Offering dual-sided incentives

This feature is only available on Business plans and above.

With Dub Partners, you can create dual-sided incentives for your affiliate/referral programs, which give special discounts to customers who sign up via a referral link.

Some examples include:

25% discount for the first 12 months
30% lifetime discount
$50 one-off discount

This can drive powerful word-of-mouth growth as partners are more likely to share their link if it gives their audience/user base additional discounts, and on the other hand, their users are more likely to click on their links as well if they’re getting a special deal. In this article, we’ll learn how to set up dual-sided incentives with Dub.

Stripe coupons / promotion codes

There are two ways to set up dual-sided incentives if you’re using Stripe:

Option 1: Direct link-based discounts (recommended)

If you’re using Stripe for payments, you can follow these steps to set up direct link-based discounts for your partner referral links:

Link-based discounts provide better attribution accuracy since you get visibility into the customer’s geolocation, device info, referrer details, and UTM data.The trade-off here is that it requires some engineering work to set up.

Create a discount on Dub

First, navigate to the partner group that you want to create a discount for. Under the Discount tab, you’ll be able to create a discount for the group

If you already have a discount set up for your default group, you can just duplicate it. If not, click Create to create your first group discount:

New Stripe couponIf you don’t have a coupon set up on Stripe yet, you can use the New Stripe coupon option to create a new coupon based on the discount type (percentage vs flat), amount, and duration set in Dub.Use Stripe coupon IDIf you already have an existing coupon on Stripe, you can enter the Stripe coupon ID (should be an 8 alphanumeric code) under the Use Stripe coupon ID option.

Since Stripe doesn’t support updating coupons after creation, you’d need to delete your discount in Dub and create a new one if you want to update any of the discount parameters.Note: Deleting a discount on Dub does not delete the corresponding Stripe coupon.

Add coupon logic to checkout flow

The key to implementing link-based discounts is to check if a customer is eligible for a discount using Dub’s Customers API, then automatically apply the appropriate Stripe coupon to their checkout session.Here’s how the flow works:

When a user clicks a partner referral link, Dub tracks them as a potential customer
During checkout, you query the Dub Customers API using the user’s ID
If they’re eligible for a discount, you apply the coupon to their Stripe checkout session
If not, you allow them to enter promotion codes manually

import { dub } from "@/lib/dub.ts";
import Stripe from "stripe";

const stripe = new Stripe(process.env.STRIPE_SECRET_KEY!);

// Get customer discount eligibility from Dub
const customers = await dub.customers.list({
  externalId: userId, // their user ID within your app
  includeExpandedFields: true,
});

const customerDiscount = customers.length > 0 ? customers[0].discount : null;

// Create Stripe checkout session with conditional discount
const stripeSession = await stripe.checkout.sessions.create({
  success_url: "https://app.domain.com/upgraded",
  cancel_url: "https://app.domain.com/pricing",
  line_items: [
    {
      price: "price_1MotwRLkdIwHu7ixYcPLm5uZ",
      quantity: 1,
    },
  ],
  mode: "subscription", // or "payment" for one-time purchases
  ...(customerDiscount
    ? {
        // Apply discount automatically if customer is eligible
        discounts: [
          {
            coupon:
              process.env.NODE_ENV !== "production" &&
              customerDiscount.couponTestId
                ? customerDiscount.couponTestId
                : customerDiscount.couponId,
          },
        ],
      }
    : {
        // Allow manual promo code entry if no automatic discount
        allow_promotion_codes: true,
      }),
  customer_email: userEmail,
  metadata: {
    userId: userId,
    ...(customerDiscount && { dubDiscountId: customerDiscount.id }),
  },
});

import stripe
from dub import Dub
import os

stripe.api_key = os.environ.get("STRIPE_SECRET_KEY")
dub_client = Dub(token=os.environ.get("DUB_API_KEY"))

user_id = "user_123"  # the user's ID in your app

# Get customer discount eligibility from Dub
customers = dub_client.customers.list(
    email=None,
    external_id=user_id,
    include_expanded_fields=True
)

# Prepare checkout session parameters
session_params = {
    "success_url": "https://app.domain.com/upgraded",
    "cancel_url": "https://app.domain.com/pricing",
    "line_items": [{"price": "price_1MotwRLkdIwHu7ixYcPLm5uZ", "quantity": 1}],
    "mode": "subscription",  # or "payment" for one-time purchases
    "customer_email": user_email,
    "metadata": {
        "userId": user_id,
    },
}

