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Original Price Enter the starting price

First Discount e.g., Sale price

Second Discount e.g., Coupon code

Enter values above to see your discount breakdown

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About

Stacking discounts creates a common arithmetic trap. Two 50% discounts do not equal 100% off. The first discount reduces the base. The second discount applies to the already-reduced price. Result: 75% total reduction, not 100%. This calculator computes the sequential application of two percentage discounts using the formula P_final = P × (1 − d₁) × (1 − d₂). It outputs the intermediate price after the first discount, final price after both, total monetary savings, and the single equivalent discount rate. Order of application is mathematically irrelevant due to the commutative property of multiplication. Limitation: this tool assumes clean percentage discounts. It does not handle fixed-amount coupons, minimum purchase thresholds, or "buy X get Y" promotions.

Formulas

The final price after two sequential discounts is computed by multiplying the remaining percentages:

P_final = P × (1 − d₁100) × (1 − d₂100)

The equivalent single discount that produces the same final price:

d_eq = 100 × [1 − (1 − d₁100) × (1 − d₂100)]

Total monetary savings:

S = P − P_final

Where P = original price, d₁ = first discount percentage, d₂ = second discount percentage, S = total savings in currency units.

Reference Data

First Discount	Second Discount	Combined Equivalent	You Still Pay	Common Scenario
10%	10%	19%	81%	Newsletter + loyalty
15%	10%	23.5%	76.5%	Sale + member card
20%	10%	28%	72%	Clearance + coupon
20%	20%	36%	64%	Flash sale + app code
25%	10%	32.5%	67.5%	Seasonal + email code
25%	15%	36.25%	63.75%	Holiday + student
30%	10%	37%	63%	Store-wide + loyalty
30%	20%	44%	56%	End of season + VIP
40%	10%	46%	54%	Clearance + newsletter
40%	20%	52%	48%	Black Friday + card
50%	10%	55%	45%	Half-price + extra
50%	20%	60%	40%	BOGO equiv + member
50%	50%	75%	25%	Double half-off trap
60%	20%	68%	32%	Liquidation + coupon
70%	30%	79%	21%	Store closing + bulk
75%	25%	81.25%	18.75%	Extreme clearance
5%	5%	9.75%	90.25%	Small stacked codes
33%	33%	55.11%	44.89%	Third-off twice
15%	25%	36.25%	63.75%	Employee + promo
80%	50%	90%	10%	Deep clearance stack

Frequently Asked Questions

No. Due to the commutative property of multiplication, applying a 30% discount then a 20% discount yields the same result as applying 20% then 30%. Both equal a 44% combined discount. Mathematically: (1 − 0.30) × (1 − 0.20) = (1 − 0.20) × (1 − 0.30) = 0.56. However, some retailers may enforce a specific order for accounting or promotional tracking purposes.

The second discount applies to the already-reduced price, not the original. After a 50% discount on $100, you have $50. The second 50% discount is 50% of $50, which is $25 - not 50% of $100. Final price: $25 (75% total discount). The equivalent discount formula is d_eq = 100 × [1 − (1 − d₁/100)(1 − d₂/100)] = 100 × [1 − 0.5 × 0.5] = 75%.

Extend the multiplication chain. For three discounts: P_final = P × (1 − d₁/100) × (1 − d₂/100) × (1 − d₃/100). For example, 20% + 10% + 5% on $100: $100 × 0.80 × 0.90 × 0.95 = $68.40. The equivalent single discount is 31.6%, not 35%.

Yes. A single 40% discount leaves you paying 60% of the original price. Two 20% discounts: (1 − 0.20) × (1 − 0.20) = 0.64, meaning you pay 64% of the original. Single 40% saves you an additional 4 percentage points. The stacked discount is only equivalent to 36%, not 40%.

The same principle applies inversely. Compound growth uses multiplication of (1 + rate), while discounts use (1 − rate). Two years of 10% depreciation on a $10,000 car: $10,000 × 0.90 × 0.90 = $8,100. The car lost 19% of its value, not 20%. This is why compound depreciation curves are non-linear.

Use the equivalent discount formula. If items are already marked 30% off, and you get an additional 20% off, the true combined discount is: 100 × [1 − (0.70 × 0.80)] = 100 × [1 − 0.56] = 44%. If the retailer claims 50% off total, they are overstating by 6 percentage points. Always calculate before assuming discounts are additive.