Discount Plans
A discount plan reduces or waives call charges after the tariff rates have been calculated. You can offer inclusive minute bundles, data allowances, percentage discounts, fixed per-call savings, or any combination. Discount plans are the building blocks for attractive call packages and bundles.
Key benefits
Section titled “Key benefits”- Inclusive minutes:give customers a pool of free minutes each billing period
- SMS and event allowances:include a set number of SMS messages or other events per period
- Data allowances:bundle mobile data or broadband usage into the plan
- Free calls by count:offer a fixed number of free calls regardless of duration
- Flexible discounts:percentage, per-call, or per-minute discounts that work independently or together
- Shared allowances:pool allowances across some or all numbers on a customer account
- Compound bundles:cap an allowance with multiple limits (e.g. “500 minutes or £50, whichever comes first”)
How discount plans work
Section titled “How discount plans work”Discount plans work in two stages:
- Fill the pool:features on a customer or number add allowances to a pool of available minutes, calls, data, or cash
- Draw from the pool:during billing, qualifying calls draw from the allowance pool. Calls within the allowance are discounted (fully free, or reduced by the discount percentage/amount). Once the pool is exhausted, remaining calls are charged at the full tariff rate.
The allowance limits (minutes, calls, data, cash) control how many calls receive the discount. If you want the discount to apply to all qualifying calls with no limit, leave all allowance fields blank.
Common allowance types
Section titled “Common allowance types”Discount plans support four types of usage allowance. You can use them individually or combine several in a single plan.
Minutes
Section titled “Minutes”The most common allowance type. A pool of free call duration that qualifying calls draw from during billing. Set via the Discounted Minutes field.
Use the feature multiplier to create flexible bundle sizes from a single plan. For example, set Discounted Minutes to 1 and attach the feature with a multiplier of 500 to give the customer 500 free minutes.
SMS and events
Section titled “SMS and events”A pool of free events, where each SMS or event-based charge counts as one event. Set via the Discounted Events field. The events billing module must be active on your platform.
For example, set Discounted Events to 1 and use a multiplier of 100 to give 100 free SMS per month. Make sure the call type groups on the plan cover SMS or messaging call types.
A pool of free data usage measured in bytes. Set via the Discounted Data (Bytes) field. The data billing module must be active on your platform.
Enter the value in bytes. Common conversions:
- 1 MB = 1,048,576 bytes
- 1 GB = 1,073,741,824 bytes
- 5 GB = 5,368,709,120 bytes
The Round Used Bytes Up To Next field is particularly useful for data allowances, letting you round each data session to the nearest MB or similar unit before deducting from the pool.
Free calls (by count)
Section titled “Free calls (by count)”A fixed number of free calls regardless of how long each call lasts. Set via the Discounted Calls field.
This is useful when you want to offer something like “50 free calls per month” where call length does not matter. Unlike minutes-based allowances, a 1-minute call and a 30-minute call each consume one unit from the pool.
Combining allowance types
Section titled “Combining allowance types”To offer a package covering minutes, SMS, and data, create a separate discount plan for each allowance type, then add all of them to the same feature. Each plan’s allowance is tracked independently, so using up all the minutes does not affect the SMS or data pool.
Do not put multiple allowance types on a single discount plan unless you want them to act as combined limits. When a single plan has both minutes and data set, the allowance stops as soon as either limit is reached (see Compound bundles below).
The discount plan list
Section titled “The discount plan list”View all discount plans from List Discount Plans on the main menu. The list has two tabs:
| Tab | Shows |
|---|---|
| All Discount Plans | Current discount plans (excludes historic by default) |
| Discount Pool Usage | Allowance consumption for active pools |
Bespoke discount plans linked to a specific customer are highlighted in green.
