You can run a Buy One, Get One offer using a coupon. It works by taking 100% off one item when the right items are in your guest's cart, and it always discounts the cheaper of the matching items.
How BOGO coupons work
A BOGO coupon uses the Percent off discount type set to 100%. Here's how it works:
100% comes off one item, which becomes the free one.
The discount only applies when the items you require are in the cart.
The cheapest matching item in the cart is the one discounted, whatever order your guest added items in.
Single-item discount or BOGO: which settings to use
A single-item discount and a BOGO use the same coupon form. The difference is two settings. Applied to picks which items get the discount. Require specific items or categories in cart picks what your guest has to buy first.
Setting | Single-item discount (example: 20% off any pizza) | BOGO (example: buy one pizza, get one free) |
Discount Type | Percent off or Dollar amount off, at any amount. | Percent off, set to 100%. |
Applied to | Items or categories. Pick the items that get the discount. | Items or categories. Pick the items that will be free. |
Require specific items or categories in cart | Off. Guests don't need to buy anything else first. | On. Pick the items your guest has to buy to unlock the free one. |
Discounted items per redemption | Your choice. Turn it off to discount every matching item in the order. | On, set to 1. If it's off, every matching item in the cart is free. |
⚠️ Caution: For a BOGO, do not choose An order under Applied to. That takes 100% off the whole order, so guests get everything free, even without the item they were meant to buy. Always choose Items or categories.
Set up a BOGO coupon
You set up a BOGO coupon in your Owner Dashboard. Create the coupon, choose the free items, then choose what your guest has to buy.
Create the coupon
Go to Marketing › Coupons in your Owner Dashboard.
Click Create Coupon.
Enter your Coupon Code, for example BOGOBURGERS.
Add a Description that explains the offer, for example "Buy one burger, get one free."
This description shows on your menu if you turn on Promote on your menu.
Choose the free items
Set Discount Type to Percent off.
Set the percentage to 100%.
Under Applied to, select Items or categories.
Choose the items or categories that will be free, for example the Classic Burgers category.
Choose what your guest has to buy
Turn on Require specific items or categories in cart.
Choose the items or categories your guest has to buy to qualify.
For a true BOGO, like buy one burger and get another free, choose the same category again.
Turn on Discounted items per redemption.
Set how many items one redemption makes free.
Set it to 1 and the offer applies once. A guest who adds four burgers gets one free.
Set it to 2 and the offer applies twice. A guest who adds four burgers gets two free.
Finish and save
Optionally turn on Promote on your menu to show the offer at the top of your online ordering page.
Set any other options you want, such as start and end dates or usage limits.
Click Save Coupon.
Test the coupon
Test the coupon before you share it.
On your online ordering site, add the items to your cart.
Enter the code at checkout.
Check that only the right item comes off.
Prefer to watch? This short walkthrough covers the same steps.
Prefer to watch? This short walkthrough covers the same steps.
What to expect and current limits
What your guests see
Guests enter the coupon code at checkout. It doesn't apply on its own.
The discount shows as a dollar amount off, not labeled as BOGO.
When guests view the coupon on your menu, they see Select the item to redeem.
Other ways to set it up
Buy item A, get item B free: under Applied to, choose item B. Under Require specific items or categories in cart, choose item A.
Buy from one category, get from another free: same idea, using categories instead of single items.
What a BOGO coupon cannot do
Require more than one thing to be bought. You cannot ask for a large pizza and 24 wings before the free item unlocks.
Add the free item to the cart for your guest.