Discount Calculator
Calculate the final price and total savings from an original price and a discount percentage.
Calculating stacked or multiple discounts
When two discounts apply (like a sale price plus a coupon), they should be applied sequentially, not added together. A 30% off sale followed by an additional 10% off coupon results in a combined discount of 37%, not 40% — since the second discount applies to the already-reduced price.
This is a common point of confusion at checkout — always calculate the first discount, apply it to get a new price, then calculate the second discount on that new (lower) amount.
A worked example
A $150 jacket at 35% off: savings are $150 times 0.35, or $52.50, making the final price $97.50.
If a second 10% coupon is then applied to that $97.50 (not the original $150), the additional savings are $9.75, bringing the final price to $87.75 — a combined discount of about 41.5%, not the 45% you'd get by simply adding 35% and 10%.
Stacking multiple discounts
When two discounts apply to the same purchase, they're applied sequentially to the already-discounted price, not added together. A 30% discount followed by an additional 10% off doesn't equal 40% off — it equals a combined discount of 37% (0.7 × 0.9 = 0.63, meaning you pay 63% of the original price, not 60%).
This distinction matters most on larger purchases, where the difference between the two calculation methods can add up to a meaningful dollar amount.
Frequently asked questions
How do I stack two discounts?
Apply them sequentially, not by adding percentages — a 20% discount followed by 10% off equals a combined 28% discount, not 30%.
How do I calculate the original price from a sale price?
Divide the sale price by (1 minus the discount as a decimal). For example, a $60 sale price at 25% off means the original price was 60 ÷ 0.75 = $80.
Does discount percentage or dollar amount matter more?
Percentage discounts save more on expensive items, while a fixed dollar discount is relatively more valuable on cheaper items — comparing the actual dollar savings is the clearest way to evaluate any deal.
How do I calculate two discounts stacked together?
Apply them one after another to the running price, not by adding the percentages — a 20% discount then 10% off equals a combined 28% discount, not 30%.