Checking pool usage after setup
Section titled “Checking pool usage after setup”After attaching a discount plan to a feature, use the Discount Pool Usage tab as a quick sanity check. The allowance should appear straight away (showing as unused). If the plan does not appear, check that the feature is active, the call type groups match the traffic, and the Discount Plan Multiplier is set. The used and remaining figures update once discounts are applied, either manually via Reapply Discount Plans or automatically during the next daily processing run.
Discount plan details
Section titled “Discount plan details”- Discount Plan Name:the display name for this plan. Not shown to customers.
- Discount Plan Name (Short):an abbreviated name (up to 10 characters) for reports and summaries.
- Discount Plan Description:optional notes about what this plan provides.
Naming tip: Name plans after the traffic type and discount style, not a specific bundle size. For example, “UK Landline & Mobile (per minute)” is better than “500 UK Minutes”. Because the Discount Plan Multiplier on the feature controls the actual allowance size, one well-named plan can serve customers on 500, 1,000, or 5,000 minutes. This avoids near-duplicate plans and makes it easier to find reusable plans when setting up new customers.
Availability
Section titled “Availability”| Value | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Headline | Shown at the top of plan lists and highlighted |
| Standard | Available for use on any customer |
| Historic | Only usable by customers already on it; hidden from new assignments |
| Base | Used as a template for other plans |
Additional availability fields:
- Customer:restrict this plan to a single customer (leave blank for general use)
- Customer Groups:restrict to customers in these groups
- Currency:the currency for cash values in this plan (when multi-currency is enabled)
Discounts
Section titled “Discounts”These fields control the discount applied to each qualifying call that draws from the pool.
- Discount Percent:reduce the call cost by this percentage (e.g. 20% takes a 10p call down to 8p)
- Discount Per Call:reduce the call cost by a fixed amount per call (in pence)
- Discount Per Minute:reduce the call cost by a fixed amount per minute (in pence)
If none of these discount fields are set, calls within the allowance are fully free.
Allowances
Section titled “Allowances”Allowances define a pool of free usage that is consumed during billing.
When no allowance limits are set (minutes, calls, data, and cash all left blank), the discount applies to all qualifying calls with no limit. When allowance limits are set, the discount applies only while the pool has remaining allowance.
Allowance limits
Section titled “Allowance limits”You can set one or more limits on a single plan. The allowance is used up when any limit is reached.
| Field | What it limits | Typical use |
|---|---|---|
| Discounted Minutes | Total minutes in the pool | Voice bundles such as “500 inclusive minutes” |
| Discounted Data (Bytes) | Total bytes in the pool (when data billing is active) | Data bundles such as “5 GB per month” |
| Discounted Events | Total events in the pool (when events billing is active) | SMS/messaging bundles such as “100 free texts” |
| Discounted Calls | Total number of calls in the pool | Call-count bundles such as “50 free calls” |
| Cash Discount | Total monetary value of discount available | Value-capped bundles such as “up to £50 of free calls” |
Compound bundles: Set multiple limits to create a bundle such as “500 minutes limited to £50 of value”. The allowance stops when either limit is reached.
Nominal value
Section titled “Nominal value”- Nominal Value:a reporting-only value representing what you consider the bundle to be worth. Use this to track how much value customers gain compared with the bundle’s nominal cost. It does not affect billing.
Allowance pool behaviour
Section titled “Allowance pool behaviour”These fields control how the allowance pool is shared across numbers on a customer account:
- Customer-Wide:when set to Yes, the allowance pool is visible across the whole customer account rather than per-number
- Fill / Use Allowance Pool:whether this plan uses the shared allowance pool system
- Allowance Pool Used By Attached Number:the number that the feature is attached to can draw from this pool
- Allowance Pool Used By All Numbers:all numbers on the customer account can draw from this pool
- Allowance Pool Used By Number Types:only numbers of these types can draw from the pool
For more advanced sharing, you can use named pools. Set a pool name on the discount plan allowance, then configure numbers to draw from that named pool. This lets you create multiple independent pools on the same customer.
