When you run a promotion on your store, what happens to your members' Buzzbassador codes depends entirely on how the promotion is set up in Shopify. Some setups let member codes stack on top of your sale, some block them at checkout, and some quietly cost your ambassadors their referral credit.
This guide covers every common promotion setup. Find the scenario that matches your sale, then follow the steps for that scenario.
Quick recap: Buzzbassador can issue up to three code types per program: the shared personal discount code, each member's unique referral code, and one-time BuzzLinks codes. Everything in this article applies to all three types.
First, know what kind of discounts your Buzzbassador codes are
Buzzbassador creates your member codes as native discount rules in Shopify, so you can see them right in your Shopify admin under Discounts.
Which discount class each rule belongs to depends on the Product Eligibility setting in your program:
Product Eligibility set to All: the code is created as an order discount (Amount off order).
Product Eligibility set to Certain Collections or Certain Products: the code is created as a product discount (Amount off products).
Discount type set to Free Shipping: the code is created as a shipping discount.
This matters because Shopify's stacking rules work by discount class. Keep your codes' classes in mind as you read the scenarios below.
How Shopify decides whether discounts stack
Discounts never combine by default. Two discounts only stack if both are set to allow combining with the other one's class, using the Combinations setting on each discount.
When two discounts could apply but are not set to combine, Shopify applies whichever gives the customer the biggest savings. If a customer enters a code that cannot combine with a discount already on their cart, checkout shows a message along the lines of "Discount couldn't be used with your existing discounts."
When combinations are enabled, customers can use up to 5 product or order discount codes plus 1 shipping code on the same order. This is native Shopify functionality, so you no longer need a third-party stacking app for most cases.
Buzzbassador creates all member code rules with combinations off, meaning they won't stack with your other discounts unless you deliberately turn that on (covered below).
Price markdowns at the product level are not discounts at all in Shopify's eyes, so none of these rules apply to them. Codes always work on top of marked-down prices.
Scenario 1: Your sale is baked into the product prices
You marked the products themselves down, either by editing prices directly (usually with a compare-at price showing the original), with Shopify's bulk editor, or with a flash sale app that rewrites prices.
What happens by default: every Buzzbassador code keeps working on top of the sale price. A customer buying a marked-down product with a 20% member code gets the sale price and then 20% off that. Ambassador tracking is unaffected, since codes are still being used at checkout.
What to do with your codes:
If the combined discount is deeper than you want, temporarily lower your discount and referral rates in your program settings for the duration of the sale, then restore them after.
Or pause the code sections entirely during the sale using the program toggles. Your settings are preserved and members' codes reactivate when you toggle back on.
Or lean into it and promote that member codes apply even on sale prices. This can be a strong conversion play during a launch window if your margins allow it.
Scenario 2: Your sale runs as an Automatic Discount
You created the promotion in Shopify under Discounts with the method set to Automatic discount, so every customer gets it with no code needed.
What happens by default: the automatic discount and your Buzzbassador codes will not stack. The bigger discount wins. If your sitewide sale is 20% and your referral codes are 15%, the sale price applies and a customer who types in a member code sees that the discount isn't eligible for their order.
Why this matters beyond the discount: when the member code falls off at checkout, the sale does not get attributed to the ambassador, so they earn no reward for referrals they genuinely drove during your biggest sales window.
What to do with your codes (pick one):
Raise your referral code rate 1 to 5 points above the sale rate. For example, referral codes at 21% while the sitewide automatic discount is 20%. The customer only ever gets the single best discount, not both, and since the member code now wins, it stays on the order and ambassador tracking works as normal. It also gives your members something exclusive to promote during the sale.
Have members share their affiliate links instead of codes during the sale. Link tracking credits the ambassador even when no code is used at checkout, so referrals keep tracking while every customer just gets your sale price. 🔗 Members: How Your Affiliate Link Works
Deliberately allow stacking. If you actually want customers to get the sale price plus the member discount, enable combinations on both the automatic discount and your Buzzbassador rules (steps below). Do the math first: a 20% automatic discount plus a 21% referral code both applying is a very deep cut.
Pause member codes for the duration of the sale using the program section toggles.
Scenario 3: Your sale runs through its own promo code
You created a code like SUMMER15 and you're promoting it on your site, emails, and socials. Customers type it in at checkout.
What happens by default: Shopify only applies one code per checkout when codes are not set to combine. The customer has to choose between your promo code and their member code, and whichever they add second gets rejected with the "couldn't be used with your existing discounts" message.
What to do with your codes (pick one):
Make the member code the better deal by setting it 1 to 5 points above the promo code, so members have a reason to keep sharing and their referrals keep tracking. Customers simply use the member code instead of the promo code.
Have members lead with affiliate links during the sale so attribution survives no matter which code the customer uses.
Let both codes apply together by enabling combinations on both the promo code and your Buzzbassador rules (steps below). Customers can then enter both codes at checkout.
Pause member codes for the duration of the sale using the program section toggles.
How to let your Buzzbassador codes combine with your promotion
Combination settings live on each discount rule in Shopify, and both sides must allow the combination.
1. In your Shopify admin, go to Discounts and open your promotion's discount.
2. In the Combinations section, check the class your Buzzbassador codes belong to (order discounts if your program's Product Eligibility is All, product discounts if it's restricted to certain products or collections).
3. Open each Buzzbassador-created rule (your personal discount code rule, your referral codes rule, and your BuzzLinks rule if you use BuzzLinks) and check the class your promotion belongs to in its Combinations section.
Notes:
If you change a code or rule title in your Buzzbassador program settings later, Buzzbassador replaces that rule in Shopify, so re-check the rule's combination settings after saving program changes.
Referral code rules hold your members' individual codes. If a program has no members yet, Shopify may not let you save edits to that rule until at least one member code exists.
If you'd rather turn member codes off during the sale
You can pause any code section without losing your settings: edit the program, toggle off the Discount Code, Referral Codes, or Affiliate Links section, and save. Toggle back on after the sale and everything is restored exactly as it was. Full walkthrough here:
The short version
Prices marked down at the product level: codes stack on top by default. Lower rates, pause codes, or embrace the double discount.
Automatic discount: no stacking by default, biggest discount wins, and losing the code loses the ambassador's credit. Raise codes above the sale rate, push affiliate links, enable combinations, or pause.
Promo code: one code per checkout by default. Same four options as automatic discounts.
Want stacking on purpose: enable combinations on both your promotion and every Buzzbassador rule, matching discount classes.
If you're not sure which scenario you're in or want us to sanity-check your setup before a big sale, reach out via chat and we'll take a look with you.