Discount Calculator

How to use the discount calculator

Stores advertise percent-off in every combination imaginable — take a further 20% off, now 30% off the marked 25% off price, buy two get one free. The math rarely matches the sticker. This calculator does two useful jobs: tell you exactly what you will pay, and tell you the real discount percent a store is offering.

1. Pick a mode. Percent off takes the original price and a discount percent, then shows the sale price and dollars saved. Percent from prices takes both prices and computes the real percent off.
2. Enter the numbers in the highlighted fields. Results update as you type.
3. The "stacked discount" note reminds you that two 25% discounts in series do not add up to 50% — they multiply to 43.75% off. If a store is stacking, use the percent-from-prices mode with the original and final price to see what they are actually offering.

Mental math shortcut

For 20% off an amount, divide by 5 and subtract from the original. For 25% off, divide by 4. For 33% off, divide by 3. These cover most of the percentages you see in retail.