Multi-leg calls
Section titled “Multi-leg calls”- Discount Matching A Leg:for multi-leg inbound calls, set this to Yes to also discount the A leg when it matches a discounted B leg.
Inbound numbers (03xx, 08xx, and other non-geographic ranges) generate two call legs: a B leg for the inbound call and an A leg for the forwarded onward call. If your bundle should cover the full cost of an inbound call, set Discount Matching A Leg to Yes. Without this, only the B leg draws from the allowance pool and the A leg is charged at the full tariff rate.
When to use: Almost always Yes for discount plans covering inbound or non-geographic numbers. Only set to No when you specifically want the forwarding leg to be charged separately.
Part-free calls
Section titled “Part-free calls”When a call is only partially covered by the remaining allowance, the platform needs to calculate the charge for the uncovered portion:
| Option | Behaviour |
|---|---|
| Re-rate | Re-rates the non-free portion as if it were a standalone call of that shorter duration. Connection fees and rounding apply in full, so the charge may be slightly higher than pro-rata. |
| Pro-rata | Splits the original call cost by a simple ratio of free versus non-free duration. Connection fees and rounding are spread proportionally, giving a lower charge on short overruns. |
Rounding
Section titled “Rounding”These fields control how usage is rounded when consuming allowances:
- Round Used Duration Up To Next:round call duration up to the next specified number of seconds before deducting from the pool
- Round Used Bytes Up To Next:round data usage up before deducting (when data billing is active)
- Round Used Events Up To Next:round event count up before deducting (when events billing is active)
- Round Used Cost Up To Next:round cost up to the next specified amount in pence before deducting
Applies to
Section titled “Applies to”Call types
Section titled “Call types”You must specify which call types the discount covers. There are three ways to do this, and each has separate selections for Daytime, Evening, and Weekend periods:
- All Call Types:set to Yes to discount every call type. When enabled, the selections below are ignored.
- Standard Call Type Groups:pick from predefined groups such as Major Mobiles or Europe Landlines
- Custom Call Type Groups:pick from groups you have created for commonly-discounted sets of destinations
- Individual Call Types:pick specific call types for a highly bespoke discount
Using call type groups is easier to manage and update than picking individual types.
Carrier filter
Section titled “Carrier filter”- Call Carriers:limit the discount to calls carried by specific carriers. Leave blank to apply to all carriers.
Call cost filter
Section titled “Call cost filter”- Call Costs:limit the discount by cost type: Chargeable, Rebate, or Zero. For example, create a rebate threshold by only applying a discount to rebate calls, so numbers don’t earn rebate until a threshold is reached.
Duration filter
Section titled “Duration filter”- Minimum Call Duration:only discount calls longer than this (in seconds)
- Maximum Call Duration:only discount calls shorter than this (in seconds)
Use these to offer free short calls, or to exclude very short calls from using up the allowance.
Calls with access charges
Section titled “Calls with access charges”Control how calls with access charges (e.g. non-geographic numbers) interact with the discount:
| Option | Behaviour |
|---|---|
| Discount Call | Discount the base call cost only; access charge still applies |
| Discount Call + Access Charge | Discount both the base cost and the access charge |
| Only Discount Access Charge | Leave the base cost alone; discount the access charge only |
| Skip Call (No Discount) | Do not discount calls that have an access charge |
| Don’t Discount | Do not apply any discount to these calls |
| Only Discount Calls with Access Charge | Only discount calls that have an access charge; skip others |
When the weighted discounts module is active, you can also set an Access Charge Weight:a percentage that controls how much allowance these calls consume (e.g. 200% means each minute uses two minutes of allowance).
