Restrict a coupon to categories with quantity limits
Updated September 15, 2026
Improved Category Restrictions limits a coupon to carts containing products from chosen categories, with an optional minimum and maximum quantity for each category. It replaces WooCommerce’s own Product categories and Exclude categories fields for that coupon.
It is the second section in the Better Coupon Restrictions tab on the coupon edit screen.
Set up category restrictions
- Edit the coupon and open the Better Coupon Restrictions tab.
- Tick Enable under Improved Category Restrictions. WooCommerce’s Product categories and Exclude categories fields are hidden on the Usage restriction tab.
- Choose Any of the below or All of the below.
- Search for a category in each row and enter a Min. Quantity and Max. Quantity if needed.
- Tick Sum quantities across cart items if the quantities should be added up (see below).
- Add any Exclude Categories, then save the coupon.
Categories already in WooCommerce’s Product categories field appear as rows with a minimum of 1 the first time you open the tab.
Per cart line or summed across the cart
By default each category row is checked against individual cart lines. A row with a minimum of 2 needs a single cart line from that category with a quantity of 2 or more.
With Sum quantities across cart items ticked, the plugin adds together the quantities of every cart line in the category. One blue hoodie and one red hoodie then count as 2. Use this for offers such as “buy any 3 items from Outerwear”.
Any or all of the categories
- Any of the below: valid when at least one category row is satisfied.
- All of the below: every category row must be satisfied.
Products are matched by the categories assigned to the parent product. A variation belongs to whatever categories its parent product is in.
Exclude categories
Exclude Categories is saved to WooCommerce’s own excluded categories list and behaves as it does in WooCommerce.
Which items get the discount
For Fixed product discount coupons, only lines in a listed category get the discount (and, when quantities are not summed, only lines within the quantity limits). For percentage and fixed cart coupons, WooCommerce calculates the discount on all items that are not excluded. See The discount applies to products outside the restriction.