# Apply discount if customer is eligible
if customers and hasattr(customers[0], "discount") and customers[0].discount and customers[0].discount.coupon_id:
    coupon_id = customers[0].discount.coupon_test_id if (
        os.environ.get("NODE_ENV") != "production"
    ) and hasattr(customers[0].discount, "coupon_test_id") else customers[0].discount.coupon_id

    session_params["discounts"] = [{"coupon": coupon_id}]
    session_params["metadata"]["dubDiscountId"] = customers[0].discount.id
else:
    session_params["allow_promotion_codes"] = True

# Create the checkout session
session = stripe.checkout.Session.create(**session_params)

require 'stripe'
require 'dub'

# Initialize clients
Stripe.api_key = ENV['STRIPE_SECRET_KEY']

dub_client = ::OpenApiSDK::Dub.new
dub_client.config_security(
  ::OpenApiSDK::Shared::Security.new(
    token: ENV['DUB_API_KEY'],
  )
)

# Get customer discount eligibility from Dub
user_id = "user_123" # the user's ID in your app
customers = dub_client.customers.list(
  ::OpenApiSDK::Operations::ListCustomersRequest.new(
    request: ::OpenApiSDK::Operations::ListCustomersRequestBody.new(
      external_id: user_id,
      include_expanded_fields: true
    )
  )
)

# Create checkout session parameters
session_params = {
  success_url: 'https://app.domain.com/upgraded',
  cancel_url: 'https://app.domain.com/pricing',
  line_items: [
    {
      price: 'price_1MotwRLkdIwHu7ixYcPLm5uZ',
      quantity: 1,
    },
  ],
  mode: 'subscription', # or 'payment' for one-time purchases
  customer_email: user_email,
  metadata: {
    userId: user_id,
  },
}

# Apply discount if customer is eligible
if customers.respond_to?(:customers) &&
  !customers.customers.empty? &&
  customers.customers[0].discount &&
  customers.customers[0].discount.coupon_id

  coupon_id = if ENV['NODE_ENV'] != 'production' &&
                customers.customers[0].discount.coupon_test_id
                customers.customers[0].discount.coupon_test_id
              else
                customers.customers[0].discount.coupon_id
              end

  session_params[:discounts] = [{ coupon: coupon_id }]
  session_params[:metadata][:dubDiscountId] = customers.customers[0].discount.id
else
  session_params[:allow_promotion_codes] = true
end

# Create the checkout session
session = Stripe::Checkout::Session.create(session_params)

package main

import (
    "context"
    "os"

    "github.com/stripe/stripe-go/v72"
    "github.com/stripe/stripe-go/v72/checkout/session"
    "github.com/dubinc/go-sdk/dub"
    "github.com/dubinc/go-sdk/operations"
)

func main() {
    // Initialize clients
    stripe.Key = os.Getenv("STRIPE_SECRET_KEY")

    dubClient := dub.New(
        dub.WithSecurity(os.Getenv("DUB_API_KEY")),
    )

    // Get customer discount eligibility from Dub
    userId := "user_123" // the user's ID in your app
    ctx := context.Background()

    listRequest := operations.ListCustomersRequest{
        Request: &operations.ListCustomersRequestBody{
            ExternalId: &userId,
            IncludeExpandedFields: true,
        },
    }

    customers, err := dubClient.Customers.List(ctx, listRequest)
    if err != nil {
        // Handle error
        return
    }

    // Create checkout session parameters
    params := &stripe.CheckoutSessionParams{
        SuccessURL: stripe.String("https://app.domain.com/upgraded"),
        CancelURL:  stripe.String("https://app.domain.com/pricing"),
        LineItems: []*stripe.CheckoutSessionLineItemParams{
            {
                Price:    stripe.String("price_1MotwRLkdIwHu7ixYcPLm5uZ"),
                Quantity: stripe.Int64(1),
            },
        },
        Mode:          stripe.String(string(stripe.CheckoutSessionModeSubscription)),
        CustomerEmail: stripe.String(userEmail),
    }

    // Add metadata
    params.AddMetadata("userId", userId)

    // Apply discount if customer is eligible
    if len(customers.Customers) > 0 && customers.Customers[0].Discount != nil && customers.Customers[0].Discount.CouponId != nil {
        var couponId string
        if os.Getenv("NODE_ENV") != "production" && customers.Customers[0].Discount.CouponTestId != nil {
            couponId = *customers.Customers[0].Discount.CouponTestId
        } else {
            couponId = *customers.Customers[0].Discount.CouponId
        }

        params.Discounts = []*stripe.CheckoutSessionDiscountParams{
            {
                Coupon: stripe.String(couponId),
            },
        }
        params.AddMetadata("dubDiscountId", *customers.Customers[0].Discount.Id)
    } else {
        params.AllowPromotionCodes = stripe.Bool(true)
    }

    // Create the checkout session
    s, err := session.New(params)
    if err != nil {
        // Handle error
        return
    }
}

Once this is set up, eligible customers will automatically see the coupon code applied at checkout:

If you prefer a no-code solution, you can set up Stripe promo-code-based discounts for your partners.

