: Discount Calculator – Find Sale Price & Savings Free
Measure — Everyday Money
Discount Calculator
Readout
Figuring out what a "25% off" sticker actually means in dollars — and what happens when a coupon stacks on top of an already-discounted price — is easy to get wrong doing quick mental math. This calculator gives you the exact sale price, the amount saved, and the true combined discount instantly.
Why Stacked Discounts Don't Simply Add Up
A common mistake is assuming two discounts add together — that 25% off plus 10% off equals 35% off. They don't, because the second discount applies to the already-reduced price, not the original price. On an $80 item: 25% off brings it to $60, then 10% off that $60 brings it to $54 — a total discount of 32.5%, not 35%. This calculator's "stacked discount" mode handles this correctly, applying each discount in sequence exactly the way retailers actually calculate multi-coupon or multi-promotion pricing.
How to Verify a Sale Is a Real Discount
Not every "was $X, now $Y" price comparison reflects a genuine discount. According to the FTC's Guides Against Deceptive Pricing, a former price used in a sale comparison should be the actual price the item was regularly offered and sold at for a substantial period — not an artificially inflated price created specifically to make a markdown look bigger than it really is. If a "regular price" seems suspiciously high compared to what similar items typically cost, it's worth a quick price-history check (many browser extensions and shopping tools track historical pricing) before assuming the advertised percentage reflects real savings.
Common Discount Math
| Original Price | Discount | Sale Price |
|---|---|---|
| $50 | 20% | $40 |
| $100 | 30% | $70 |
| $200 | 15% | $170 |
When a Discount Isn't Actually a Good Deal
- Compare unit price, not just the percentage — a bulk item at 40% off can still cost more per unit than a smaller, undiscounted item.
- Check if it's something you actually need — a discount only saves money if the purchase was already planned; an unplanned purchase driven by the discount itself is still new spending.
- Watch for shrinkflation alongside "sales" — occasionally a discounted product has also been resized smaller, which affects the real value of the deal.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I calculate 25% off $80?
Multiply $80 by 0.25 to get the discount amount ($20), then subtract from the original price: $80 − $20 = $60 sale price.
Do two discounts of 20% and 10% equal 30% off?
No — stacked discounts apply sequentially, not additively. 20% off followed by 10% off on the reduced price results in a combined discount of 28%, not 30%, since the second discount is smaller in dollar terms once applied to an already-lower price.
How can I tell if a "sale" price is a genuine discount?
FTC guidance requires that a former price used in a sale comparison be a real, regularly-offered price rather than an artificially inflated one. Checking a product's price history (via browser tools or price-tracking sites) before a sale is a practical way to verify the discount is genuine.
Is my pricing data stored or shared anywhere?
No. All calculations happen instantly in your browser using JavaScript. Nothing is uploaded, logged, or sent to a server.
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