Category Children Coupons for WooCommerce
Restrict WooCommerce coupons by product categories, with options to include or exclude child/descendant categories.
Consider an alternative
Category Children Coupons for W… shows warning signs in 2026 — compare the alternatives below before installing. Was last updated 9 months ago, and scores 36/100 on our health check.
- Small user base (<10 active installs)
- Very few reviews so far
- Only tested up to WordPress 6.9 (latest is 7.1)
How does it stack up?
Side-by-side on installs, updates, ratings & support
Daily downloads
Download spikes usually follow a new release — each site that auto-updates counts as a download.
Rankings
Where Category Children Coupons f… stands todayWordPress.org search rankings
Live position in the plugin search, top 100| Keyword | Position |
|---|---|
| categories | >100 |
| coupons | >100 |
| restrictions | >100 |
| subcategories | #67 |
| woocommerce | >100 |
About Category Children Coupons for WooCommer…
From the official readme · v1.4.1Description
Category Children Coupons for WooCommerce provides a complete replacement for WooCommerce’s built-in coupon category restrictions with additional flexibility:
Include children mode: Select a parent category and all its subcategories are automatically included. With WooCommerce’s default restrictions, selecting “Clothing” only matches products directly in that category – not products in “T-Shirts” or “Trousers” subcategories. This plugin includes the entire category tree.
Exclude children mode: Match only the specific categories you select, without including subcategories. This mirrors WooCommerce’s built-in behavior but is managed within this plugin’s unified interface.
Future-proof coupons: The plugin stores your category selection and dynamically expands child categories at validation time – new subcategories are automatically included (or excluded) without editing existing coupons.
Features
- Four category restriction fields for complete control:
- Product categories (incl. children) – allowed categories with all descendants
- Exclude categories (incl. children) – blocked categories with all descendants
- Product categories (excl. children) – allowed categories only, no descendants
- Exclude categories (excl. children) – blocked categories only, no descendants
- Automatic subcategory handling based on your preference
- Works alongside WooCommerce’s other (non-category coupon) restrictions
- Customizable error messages via filter
- AutomateWoo compatibility – category restrictions are copied when generating coupons from templates
How It Works
When you select a category in an “(incl. children)” field, the plugin automatically includes all subcategories during validation. When you use an “(excl. children)” field, only the exact categories you select are matched. Selected categories with children included are validated at usage time, so the current children are automatically used, even if they have changed since the coupon was set up.
Filters
runthings_category_children_coupons_error_message
Customize the error message shown when a coupon fails category validation.
Parameters:
$message(string) – The default error message.$context(array) – Contains ‘coupon’ (WC_Coupon object) and ‘type’ (‘allowed’, ‘excluded’, ‘allowed_excl’, or ‘excluded_excl’).
Example:
See readme.md on GitHub for detailed code examples.
Additional Notes
Built by Matthew Harris of runthings.dev, copyright 2025.
Visit runthings.dev for more WordPress plugins and resources.
Contribute or report issues at the GitHub repository.
Icon – Discount by Gregor Cresnar, from Noun Project, https://thenounproject.com/browse/icons/term/discount/ (CC BY 3.0)
Icon – Tree view by Paweł Gleń from Noun Project, https://thenounproject.com/browse/icons/term/tree-view/ (CC BY 3.0) – https://thenounproject.com/icon/tree-view-3894745/
Installation
- Upload the plugin files to the
/wp-content/plugins/runthings-category-children-couponsdirectory, or install the plugin through the WordPress plugins screen directly. - Activate the plugin through the ‘Plugins’ screen in WordPress.
- Go to Marketing > Coupons and edit or create a coupon.
- In the “Usage restriction” tab, you will see four new category fields – two with “(incl. children)” and two with “(excl. children)” labels.
Frequently asked questions
How does this differ from WooCommerce’s built-in category restrictions?
WooCommerce’s built-in “Product categories” field only matches products directly assigned to the selected categories. This plugin provides both options: “(incl. children)” fields automatically include all subcategories, while “(excl. children)” fields match only the exact categories you select – giving you complete control.
Can I use both this plugin’s fields and WooCommerce’s built-in category fields?
Not recommended. The built-in category check runs before custom plugin checks. They operate as separate restrictions (AND logic). If you use both, a coupon must first pass the built-in category rules, which may cause unexpected results. This plugin provides “(excl. children)” fields that mirror WooCommerce’s built-in behavior, so you can use this plugin as a complete replacement without needing WooCommerce’s built-in fields.
What happens if I add new subcategories later?
They are automatically included! The plugin checks category relationships at validation time, so new subcategories are picked up immediately.
Does this work with AutomateWoo?
Yes! When AutomateWoo generates coupons from a template coupon, the category restrictions are automatically copied to the generated coupon.
Changelog
Point release for plugin directory launch.
1.4.1 – 21st January 2026
- Add GitHub Action for wp.org plugin directory release
1.4.0 – 18th January 2026
- Added “Product categories (excl. children)” and “Exclude categories (excl. children)” fields – match only exact categories without including subcategories.
- Plugin now provides a complete replacement for WooCommerce’s built-in category restrictions with both “incl. children” and “excl. children” options.
1.3.0 – 16th January 2026
- Plugin renamed from runthings-wc-coupons-category-children to runthings-category-children-coupons to comply with WordPress.org trademark guidelines.
- Automatic migration of existing coupon settings to new meta key format on update.
- Changed filter hook from runthings_wc_coupons_category_children_error_message to runthings_category_children_coupons_error_message.
1.2.0 – 15th January 2026
- Added warning notice when conflicting WooCommerce category fields are set alongside plugin restrictions.
- Fixed custom error messages not displaying for percentage and fixed product discount coupons.
1.1.0 – 12th January 2026
- Add compatibility with AutomateWoo coupon generation to clone custom meta fields
1.0.2 – 6th January 2026
- Fixed missing “And” separator in the coupon usage restriction panel to match WooCommerce core styling.
Screenshots
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FAQ
Category Children Coupons for WooCo…: quick answers
Straight answers, pulled from live WordPress.org data.
Live data from WordPress.org · checked Oct 11, 2026
Is Category Children Coupons for W… free?
Yes. Category Children Coupons for W… is free to download and use from the official WordPress.org plugin directory.
Is Category Children Coupons for W… safe to use in 2026?
Category Children Coupons for W… shows warning signs in 2026 — compare the alternatives below before installing. Was last updated 9 months ago, and scores 36/100 on our health check.
How many websites use Category Children Coupons for W…?
Category Children Coupons for W… is active on <10 WordPress websites and has been downloaded 357 times since it launched in January 2026. It was downloaded 53 times in the last 30 days.
Does Category Children Coupons for W… work with WordPress 7.1?
Category Children Coupons for W… is officially tested up to WordPress 6.9.10, while the latest release is 7.1.3. It may still work, but try it on a staging site first.
What PHP version does Category Children Coupons for W… need?
Category Children Coupons for W… requires PHP 8.0 or higher. Most hosts run PHP 8.x today, so it works on any modern WordPress hosting.
When was Category Children Coupons for W… last updated?
The latest version, 1.4.1, was released on January 21, 2026 (9 months ago).
Who makes Category Children Coupons for W…?
Category Children Coupons for W… is developed and maintained by runthings.dev.
What are the best alternatives to Category Children Coupons for W…?
The most popular alternatives to Category Children Coupons for W… are List category posts (80K+ installs), Media Library Assistant (70K+ installs) and PublishPress Taxonomies (40K+ installs).
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