Why aren't my discounts applying?

If a discount you created with Simple Discounts isn't applying in the cart or at checkout, work through the checks below. They're based on the most common causes we see in support.

1. Check that the discount is active

In your Shopify admin, go to Discounts and find the discount. Make sure its status is Active, not Scheduled or Expired. If it's scheduled, check the start date and time. If it has an end date, make sure it hasn't passed.

2. Check for products in more than one mix-and-match collection

This is the most common reason a mix-and-match bundle discount doesn't apply.

When a customer adds products to the cart, Simple Discounts counts each product toward the first collection in your discount that it belongs to. If a product is in more than one of the collections you selected, it only counts toward the first one, and the other collection might never reach its required quantity.

Example: Your discount is "Pick 2 from Group 1 and 1 from Group 2." A product that's in both Group 1 and Group 2 collections always counts toward Group 1. If the customer picks it as their Group 2 item, the app sees 3 items from Group 1 and 0 from Group 2, so the discount doesn't apply.

To fix this, make sure each product belongs to only one of the collections in your discount. If you need to, create separate collections just for the discount.

3. Check that the cart meets the discount's conditions

Compare the cart against the discount's setup:

  • The products in the cart belong to the products or collections the discount applies to, and none of them are excluded.
  • The cart meets the required quantity. For example, a "buy any 3" discount won't apply with only 2 qualifying items.
  • If the discount is limited to tagged customers, the customer is logged in and has the right tag.
  • If it's a discount code, the code was entered at checkout.

4. Check your discount combinations

If a cart qualifies for more than one discount, Shopify only applies them together when the discounts are set to combine with each other. Otherwise, Shopify applies only one of them.

  1. Open the discount in Simple Discounts and review the Combinations settings.
  2. Check the combination settings on your other active discounts too, including discount codes, shipping discounts, and discounts created in Shopify or other apps.

5. Check your automatic discount limit

Shopify allows a maximum of 25 active automatic discounts per store, including discounts created by apps like Simple Discounts. If your store is at the limit, some automatic discounts might not apply. Deactivate any automatic discounts you no longer need. Learn more in Limit on automatic discounts.

6. Test at checkout, not only in the cart

Some themes and cart apps, especially pop-up or slide-out carts, don't show automatic discounts or don't pass discount codes to Shopify correctly. Before you assume the discount isn't working, go all the way to checkout and check the order summary there.

If the discount shows at checkout but not in your cart, the issue is in how your theme or cart app displays discounts. Contact your theme developer or cart app for help.

7. Check the discount name

Customers see your discount's name in the cart and at checkout. If the name mentions a specific amount, like "10% off," but your tiers offer different amounts, it can look like the wrong discount applied even when the correct one did. Use a general name, like "Bundle and save," and describe each tier's conditions in the tier titles instead.

8. Discounts on Shopify POS and time-based discounts

Still having issues?

If the discount still isn't applying after these checks, email us at hello@simplediscounts.io. Include the name of the discount, the products you tested with, and a screenshot or video of the cart or checkout if you can.

Our team may send a collaborator request so we can look at the discount in your store. Learn how to accept it in How to give our team access to troubleshoot your discounts.

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