the **Catalog & Pricing** section, click Discounts or Surcharges.
They are 2 separate cards, and each opens its own page.
The Discounts page has 2 tabs:
- Added by staff: discounts your staff pick in the cart. The cart lists them in the same order as this page, so drag a row up or down to change it. See [Setting Up Discounts Staff Add at Checkout](/docs/setting-up-staff-discounts).
- Applied automatically: discounts that come off new orders on their own. If an order qualifies for 2 that don't combine, the one higher in this list comes off. See [Setting Up Automatic Discounts](/docs/setting-up-automatic-discounts).
The Surcharges page has one list and an Add Surcharge button. See [Setting Up Surcharges](/docs/setting-up-surcharges).
---
## What Changed for Existing Shops
If you used the old Adjustment Options page, where discounts and surcharges sat on one page, here is what moved:
- The Adjustment Options page, with its Discount and Surcharge tabs, is now 2 cards: Discounts and Surcharges.
- Your saved discount options are on Discounts › Added by staff.
- Your saved surcharge options are on Surcharges.
- 2.0 promotions that came off on their own, such as a first-order promotion or a birthday gift, are now automatic discounts on Discounts › Applied automatically. The old Promotions and Birthday Gift pages now open the Discounts page.
- The Discount rules and Surcharge rules tabs in Price Rules are now one tab, Price Rules › Item Adjustments. It works on certain items only, not on the whole order.
- Bundle Price Rules in Price Rules are now item offers on Discounts › Applied automatically, for example "3 Shirts for $10". The Bundle Price Rules page is gone, and your saved bundle prices moved there.
Every option you saved is kept, with the same name, value and limits. Your staff see the same list in the cart as before.
Open the Applied automatically tab and check that each 2.0 promotion you still run is listed there. If one is missing, add it again as an automatic discount, so customers keep getting it.
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## Which Tool Fits?
EasyBiz has a few ways to change what a customer pays:
| You want | Use | Example |
| --- | --- | --- |
| A one-off discount your staff decide to give | A discount on Added by staff. See [Setting Up Discounts Staff Add at Checkout](/docs/setting-up-staff-discounts) | Late Order Apology $5 |
| An extra fee, only when it applies | A surcharge. See [Setting Up Surcharges](/docs/setting-up-surcharges) | Stain Treatment $5 |
| Money off every order that qualifies | An automatic discount. See [Setting Up Automatic Discounts](/docs/setting-up-automatic-discounts) | Birthday 15%, December Sale $5 off $50 |
| A deal on certain items, like the second one half price or a set price for a few pieces | An item offer, an automatic discount on matching items. See [Setting Up Automatic Discounts](/docs/setting-up-automatic-discounts) | 2nd Curtain 50% off, 3 Shirts for $10 |
| An amount added or taken off certain items every time | Price Rules › Item Adjustments, on the Professional plan. See [Setting Up Price Rules](/docs/setting-up-price-rules) | +$5 on every silk item |
| Rewards that bring regulars back: points, prepaid credit, a member discount, coupons | Loyalty & Rewards. See [Introduction to Loyalty & Rewards](/docs/introduction-to-loyalty-and-rewards) | 10% off for Gold members |
| A fee for an Express, evening or public holiday booking | The booking option itself. See [Setting Up Booking Options](/docs/setting-up-booking-options) | $10 for Express |
| A top-up when an order is too small | A minimum order. See [Choosing Where Customers Can Book](/docs/choosing-where-customers-can-book) | $30 minimum for a pickup |
A minimum order is the lowest amount an order must reach. If the items come to less, the customer pays the minimum, and the cart shows the difference as its own line. An automatic discount never takes an order below it. The discount is cut back and the cart shows "Discount reduced: Minimum order applies". If the items come to less than the minimum, the discount does not come off and the cart shows "Discount waived: Minimum order not met".
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## Example: CleanFast Laundry's Setup
CleanFast Laundry has 2 business units, Laundry and Bag Repair, POS shops in Tampines and Jurong, and an Online Store. CleanFast adds 9% GST on top of its prices. If your prices already include tax (a tax-inclusive price, where the price on your list is what the customer pays), the tax stays inside the total instead. See [How Discounts, Surcharges and Tax Add Up on an Order](/docs/how-discounts-and-surcharges-add-up).
### Late Order Apology $5, added by staff
A customer's order at the Tampines shop is ready a day later than promised. To say sorry, staff tap the green − button and pick Late Order Apology.
