Automatically Discount a NetSuite Sales Order Over a Minimum Amount

The quick answer

Use a SuitePromotions Order Promotion. Check This Promotion Can Be Automatically Applied, set Minimum Order Amount for each currency the promotion should cover, enter the Discount Rate, and pick a Discount Item For Accounting. On the sales order, leave Automatically apply promotions checked on the Promotions subtab. When the subtotal reaches the minimum, NetSuite adds the discount as the order is built. It shows as a negative Discount Item amount in the Summary and as an Applied row on the Promotions subtab, before you save. In this example, 8% off a 3,450.00 subtotal is -276.00, so the total is 3,174.00.

The screenshots show sample data. Person and company names are fictional. Use your own promotion, customer and items when following the steps.

Before you start

Alex Morgan at Example Supply Co. offers 8% off any order of $3,000 or more. Nobody wants reps doing that math on every order, or forgetting it, so the rule lives in a promotion. You define the minimum, the rate and the discount item once, and NetSuite checks each order as lines go on.

You need two features and two checkboxes:

The SuitePromotions and Auto-Apply Promotions features, under Setup > Company > Enable Features on the Transactions subtab. Check both and save the page.
The promotion's This Promotion Can Be Automatically Applied box.
Automatically apply promotions on the sales order's Promotions subtab. Whether it starts checked depends on your form and account, so look before you add lines.

The promotion also has to be eligible for the order. It can't be Inactive, the order date has to fall between its Start Date and End Date, and the customer, sales channel, currency and usage limits all have to fit its Audience, Sales Channels and Usage Limits subtabs.

01. Check the promotion

This walkthrough reviews a promotion that already exists. Go to Lists > Marketing > Promotions. To build a new one, go to Lists > Marketing > Promotions > New, choose Order Promotion, fill in the same fields shown below and save.

The Lists menu is open with Marketing highlighted. Its flyout lists Marketing Templates, Marketing Campaigns, Sales Campaigns, Create Keyword Campaigns, Upsell Manager, Promotions (highlighted, with New and Search), Import Coupon Codes and Create Email Campaigns. — Click Promotions under Lists > Marketing to open the promotions list.

The list shows each promotion's Name, Coupon Code, Start Date and End Date. Click View next to 8% off orders of $3,000 or more. Its coupon code is SPEND3K and it runs from 09/01/2026 to 12/31/2026.

The Promotions list with Total: 3. Rows are 8% off orders of $3,000 or more (SPEND3K, 09/01/2026 to 12/31/2026), Free ground shipping on $500 or more (SHIP500) and Spring tool bundle 15% off (BUNDLE15). An arrow points to View on the 8% off orders of $3,000 or more row. — Click View on 8% off orders of $3,000 or more.

Under Further Settings, three values control how the promotion behaves on an order:

Combination With Other Promotions is marked X next to Order Type Exclusive Promotion. It can't combine with another order promotion on the same transaction, but it can combine with item or shipping promotions.
This Promotion Can Be Automatically Applied is checked, so nobody has to enter the coupon code.
Discount Item For Accounting is Promo Discount, a discount item. The discount posts through that item. If the item has an account, the discount posts to that account. A non-posting discount item reduces the related revenue instead. On taxable orders, check the discount item's tax settings before you rely on the promotion.

Promotion SPEND3K in view mode. Name is 8% off orders of $3,000 or more, Start Date 09/01/2026, End Date 12/31/2026. Under Further Settings, Order Type Exclusive Promotion is marked X, This Promotion Can Be Automatically Applied is checked, and Discount Item For Accounting is Promo Discount. — Order Type Exclusive Promotion, automatic application on, and Promo Discount as the discount item.

Scroll to What the customer needs to buy. Spend A Minimum Order Amount Or Buy Specific Items is marked and Minimum Order Amount is checked, with US Dollar 3,000.00 in the grid. British pound, Canadian Dollar and Euro are blank, so an order in those currencies doesn't qualify on this minimum. Under What the customer will get, Discount Rate is 8.0%.

What the customer needs to buy: Spend A Minimum Order Amount Or Buy Specific Items is marked, Minimum Order Amount is checked, and the currency grid shows US Dollar 3,000.00 with British pound, Canadian Dollar and Euro blank. What the customer will get: Discount Rate 8.0%. — The rule: a minimum of 3,000.00 US Dollar gets 8.0% off.

02. Start the sales order

Go to Transactions > Sales > Enter Sales Orders and select Redfield Mechanical in Customer. Open the Promotions subtab. If Automatically apply promotions isn't checked, check it.

The promotions list is empty and the Summary is all 0.00. The order has no item lines yet, so nothing can qualify.

A new sales order for Redfield Mechanical with the Promotions subtab open. Automatically apply promotions is checked and an arrow points to it. The promotions grid has only an empty entry row with Status N/A. The Summary shows Discount Item 0.00 and Total 0.00. — Automatically apply promotions is checked. No lines yet, so no promotion.

03. Add a line below the minimum

Open the Items subtab. In Item, select HT-410 Hydraulic Torque Wrench, enter Quantity 4 and click Add. The line comes in at Rate 437.50 and Amount 1,750.00.

The Summary shows Subtotal 1,750.00, Discount Item 0.00 and Total 1,750.00. 1,750.00 is under the 3,000.00 minimum, so the promotion doesn't apply.

