How a discount is calculated
A percentage discount reduces the price by that share of the original. Multiply the original price by the discount divided by 100 to get the amount saved, then subtract it. A 25% discount on an 80 item saves 80 × 0.25 = 20, so you pay 60. A faster route is to multiply by what remains: 80 × (1 − 0.25) = 60. This calculator shows both the final price and the saving so you can compare offers quickly.
Stacking two discounts
Many shops advertise "extra 20% off sale prices". The second discount applies to the already reduced price, not to the original, so the two percentages do not add. A 25% discount followed by an extra 20% gives 80 × 0.75 × 0.80 = 48, which is 40% off overall, not 45%. Use the optional extra-discount box to see the true total and the effective percentage. Order does not matter: applying 20% first and 25% second gives the same final price.
Finding the percent off
When a tag shows only an old and a new price, the percent off is (original − sale) ÷ original × 100. A jacket reduced from 120 to 90 is 30 ÷ 120 = 25% off. The second calculator does this for you. Be careful to divide by the original price, not the sale price: a price that falls by 25% needs to rise by 33.3% to get back to where it started, because the base changes.
Shopping tips
- Compare the final price per unit (per litre, per 100 grams, per item) rather than the headline percentage.
- Check whether sales tax is added after the discount. Use the sales tax calculator on this site to add it to the final figure.
- A "was" price is only a reference. Compare with what similar items cost elsewhere before treating a discount as a real saving.
- For coupons that give a fixed amount off, subtract the amount first, then apply any percentage separately if the terms say so.
Good to know
The currency is not needed for the calculation, so enter amounts in any currency. Results are rounded to two decimals for display. Everything is computed in your browser.