Stripe promo-code-based discounts is much easier to set up (no code required).However, you do sacrifice on attribution accuracy since you won’t have any insights into the customer’s geolocation, device info, referrer details, and UTM data. Our Stripe integration will try to derive the customer’s location based on their Stripe billing address, but it can sometimes be inaccurate.

Create a discount on Dub

First, navigate to the partner group that you want to create a discount for. Under the Discount tab, you’ll be able to create a discount for the group

If you already have a discount set up for your default group, you can just duplicate it. If not, click Create to create your first group discount:

Create your partner code

Open the partner profile that you’d like to create a discount code for, then click Create Code in the “Discount codes” section.

Here you can select which referral link you’d like to associate the code with. Then you can create the discount code.

Discount codes cannot be edited after creation, so ensure that you have everything correct before creating the code

After the code has been created, you’ll see its value populated in the Discount Code section, and it is ready for use. In the Partner Dashboard, they’ll also see the associated discount code within their partner links.

Shopify discount codes

Use the Shopify discount provider when you sell through Shopify. Dub creates partner discount codes in your store automatically, and attributes the sale when a customer applies a partner’s code at checkout — even if they didn’t click a referral link.

This requires the Dub Shopify app. Dub creates and deletes discount codes in your Shopify store automatically.

Connect the Dub Shopify app

Install the Dub Shopify App and connect it to your Dub workspace. Follow the Shopify integration guide if you haven’t already.

The app needs permission to create discount codes (write_discounts). If you installed it before this permission was added, reinstall or upgrade the app from the Shopify App Store.

Create a Shopify discount on Dub

First, navigate to the partner group that you want to create a discount for. Under the Discount tab, you’ll be able to create a discount for the group.

If you already have a discount set up for your default group, you can just duplicate it. If not, click Create to create your first group discount:

Set Discount provider to Shopify, then choose the discount type (percentage vs flat), amount, and duration.

Since discount conditions can’t be updated after creation, you’d need to delete your discount in Dub and create a new one if you want to change the type, amount, or duration.Deleting a discount or discount code on Dub also disables the corresponding codes in Shopify.

Create partner discount codes

Open the partner profile that you’d like to create a discount code for, then click Create Code in the Discount codes section.

Select which referral link you’d like to associate the code with, then create the discount code. If you omit a custom code, Dub generates one from the partner’s name.

Dub immediately creates a matching code in your Shopify store. Shopify codes created by Dub:

Apply to all products
Can be used once per customer
Work on one-time purchases and subscriptions
Use your discount duration as Shopify subscription billing cycles (one-time → first cycle, a set number of months → that many cycles, lifetime → applies indefinitely)

Discount codes cannot be edited after creation, so ensure that you have everything correct before creating the code.

Custom discount provider

Use the Custom discount provider when you manage promo codes in your own system (eg: WooCommerce, Squarespace, etc.) instead of Stripe or Shopify. Dub remains the source of truth for partner discounts and discount codes; your application creates and disables the matching codes by listening to webhooks.

Create a custom discount on Dub

First, navigate to the partner group that you want to create a discount for. Under the Discount tab, you’ll be able to create a discount for the group.

If you already have a discount set up for your default group, you can just duplicate it. If not, click Create to create your first group discount:

Set Discount provider to Custom, then choose the discount type (percentage vs flat), amount, and duration.

Since discount conditions can’t be updated after creation, you’d need to delete your discount in Dub and create a new one if you want to change the type, amount, or duration.

Create partner discount codes

Open the partner profile that you’d like to create a discount code for, then click Create Code in the Discount codes section.

Select which referral link you’d like to associate the code with, then create the discount code. If you omit a custom code, Dub generates one from the partner’s name.

You can also create or delete discount codes via the API.

Discount codes cannot be edited after creation, so ensure that you have everything correct before creating the code.