The sales order Items subtab with one line: HT-410 Hydraulic Torque Wrench, Quantity 4, Rate 437.50, Amount 1,750.00. The Summary shows Subtotal 1,750.00, Discount Item 0.00 with an arrow pointing to it, and Total 1,750.00. — Subtotal 1,750.00 is below 3,000.00, so Discount Item stays 0.00.

04. Cross the minimum

In Item, select LS-220 Rotary Laser Level, enter Quantity 2 and click Add. The line is Rate 850.00 and Amount 1,700.00.

On the standard sales order form, the promotion applies as soon as the line is added. You don't save or recalculate first. Custom forms or scripts can change that timing, so check the Summary before you save. The Summary now shows:

Subtotal 3,450.00, which is 1,750.00 + 1,700.00 and at least the 3,000.00 minimum.
Discount Item -276.00, which is 8% of 3,450.00.
Total 3,174.00, which is 3,450.00 - 276.00. This order has no tax or shipping.

The discount isn't added as a line on the Items subtab. It only shows in the Summary and on the Promotions subtab.

The sales order Items subtab with two lines: HT-410 Hydraulic Torque Wrench, 4 at 437.50 for 1,750.00, and LS-220 Rotary Laser Level, 2 at 850.00 for 1,700.00. The Summary shows Subtotal 3,450.00, Discount Item -276.00 with an arrow pointing to it, and Total 3,174.00. — Subtotal 3,450.00 clears the minimum: Discount Item -276.00, Total 3,174.00.

05. Confirm the promotion

Open the Promotions subtab. It now lists 8% off orders of $3,000 or more (Order Type Exclusive Promotion) with Status Applied, Coupon Code SPEND3K, Discount Item Promo Discount, Rate -8.00% and Purchase Discount -276.00. Purchase Discount matches the Discount Item amount in the Summary. When you save the order, the promotion and its discount are saved with it.

The sales order Promotions subtab with Automatically apply promotions checked. One row: 8% off orders of $3,000 or more (Order Type Exclusive Promotion), Status Applied, Coupon Code SPEND3K, Discount Item Promo Discount, Rate -8.00%, Purchase Discount -276.00. — The promotion is Applied at -8.00%, and Purchase Discount -276.00 matches the Summary.

Check the result

With one line, the Summary shows Subtotal 1,750.00, Discount Item 0.00 and Total 1,750.00.
After the second line, it shows Subtotal 3,450.00, Discount Item -276.00 and Total 3,174.00.
276.00 is 8% of 3,450.00.
The Promotions subtab lists the promotion as Applied with Rate -8.00% and Purchase Discount -276.00.
The Items subtab has only the two item lines. There's no discount line.

If the discount doesn't show up, check the Promotions subtab first. If lines are removed and an order drops below the minimum after the promotion applied, the promotion stays there with Status Not Applied, Criteria Not Met shows under Status Information, and the discount leaves the total. If there's no row at all, recheck Automatically apply promotions, the promotion's dates, the order currency, the customer on the Audience subtab, and usage limits. For the basics of entering the order itself, see how to create a sales order in NetSuite.

Common questions

How do I give customers a percentage off orders over a certain amount in NetSuite?

Create a SuitePromotions Order Promotion and check This Promotion Can Be Automatically Applied. Set the Minimum Order Amount for each currency the promotion covers, the Discount Rate, and a Discount Item For Accounting. In this example, US Dollar 3,000.00 at 8.0% turns a 3,450.00 order into 3,174.00.

Why didn't my automatic promotion apply to a sales order?

Start with the sales order's Promotions subtab. Automatically apply promotions has to be checked there, and the Auto-Apply Promotions feature has to be on. After that, check the promotion itself: not Inactive, inside its Start Date and End Date, open to the customer, set up for the order's currency and sales channel, and within its usage limits. When several automatic promotions qualify, NetSuite picks the combination that gives the customer the best discount, so another promotion can win.

Is the minimum order amount checked before or after tax and shipping?

Before. NetSuite compares the minimum with the order subtotal, not the total with tax and shipping. An order at the minimum qualifies, so a 3,000.00 subtotal gets the discount and 2,999.99 doesn't.

Does an order promotion add a discount line to the sales order?

No. The discount shows as a negative Discount Item amount in the Summary and as a row on the Promotions subtab. In this example, the Items subtab still has only the two item lines, while the Summary shows -276.00 against a 3,450.00 subtotal.

What does Order Type Exclusive Promotion mean?

It can't combine with another order promotion on the same transaction, but it can combine with item or shipping promotions. Exclusive Promotion is stricter and doesn't combine with any other promotion. Neither setting guarantees a win: if another automatic promotion gives a better discount, NetSuite can apply that one instead.

What happens if the order drops below the minimum after the promotion applied?

The promotion stays on the Promotions subtab with Status Not Applied, Criteria Not Met shows under Status Information, and the discount comes off the total. This walkthrough doesn't remove a line, so you won't see that state in the screenshots.

Do customers need the coupon code for an automatic promotion?

No. The Order Promotion form asks for a coupon code, SPEND3K here, even when the promotion applies automatically. Nobody has to enter it for automatic application. NetSuite applies the promotion when the order meets its rules.