- Wash & Fold, 5 kg at $4.00: $20.00
- Shirt Dry Clean, 2 at $6.00: $12.00
- Subtotal: $32.00
- Late Order Apology: −$5.00
- Tax (9%): $2.43
- Total: $29.43
### Stain Treatment $5, a surcharge
At the Jurong shop, a customer drops off 5 kg of Wash & Fold and a blouse with a coffee stain. Staff tap the red + button and pick Stain Treatment.
- Wash & Fold, 5 kg at $4.00: $20.00
- Blouse Dry Clean, 1 at $8.00: $8.00
- Subtotal: $28.00
- Stain Treatment: +$5.00
- Tax (9%): $2.97
- Total: $35.97
### Welcome 10%, automatic on a first order
A new customer books a pickup on the CleanFast Online Store. Nobody needs to remember the offer. Welcome 10% comes off because this is the customer's first order.
- Wash & Fold, 10 kg at $4.00: $40.00
- Comforter Wash, 1 at $10.00: $10.00
- Subtotal: $50.00
- Welcome 10%: −$5.00
- Tax (9%): $4.05
- Total: $49.05
### Birthday 15%, automatic in the birthday month
A customer whose birthday is in October brings a handbag to the Jurong shop for cleaning in October. Birthday 15% comes off on its own and shows an Auto tag. It uses the birthday saved on the customer's contact, so customers without a birthday saved don't get it.
- Handbag Cleaning, 1 at $80.00: $80.00
- Subtotal: $80.00
- Birthday 15%: −$12.00
- Tax (9%): $6.12
- Total: $74.12
### December Sale $5, automatic with dates and a minimum spend
CleanFast takes $5 off orders of $50 or more from 1 to 31 December. The minimum spend is the amount an order must reach before the discount comes off.
- Wash & Fold, 15 kg at $4.00: $60.00
- Subtotal: $60.00
- December Sale $5: −$5.00
- Tax (9%): $4.95
- Total: $59.95
If an order only comes to $45.00, the discount does not come off yet. The cart shows "December Sale $5: Add $5.00 more to qualify", so staff can tell the customer.
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## FAQs
**Did my old discount and surcharge options disappear?**
> No. Each one is on the matching page with the same name, value and limits. Past orders and receipts don't change, and your staff pick from the same list at the counter.
**Will customers see the name of the discount or surcharge?**
> Yes. The name you type is what your staff see in the cart, and what the customer sees on the receipt, the invoice and any other document the order appears on. Keep it short and clear, and avoid internal codes or staff-only notes.
**Should I make a "VIP 10%" discount for my regular customers?**
> We recommend Loyalty & Rewards instead. A staff discount depends on staff recognising the customer each time. A membership plan, points or store credit is saved on the customer's contact, so every staff member gives the same benefit. See [Introduction to Loyalty & Rewards](/docs/introduction-to-loyalty-and-rewards).
**Can a surcharge be added automatically?**
> No. A surcharge is always added by your staff. For an extra amount on certain items every time, like +$5 for silk, use Price Rules › Item Adjustments on the Professional plan. For an extra fee on certain bookings, set it on the booking option.
**Where do Express charges go, and can staff add a surcharge on top?**
> An Express, evening or public holiday fee belongs on the booking option. When a customer picks that option, its fee is on the order as its own line. A staff surcharge is separate and adds on top, so don't also add an Express surcharge at the counter, or the customer pays twice.
**Is a discount taken off before or after tax?**
> Before tax. A discount lowers the amount tax is worked out on, and a surcharge raises it. You don't set tax on the discount or surcharge itself. See [How Discounts, Surcharges and Tax Add Up on an Order](/docs/how-discounts-and-surcharges-add-up).
**Can one order get two discounts?**
> Yes. Staff can add different discounts and surcharges to one order, each on its own row. When an order qualifies for 2 automatic discounts, both come off only if both are set to combine. Otherwise the one higher in your Applied automatically list comes off.
**Do I need discounts or surcharges before I go live?**
> No. They are optional. You can open with none and add them when your shop needs them.
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## What's Next
You now know the 2 Settings cards, the 3 ways money comes off or goes on an order, what changed from the old Adjustment Options page, and when to use Loyalty & Rewards instead. Next, set up the discounts your staff give at the counter in [Setting Up Discounts Staff Add at Checkout](/docs/setting-up-staff-discounts).