When running a site-wide promotion, make sure your members' codes aren't conflicting with or undercutting your sale prices. You have two options.
Option 1: Make member codes complementary to your sale
The goal is to make sure customers aren't missing out on a discount by using a member's code during your promotion, and that your members still have something worth promoting.
Give the member code a slightly better deal. Raise member referral codes 1-5% above your site-wide rate so they can promote something exclusive.
Use codes to drive post-sale return purchases. Instead of a percentage discount, make member codes offer a $5 gift card toward the customer's next order.
Offer a non-product incentive. Consider making member codes unlock free shipping, a free gift with purchase, or access to an exclusive bundle.
To update your discount settings: go to Programs, select your program, edit the Discount Code or Referral Codes section, then click Save Program. Changes sync to Shopify immediately.
[ SCREENSHOT: Programs page showing where to edit discount rate ]
Note on discount stacking: If your site-wide sale requires a separate discount code at checkout (e.g. BFCM2025), Shopify only allows one code per checkout by default. Consider a Shopify discount stacking app so both codes can apply at once.
Option 2: Pause member codes during the promotion
The cleanest way to pause member codes during a promotion is to toggle the relevant section(s) off in your program settings. This fully disables the codes (or affiliate links, or rewards) without deleting any settings, so you can flip them back on after the promotion ends.
To pause:
1. Go to Programs and click Edit on the program(s) you want to pause.
2. Toggle off the Discount Code section, the Referral Codes section, the Affiliate Links section, or the Rewards section, depending on what you want to pause. You can toggle multiple sections off if you want to pause more than one.
3. Click Save Program. Changes apply immediately and sync to Shopify.
4. After the promotion ends, go back and toggle the sections back on. Your previous settings (rates, code names, rule titles, etc.) are preserved, so flipping them back on restores everything as it was.
[ SCREENSHOT: Toggles for each program section in the editor ]
A partial pause is also possible. Instead of toggling a section off entirely, you can change its rate or value (for example, temporarily reduce a 20% referral discount to 5%) and revert after the promotion. The toggle approach is cleaner for a full pause; rate adjustments work better when you want members to still earn or share at a reduced level.
Notes:
Don't click Save until you're ready for the change to go live, since it takes effect immediately.
If you have the "Your settings have changed" email notification enabled, members will receive an email as soon as you save. Customize that email first if you want to explain the reason for the change (e.g., a site-wide sale is coming).
[ LINK: How to edit email templates ]
Some brands use this as an opportunity to build excitement around the promotion. The same toggle approach works for any combination of sections: pause just discount codes, just referral codes, just rewards, or any mix.