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Discount & Sale Price Calculator
What you actually pay after a discount — including the second discount that does not add the way the sign implies.
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Applies the discounts in the order shown, then tax on the reduced price. Retailer terms differ — some exclude already-reduced items from a second discount, and some jurisdictions tax differently — so treat the total as an estimate until the till agrees.
Common discounts at a glance
| Original | 10% off | 25% off | 30% off | 50% off | 70% off |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| $20 | $18.00 | $15.00 | $14.00 | $10.00 | $6.00 |
| $50 | $45.00 | $37.50 | $35.00 | $25.00 | $15.00 |
| $100 | $90.00 | $75.00 | $70.00 | $50.00 | $30.00 |
| $250 | $225.00 | $187.50 | $175.00 | $125.00 | $75.00 |
| $500 | $450.00 | $375.00 | $350.00 | $250.00 | $150.00 |
Stacked discounts: the arithmetic retailers rely on
“40% off, plus an extra 25% off at checkout” reads like 65% off. It is not. The second discount applies to the already-reduced price:
- $200 at 40% off → $120
- $120 at a further 25% off → $90
- Total saved: $110, which is 55% off — not 65%.
The general rule: multiply what remains. 0.60 × 0.75 = 0.45, so you pay 45%
and save 55%. Two discounts never add up to their sum, and the gap widens as the percentages grow.
Working backwards from a sale price
To find the original price from a discounted one, divide rather than multiply. An item marked
$63 after 30% off was 63 ÷ 0.70 = $90. Adding 30% back to $63 gives $81.90,
which is the same mistake as the increase-then-decrease trap on the
percentage calculator page.
Is the bigger pack still cheaper on sale?
A discount changes the answer to a question a percentage cannot settle: which option is actually better value. A 30%-off 500 g jar and a full-price 1 kg jar need to be compared per gram, not per sticker. That is the unit price calculator — and in a shop, with two products in front of you, it is the clearest case for having two calculators on one screen.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I calculate a discount?
Is 30% off plus 20% off the same as 50% off?
How do I find the original price from a sale price?
Does this calculator handle sales tax?
Compare two deals at once
Two independent calculator panels, free, so both prices stay on screen. No ads, ever.
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