Sync codes with your system

Create a webhook subscribed to discount_code.created and discount_code.deleted.Your endpoint should:

Verify the webhook signature
On discount_code.created, create the matching promo code in your system using data.code and the nested discount (amount, type, duration)
On discount_code.deleted, disable or delete that promo code in your system
Return a 2xx status code on success

These events also fire when codes are auto-provisioned, and when a code is removed automatically (for example if a partner is banned, deactivated, or moved to a group without an equivalent discount).

export const POST = async (req: Request) => {
  const webhookSignature = req.headers.get("Dub-Signature");
  if (!webhookSignature) {
    return new Response("No signature provided.", { status: 401 });
  }

  const secret = process.env.DUB_WEBHOOK_SECRET;
  if (!secret) {
    return new Response("No secret provided.", { status: 401 });
  }

  const rawBody = await req.text();
  const computedSignature = crypto
    .createHmac("sha256", secret)
    .update(rawBody)
    .digest("hex");

  if (webhookSignature !== computedSignature) {
    return new Response("Invalid signature", { status: 400 });
  }

  const payload = JSON.parse(rawBody);

  if (payload.event === "discount_code.created") {
    // Create the promo code in your system
    // payload.data.code, payload.data.discount
  }

  if (payload.event === "discount_code.deleted") {
    // Disable the promo code in your system
    // payload.data.code
  }

  return new Response("OK");
};

Auto-provision discount codes

When enabled, discount codes will be automatically created for all existing partners in this group and future partners when they join this group.

Once you’ve set up dual-sided incentives, a potential next step would be to display the discount information on your pricing page / landing page hero. To do that, all you need is to install the Dub Analytics script with client-side click-tracking enabled – then, when someone lands on your site via a valid referral link, the script will automatically fetch the partner and discount data for you. This data will be stored as a JSON-stringified object in the dub_partner_data cookie in the following format:

{
  "clickId": "xxx", // unique ID of the click event
  "partner": {
    "id": "pn_xxx", // unique ID of the partner on Dub
    "name": "John Doe", // name of the partner
    "image": "https://example.com/john.png", // avatar of the partner
    "groupId": "grp_xxx", // unique ID of the group the partner belongs to
    "tenantId": "user_xxx" // partner's unique ID in your database
  },
  "discount": {
    "id": "disc_xxx", // unique ID of the discount on Dub
    "amount": 25, // discount amount (either a percentage or a fixed amount)
    "type": "percentage", // type of the discount (either "percentage" or "fixed")
    "maxDuration": 3, // maximum duration of the discount in months
    "couponId": "XZuejd0Q", // Stripe coupon code
    "couponTestId": "2NMXz81x" // Stripe test coupon ID
  }
}

You can access partner and discount data in your application code using the useAnalytics() hook. If you’re working in a non-React environment, you can use the DubAnalytics object directly. Here is a quick example of how you can display a discount banner using the useAnalytics() hook:

// Display a banner that says: _"John referred you to Acme and gave you 25% off"_
dubAnalytics("ready", function () {
  if (DubAnalytics.partner && DubAnalytics.discount) {
    const banner = document.createElement("div");

    banner.innerHTML = `
      <div class="flex items-center gap-2">
        <img src="${DubAnalytics.partner.image}" alt="${DubAnalytics.partner.name}" class="size-6 rounded-full" />
        <p>${DubAnalytics.partner.name} referred you to Acme and gave you ${DubAnalytics.discount.amount} ${DubAnalytics.discount.type} off</p>
      </div>
    `;
    document.body.appendChild(banner);
  }
});

// Display a banner that says: _"John referred you to Acme and gave you 25% off"_
import { useAnalytics } from "@dub/analytics/react";

function DiscountBanner() {
  const { partner, discount } = useAnalytics();

  if (!partner || !discount) {
    return null;
  }

  return (
    <div className="flex items-center gap-2">
      <img
        src={partner.image}
        alt={partner.name}
        className="size-6 rounded-full"
      />
      <p>
        {partner.name} referred you to Acme and gave you {discount.amount}{" "}
        {discount.type} off
      </p>
    </div>
  );
}

Here’s an example of how the discount banner will look like:

A screenshot of the Dub partner data example

MANAGING A PROGRAM

PARTNERING WITH PROGRAMS

MANAGING YOUR LINKS

MANAGING YOUR WORKSPACE

Offering dual-sided incentives

Stripe coupons / promotion codes

Option 1: Direct link-based discounts (recommended)

Shopify discount codes

Custom discount provider

Auto-provision discount codes

Displaying discount banner

​Stripe coupons / promotion codes

​Option 1: Direct link-based discounts (recommended)

​Option 2: Using Stripe promo codes (no code required)

​Shopify discount codes

​Custom discount provider

​Auto-provision discount codes

​Displaying discount banner

Stripe coupons / promotion codes

Option 1: Direct link-based discounts (recommended)

Option 2: Using Stripe promo codes (no code required)

Shopify discount codes

Custom discount provider

Auto-provision discount codes

Displaying discount banner