For each Como payment type (such as points, in-app credit card, etc.), you can specify if the payment should be applied by the POS as a discount, mean of payment, or either (Mean of payment/discount). You can specify this from Operation > Settings > Point/Credit Settings.

NOTE: This Hub configuration only applies for API version 4.0 or later. For API version 2.8 or earlier, the POS must provide a configuration or separate payment buttons (one for discount and one for mean of payment).

Discounts are like coupons used to discount the purchase by a fixed amount, while means of payment are like cash, credit card, etc. This distinction is important for several reasons.

Accumulation & Purchase-Based Automations

When a payment is applied as a discount, it reduces the total purchase amount (totalAmount/TotalSum). For example, if the subtotal is $10 and it's fully discounted by points, the total purchase amount will be $0. In this case, the member will not accumulate on this purchase. Similarly, any other automation based on purchase amount won't be triggered (such as get a gift for spending over $10).

When a payment is applied as a mean of payment, it does not reduce the total purchase amount. For example, if the subtotal is $10, and it's fully paid by points, the total purchase amount will still be $10. In this case, the member will accumulate on this purchase. Similarly, any other automation based on purchase amount will be triggered (such as get a gift for spending over $10).

Accounting/Reporting

The business will report the payment differently if it was applied as a discount or mean of payment (accounting-wise). For example, if the business allows members to buy points, then the points will usually be reported as a mean of payment. But if the business allows members to accumulate points, then they will be usually reported as a discount.

Tax-Calculation

In tax-excluded countries, tax is calculated differently if the payment is applied as a discount or mean of payment. Discounts are applied to the amount before tax, while means of payment are applied to the amount after tax. So if it's a discount, the taxes on the purchase will also be less (since they are calculated on a discounted amount).

In tax-included countries, this will not affect the amount paid by the customer but it will affect the tax amount that is reported/paid by the business.

💡 Example

Here's an example to show the differences when a payment is applied as a discount vs mean of payment.

Subtotal = $10, Como payment amount = $10, tax rate = 10%, members accumulate 1 point/$