Calls with origination surcharges
Section titled “Calls with origination surcharges”The same six options apply to calls with mobile or payphone origination surcharges:
| Option | Behaviour |
|---|---|
| Discount Call | Discount the base cost only; surcharge still applies |
| Discount Call + Surcharge | Discount both base cost and surcharge |
| Only Discount Surcharge | Discount the surcharge only |
| Skip Call (No Discount) | Do not discount calls with this surcharge |
| Don’t Discount | No discount applied |
| Only Discount Calls with Surcharge | Only discount calls that have this surcharge |
An Origination Surcharge Weight percentage is available when weighted discounts are active.
Calls with recording surcharges
Section titled “Calls with recording surcharges”The same six options and weight percentage apply to calls with call recording surcharges.
Call type weights
Section titled “Call type weights”When the weighted discounts module is active, you can set Use Call Type Weights to Yes. This lets you assign a weight to different call types, so some calls consume allowance at a faster or slower rate. For example, international calls might consume two minutes of allowance for every one minute of call.
Actions
Section titled “Actions”Use the Actions menu on a discount plan for these operations:
- Clone:create an independent copy of the plan with all its settings
- Delete:remove the plan. Only available if it is not in use.
Applying discount plans
Section titled “Applying discount plans”There are two stages to getting a discount plan working. Before starting, check whether an existing plan already covers the traffic type you need.
Reuse or create new?
Section titled “Reuse or create new?”Because the Discount Plan Multiplier on the feature controls the actual allowance size, a single plan can serve many different bundle sizes. Two customers on “500 UK minutes” and “2,000 UK minutes” can share the same plan with different multipliers.
Create a new plan when:
- The call type groups are different (e.g. inbound-only vs all UK calls)
- You need a different discount type (e.g. percentage vs fully free)
- The plan is bespoke to one customer (set the Customer field to restrict it)
Reuse an existing plan when:
- The traffic type and discount style match, and only the allowance size differs
Check the discount plan list before creating a new plan. If a suitable one exists, skip straight to Stage 1 and set the Discount Plan Multiplier on the feature.
Stage 1: Fill the pool
Section titled “Stage 1: Fill the pool”Add a feature to the customer or number that references the discount plan. The feature creates the allowance pool for each billing period.
When adding the feature, you can set a Discount Plan Multiplier to scale the allowance. For example, if the discount plan has Discounted Minutes set to 1, entering a Discount Plan Multiplier of 500 on the feature gives 500 free minutes. This lets you use the same plan for different allowance sizes.
Important: Use the Discount Plan Multiplier field, not the Feature Count. Feature Count multiplies both the recurring charge and the allowance, while the Discount Plan Multiplier only scales the allowance. For a bundle like “9,000 minutes for £50/month”, set the recurring charge to £50, the Discount Plan Multiplier to 9000, and leave Feature Count at 1.
Allowances can also come from fixed fee tariff rates. When a rate references a discount plan, the billing run adds allowances to the pool each time it creates a service charge from that rate. This is useful when bundle inclusions are part of the carrier pricing rather than set up as separate features.
Stage 2: Draw from the pool
Section titled “Stage 2: Draw from the pool”During billing, the platform checks each qualifying call against the available pool. If allowance remains, the call is discounted (fully or partially). The pool is drawn down until the limits are reached.
Which numbers can draw from the pool depends on the sharing settings on the plan:
- Attached number only:only the number with the feature
- All numbers:every number on the customer account
- By number type:only numbers of specified types
- Named pools:numbers configured to use a specific named pool
Feature discount schemes
Section titled “Feature discount schemes”Feature discount schemes are a separate system for promotional discounts on features (e.g. “free line rental for 3 months”). They work differently from discount plans and are configured on the feature rather than as a separate plan.
Practical examples
Section titled “Practical examples”500 inclusive UK minutes
Section titled “500 inclusive UK minutes”Create a discount plan with:
- Discounted Minutes: 1
- Standard Call Type Groups (Daytime): UK Landlines, Major Mobiles
- Standard Call Type Groups (Evening): UK Landlines, Major Mobiles
- Standard Call Type Groups (Weekend): UK Landlines, Major Mobiles
Add a feature to the customer referencing this plan with a multiplier of 500. The customer gets 500 free minutes across UK landline and mobile calls each billing period.
