Guides Fix a problem
How do I limit a Shopify discount code to one use per customer?
Set it in the Shopify admin
These steps work for an Amount off products, Amount off orders, Buy X get Y or Free shipping code (Shopify's amount off discount help page, checked November 9, 2026).
- From your Shopify admin, go to Discounts and click Create discount. To change a code you already have, click it in the list instead.
- In the Select discount type menu, click the type you want, for example Amount off orders.
- Under Method, select Discount code and enter the code, for example WELCOME10.
- Set the value, eligibility and minimum requirements as usual.
- In the Maximum discount uses section, check Limit to one per customer. On a free shipping code, Shopify's desktop steps call this section Usage limits.
- Click Save.
To also cap the total, for example the first 100 orders, check Limit number of times this discount can be used in total in the same section and enter 100.
How Shopify counts one use
Shopify tracks the limit by the customer's email address or phone number (Shopify help). A customer who already used WELCOME10 with their email gets the code rejected the next time they check out with that email.
The limit belongs to that one discount. Shopify's discount code considerations say a one per customer limit "applies only to that specific discount". So if you delete WELCOME10 and create it again, customers who used the old one can use the new one once.
What the setting can't do
Shopify can
- Limit a discount code to one use per customer, tracked by email address or phone number Source: help.shopify.com
- Limit the total number of times a discount code can be used Source: help.shopify.com
- Offer the code only to specific customers or customer segments Source: help.shopify.com
Shopify can’t
- Limit an automatic discount to one use per customer; automatic discounts have no Maximum discount uses section Source: help.shopify.com
- Carry the one per customer count over to a new discount that you create again with the same code Source: help.shopify.com
If you want each shopper to get a code nobody else can use, give everyone their own unique code instead. Shopify's help documents no bulk code generator; our unique codes guide shows the options.
With Discount Genie
For a plain Shopify code, you don't need an app: the checkbox above does the job. Discount Genie doesn't add a stronger per customer limit; it passes the same Shopify setting through.
It helps when the code is a discount type Shopify doesn't offer, for example a volume or tiered discount. Discount Genie code discounts show the same Maximum discount uses section with Limit to one use per customer, and the box is not tied to a paid plan. Discount Genie automatic discounts don't show it, the same as Shopify's.
If your real problem is shoppers adding several codes to one order, that is a different limit. Discount Genie rejection rules can keep one code per order and reject the rest.
Shopify vs Discount Genie for one use per customer
| Need | Shopify | Discount Genie |
|---|---|---|
| One use per customer on a plain code | Yes, check Limit to one per customer | Not needed, use Shopify |
| One use per customer on a volume or tiered code | No volume or tiered discount type | Yes, the same box on Discount Genie code discounts |
| One use per customer on an automatic discount | No | No |
| Price | Included with Shopify | Basic free plan (up to 3 basic discounts); paid plans: new stores pay $0.99/mo for the first 3 months on any monthly paid plan |
FAQ
How do I make a Shopify discount code one time use per customer?
Open the code under Discounts, check Limit to one per customer in the Maximum discount uses section, and click Save (Shopify help).
Can a customer use the same discount code twice on Shopify?
Not when Limit to one per customer is checked and they check out with the same email address or phone number. Without that box, a code can be reused until it expires or hits its total limit.
Can I limit an automatic discount to one use per customer?
No. Shopify's automatic discounts have no Maximum discount uses section. Use a discount code with the limit instead, or offer the discount only to a customer segment.
How do I stop customers using more than one discount code per order?
That is a different setting from one use per customer. See limit and block discount codes on Shopify for what Shopify's Combinations settings control and how rejection rules keep one code per order.