In this article
“Flat 40% off + Extra 10% on cards!” It sounds like half price. It isn’t — and once you see why, you’ll never misread a sale banner again.
Discounts multiply, they don’t add
Each discount is applied to the price after the previous discount, not to the original price.
₹2,000 shirt, 40% off, then an extra 10% off:
After 40% off: 2,000 × 0.60 = ₹1,200
After an extra 10% off: 1,200 × 0.90 = ₹1,080
Total saving: ₹920 = 46%, not 50%.
The quick formula for the total discount:
Total discount = 1 − (1 − d₁) × (1 − d₂) × …
| Offer | Looks like | Actually is |
|---|---|---|
| 20% + 10% | 30% | 28% |
| 30% + 20% | 50% | 44% |
| 40% + 10% | 50% | 46% |
| 50% + 20% | 70% | 60% |
| 50% + 50% | 100% (free!) | 75% |
The bigger the discounts, the bigger the gap between what it sounds like and what you get.
Decoding popular offer types
“Buy 1 Get 1 Free”
You pay for one and get two: a 50% discount on each item — but only if you actually wanted two.
“Buy 2 Get 1 Free”
You pay for two and get three: a 33.3% discount.
“Buy 1 Get 1 at 50% Off”
You pay 1.5 prices for 2 items: a 25% discount.
“Up to 70% off”
“Up to” means at most. Often only a handful of products carry the headline discount; most are reduced by much less.
Multi-buy offers are only savings if you would have bought the extra items anyway. Otherwise you are spending more to “save”.
Flat discounts vs percentage discounts
Some offers mix a flat rupee amount with a percentage, like “20% off + ₹500 off above ₹3,000”. Here, the order matters:
- ₹500 off first, then 20%: (4,000 − 500) × 0.8 = ₹2,800
- 20% off first, then ₹500: 4,000 × 0.8 − 500 = ₹2,700
Retailers specify the order in the terms; check before assuming.
The inflated MRP problem
A discount is only as good as the price it starts from. If a seller marks an item’s “original price” at ₹4,999 and sells it at ₹1,999 (“60% off!”), but it sells everywhere for ₹2,100, your real saving is about ₹100.
How to check:
- Compare the final price on two or three websites or shops.
- Use price-history tools or browser extensions that track past prices on major shopping sites.
- Look at the MRP on the box for packaged goods — in India it’s printed and includes all taxes.
Cashback and card offers
- Instant discounts reduce the price at checkout — straightforward.
- Cashback arrives later, often with a maximum cap (“10% up to ₹1,500”) and conditions such as a minimum order value.
- Some cashback is credited as wallet points or vouchers you can only use on the same platform.
For a fair comparison, work out the net cost after the cashback you’re certain to receive, and ignore anything with tricky conditions.
Reverse it: what was the real original price?
If you only know the sale price and discount:
Original price = Sale price ÷ (1 − discount)
A ₹1,200 item at 40% off was 1,200 ÷ 0.6 = ₹2,000 before the sale.
Check any offer in seconds
Our Discount Calculator handles a main discount, an extra discount and tax, and shows the final price, total savings and the effective discount — so “40% + 10%” is instantly revealed as 46%.
Free toolTry the Discount CalculatorWork out the sale price and your savings in seconds.Frequently asked questions
Does the order of the discounts matter?
No. 40% then 10% gives the same final price as 10% then 40%, because multiplication works in any order. Flat rupee discounts are different — a flat ₹500 off is worth more when applied before a percentage discount.
Is cashback the same as a discount?
Not exactly. Cashback usually arrives later, may have conditions or caps, and sometimes comes as wallet credit you must spend on the same platform.
How do I calculate the original price from a sale price?
Divide the sale price by (1 − discount). If a ₹1,200 item is 40% off, the original price was 1,200 ÷ 0.6 = ₹2,000.
Written by the Toolsopedia team. Spotted an error? Tell us and we’ll fix it.