Shared data allowance
Section titled “Shared data allowance”Create a discount plan with:
- Discounted Data (Bytes): 1073741824 (1 GB)
- Customer-Wide: Yes
- Allowance Pool Used By All Numbers: Yes
- All Call Types: Yes
All numbers on the customer share a single 1 GB data pool. When any number uses data, it draws from the shared pool.
20% international landline discount
Section titled “20% international landline discount”Create a discount plan with:
- Discount Percent: 20
- Standard Call Type Groups (Daytime): International Landline
- Standard Call Type Groups (Evening): International Landline
- Standard Call Type Groups (Weekend): International Landline
Every qualifying international call is charged at 80% of the tariff rate. No allowance pool is used. The discount applies to all calls with no limit.
100 inclusive SMS per month
Section titled “100 inclusive SMS per month”Create a discount plan with:
- Discounted Events: 1
- Standard Call Type Groups (Daytime): SMS, Messaging (or your SMS-related call type groups)
- Standard Call Type Groups (Evening): SMS, Messaging
- Standard Call Type Groups (Weekend): SMS, Messaging
Add a feature to the customer referencing this plan with a multiplier of 100. Each SMS sent consumes one event from the pool. The events billing module must be active.
50 free calls of any length
Section titled “50 free calls of any length”Create a discount plan with:
- Discounted Calls: 50
- All Call Types: Yes
Each call the customer makes uses one unit from the pool, regardless of duration. Unlike a minutes-based plan, a 1-minute call and a 60-minute call both count as one call. This is useful for customers who make long calls and prefer predictability.
Combined bundle: minutes + SMS + data
Section titled “Combined bundle: minutes + SMS + data”Create three separate discount plans:
- Minutes plan:Discounted Minutes: 1, call type groups set to UK Landlines, Major Mobiles
- SMS plan:Discounted Events: 1, call type groups set to SMS/Messaging
- Data plan:Discounted Data (Bytes): 1073741824 (1 GB), All Call Types: Yes
Add all three plans to the same feature on the customer. Set multipliers on the feature as needed (e.g. 500 for minutes, 100 for SMS).
Each plan’s allowance is tracked independently. Using all 500 minutes does not affect the SMS or data pool. This is the correct way to offer a bundled package covering voice, messaging, and data.
Important: Do not put all three allowance types on a single discount plan. A single plan with multiple limits acts as a compound bundle where the allowance stops as soon as any limit is reached.
Discount plan field reference
Section titled “Discount plan field reference”The fields below make up a discount plan record. Allowances and their usage are documented in Tariff and Discount Detail Records.
Discount Plan Name
Section titled “Discount Plan Name”Basic identification information for the discount plan including name, short name, and description used throughout the system.
| Field | Description |
|---|---|
| Discount Plan Name | Name of the discount plan as it appears throughout the system |
| Discount Plan Name (Short) | Abbreviated name for display in reports and summaries |
| Discount Plan Description | Detailed description of what this discount plan provides |
Discounts
Section titled “Discounts”Configure the actual discount amounts that will be applied, including percentage discounts, per-call discounts, and per-minute discounts.
| Field | Description |
|---|---|
| Discount Percent | Percentage discount to apply to qualifying calls |
| Discount Per Call | Fixed discount amount per qualifying call |
| Discount Per Minute | Fixed discount amount per minute of qualifying calls |
Discount Plan Availability
Section titled “Discount Plan Availability”Control who can use this discount plan, including general availability settings, currency restrictions, customer limitations, and customer group assignments.
| Field | Description |
|---|---|
| Discount Plan Availability | Controls who can see and use this discount plan |
| Currency | Currency this discount plan is denominated in |
| Customer | Specific customer this discount plan is limited to |
| Customer Groups | Customer groups that can use this discount plan |
Discount Plan Allowances
Section titled “Discount Plan Allowances”Define allowance pools and limits including minutes, data, events, calls, and cash discounts. Configure how allowances are shared across numbers and customer accounts.
