[SOLVED] Expiration date of Promotions (Discounts ,etc)

I wanted to get a better understanding of the "End date of validity of this promotion".   Is it essentially the date when the Coupon Code can last be used?

In my use case, I have a recurring annual membership that renews annually every October 1.  I am temporarily offering free sign-ups as the coupon code is 100% off.

- If I set the "End date of validity of this promotion" to September 30 does that mean the code can be used for renewing and sign-ups up until that date?

- I have also configured "Bonus time before first-period start (for calendar-based durations)" to be 2  months so anyone signing up or renewing between August 1 and September 30 would have their membership expire in 14 months instead of 2 months.   

If they use the coupon code during this time frame would they get the following term discounted as well?    If so, should I instead make the "End date of validity of this promotion" August 1?

Is it essentially the date when the Coupon Code can last be used?

Correct

- If I set the "End date of validity of this promotion" to September 30 does that mean the code can be used for renewing and sign-ups up until that date?

Correct

If they use the coupon code during this time frame would they get the following term discounted as well?

If they use the coupon between the dates you specified yes it will apply to whatever the amount is of the purchase. Duration is irrelevant to coupons.

If so, should I instead make the "End date of validity of this promotion" August 1?

Depends on what timestamp you set, but yes. I would probably set it to July 31st though.

Thank you for confirming.

As a follow-up is the only difference between "Applies to all purchases" and "Coupon Code" is that the first one automatically applies the promotion price whereas the Coupon requires the user to input a code.

Are there any other differences?    One of the reasons I hesitate to use "Applies to all purchases" on a 100% discount offer is the potential spam or unwanted sign-ups.  

As a follow-up is the only difference between "Applies to all purchases" and "Coupon Code" is that the first one automatically applies the promotion price whereas the Coupon requires the user to input a code.

Correct

Are there any other differences?

The only difference is what you've already discovered. One is automatically applied and the other requires them to enter a coupon code. You can add basket hints that show them the coupon code at checkout if you want to give them the option to pay or get a free subscription resulting in manual action required, but you do run the risk of people accidently paying then complaining.

You can add basket hints that show them the coupon code at checkout if you want to give them the option to pay or get a free subscription resulting in manual action required, but you do run the risk of people accidently paying then complaining.

I did see the option to show the hint, which is great.  Am I able to add CSS to make it bold or highlight it?      I see the point of people missing it and complaining later.

Speaking of which.   Is there a way to refund offline payments in the backend so I can keep the reporting accurate?
 

I did see the option to show the hint, which is great. Am I able to add CSS to make it bold or highlight it? I see the point of people missing it and complaining later.

HTML is supported in that parameter as noted in the description so you can add either a custom CSS class around it, use inline styles, or use Bootstrap classes to style it. Example as follows.

Speaking of which. Is there a way to refund offline payments in the backend so I can keep the reporting accurate?

Yes, you can mark any payment refunded. This is done within the CB Paid Subscriptions > Payments page. You should see a Refund button in the Status column.