| Field | Description |
|---|---|
| Discounted Minutes | Number of minutes to discount or include in allowance pool |
| Discounted Data (Bytes) | Number of bytes to discount or include in allowance pool |
| Discounted Events | Number of events to discount or include in allowance pool |
| Discounted Calls | Number of calls to discount or include in allowance pool |
| Cash Discount | Monetary amount to discount or include in allowance pool |
| Nominal Value | Nominal value of the discount plan for reporting purposes |
| Customer-Wide | Whether allowances are shared across all customer numbers |
| Fill / Use Allowance Pool | Whether this discount plan uses shared allowance pools |
| Allowance Pool Used By Attached Number | Whether the allowance pool is used by the number this feature is attached to |
| Allowance Pool Used By All Numbers | Whether the allowance pool is used by all customer numbers |
| Allowance Pool Used By Number Types | Number types that can use this allowance pool |
| Discount Matching A Leg | Whether to discount the A leg of matching calls |
| Part-Free Call | How to handle calls that are partially covered by allowances |
Discount Plan Rounding
Section titled “Discount Plan Rounding”Set rounding rules for usage calculations including duration, data transfer, events, and cost rounding to ensure consistent billing.
| Field | Description |
|---|---|
| Round Used Duration Up To Next | Round call duration up to the next specified number of seconds |
| Round Used Bytes Up To Next | Round data usage up to the next specified number of bytes |
| Round Used Events Up To Next | Round event usage up to the next specified number of events |
| Round Used Cost Up To Next | Round cost up to the next specified amount in pence |
Discount Plan Applies To
Section titled “Discount Plan Applies To”Define which call types, carriers, costs, and conditions this discount plan applies to. Configure call type groups, duration limits, and surcharge handling.
| Field | Description |
|---|---|
| All Call Types | Whether this discount applies to all call types |
| Use Discount Plan on Tariff | Whether to apply this discount plan to tariff calculations |
| Standard Call Type Groups (Daytime) | Standard call type groups this discount applies to during daytime hours |
| Standard Call Type Groups (Evening) | Standard call type groups this discount applies to during evening hours |
| Standard Call Type Groups (Weekend) | Standard call type groups this discount applies to during weekend hours |
| Custom Call Type Groups (Daytime) | Custom call type groups this discount applies to during daytime hours |
| Custom Call Type Groups (Evening) | Custom call type groups this discount applies to during evening hours |
| Custom Call Type Groups (Weekend) | Custom call type groups this discount applies to during weekend hours |
| Call Types (Daytime) | Specific call types this discount applies to during daytime hours |
| Call Types (Evening) | Specific call types this discount applies to during evening hours |
| Call Types (Weekend) | Specific call types this discount applies to during weekend hours |
| Call Carriers | Carriers this discount applies to |
| Use Call Type Weights | Whether to use call type weights in discount calculations |
| Call Costs | Call cost ranges this discount applies to |
| Calls With Access Charge | How to handle calls with access charges |
| Access Charge Weight | Weight percentage for access charge discounting |
| Calls With Origination Surcharge | How to handle calls with origination surcharges |
| Origination Surcharge Weight | Weight percentage for origination surcharge discounting |
| Calls With Recording Surcharge | How to handle calls with recording surcharges |
| Recording Surcharge Weight | Weight percentage for recording surcharge discounting |
| Minimum Call Duration | Minimum call duration for discount to apply |
| Maximum Call Duration | Maximum call duration for discount to apply |
Related pages
Section titled “Related pages”- Call Tariffs: how usage charges are calculated
- Fixed Fee Tariffs: pricing for non-usage charges
- Features: how features link discount plans to numbers
- Numbers: number setup and plan assignment