Note
Learn more about how Shopify combines discounts and its limitations here.
What is discount stacking?
Discount stacking (also referred to as discount combining or discount combination) refers to how multiple discounts combine on an order in Skio. Understanding this behavior helps you design effective pricing strategies and prevent unexpected outcomes. This guide explains the order in which discounts are applied and how different discount types interact.
How are discounts applied to calculate the final price?
Skio calculates your final subscription price by applying discounts in a specific order, starting from your Shopify base price. Here's how the stacking works:
1. Base price
Every calculation starts with your Shopify product's base price before any discounts are applied.
2. Price adjustments
Some pricing actions in Skio don’t count toward discount stacking limits because they aren’t treated as traditional discounts. Instead, they directly set or override the product price instead:
Selling plan discounts set your subscription pricing versus the base price (like 10% off for monthly deliveries). This becomes your starting subscription price that customers see and get billed for recurring orders.
Price overrides from Skio Journeys can replace the selling plan discount entirely. When you set an explicit price through Bundle Expansion or other Journey actions, that exact price becomes what the customer pays going forward.
3. Product-Level Discounts
When multiple product-level discounts could apply to the same item, Shopify only applies the largest discount. This includes:
Product-based Shopify discount codes
Quantity-based volume discounts
Price-based volume discounts configured at the line level, where the discount applies only to order lines that include the specified products in the configuration
Build-a-Box discounts apply as product-level discount codes
4. Order-Level Discounts
Order-level discounts apply after product-level discounts are calculated. This includes:
Price-based volume discounts set to affect the entire subscription
Order-total discount codes
Surprise & Delight discounts
5. Shipping Discounts
Shipping discounts are calculated last and can combine with product discounts when configured properly:
Recurring free shipping override in your selling plan group guarantees free shipping on subscription renewals
Journey delivery price changes can temporarily or permanently modify shipping costs
Shipping discount codes (when applicable to subscriptions)
6. Final Calculations
Shopify calculates taxes after all discounts and shipping are determined. Skio rounds subscription prices to 2 decimal places to prevent billing errors.
Notes
Discounts stack sequentially, meaning each discount applies to the remaining subtotal. Two 10% discounts don't equal 20% off, they multiply to create a 19% total discount. For example: $15 base price > $13.50 (selling plan) > $12.15 (volume discount).
Skio discount types & considerations
Subscription Discounts
Selling plan discounts are defined in your Skio selling plans and set the subscription price compared to your base Shopify price (like 10% off every 30 days).
Journey Discounts
Skio Journeys can modify pricing through several actions:
Add discount: Apply Shopify codes or manual Skio discounts based on conditions
Update product price: Override subscription line prices permanently
Change delivery price: Modify shipping costs temporarily or permanently
Volume Discounts
Quantity-based volume discounts apply based on item count and use Shopify Functions at checkout for reliable performance.
Price-based volume discounts trigger based on spending thresholds (like "Spend $100, get 10% off"). You can configure these to apply to your entire subscription or selected products, and optionally include one-time products in the threshold calculations.
Avoid running both quantity-based and price-based volume discounts simultaneously to prevent confusion and unintended stacking. Configure scope carefully and decide whether discounts apply to entire subscriptions or specific products, and whether to include one-time products in threshold calculations.
Volume discounts can only combine with other discounts if discount stacking is enabled.
You can enable this in Rules > Settings.
Surprise & Delight
Surprise & Delight provides order-based perks after specific order counts, like free gifts or discounts on the 3rd order.
Loyalty Rewards
Loyalty credits are applied as a discount code, and can be redeemed on subscriptions and one-time orders that follow Shopify's discount logic.
Shipping Incentives
Configure shipping discounts through Shopify shipping profiles per selling plan group, or use Skio Journeys to change delivery prices for specific scenarios like winback campaigns.
Discount Codes
Shopify discount codes work with subscriptions when configured to apply to recurring orders. Use Skio Quick Actions to let subscribers apply codes without logging into the portal.
Troubleshooting why your discount combination isn't working
Discount stacking follows the order outlined above, and not all discounts combine. Here’s what to check:
Is something setting the price instead of discounting it? Selling plan discounts, Build-a-Box, and Skio Journey price overrides set the price. If a Journey that updates the price applies after an order is discounted, then they will be overridden.
Are your Shopify discount codes set up for subscriptions? Make sure the code applies to both subscription products and recurring orders. If you want multiple codes to apply to the same subscription, check if code stacking is allowed in Skio > Settings > Billing & orders.
Are multiple product-level discounts conflicting? Shopify only applies one product-level discount per item. Volume discounts and discount codes may cancel each other out.
Is your volume discount set up correctly? Decide if it applies to the full order or just specific products. Avoid running both quantity-based and price-based volume discounts at once.
Have you tested it in checkout? Test a full flow with subscriptions and codes applied to confirm behavior.
Discount FAQs
Do Shopify discount codes work with subscriptions?
By default, most Shopify discount codes only apply to one-time purchases or first orders. To use codes with subscriptions:
Enable the code to apply to subscription products during discount creation in Shopify
Enable recurring application if you want the discount on renewal orders during discount creation in Shopify
Test the code behavior before launching
Can multiple discount codes be used on the same subscription?
Skio has an "Allow discount code stacking" setting (disabled by default) that controls whether multiple codes can be used on the same subscription. This toggle can be found in your Skio dashboard > Settings > Billing & orders.
Warning
Keep this disabled unless you have a specific single-use strategy to prevent excessive compounding from coupon sites.
What happens to discounts when a subscription is canceled?
If you enable the setting in Settings > General to “Remove discount codes on cancel”, Skio will automatically remove any active discounts from the subscription as soon as it’s canceled. This ensures those discounts aren’t applied if the subscription is later reactivated.
Do volume discounts automatically apply at checkout?
It depends on if your store is using Shopify Scripts or Shopify Functions.
If you currently use Shopify Scripts for discount logic (like free shipping for subscription carts), plan to migrate to Shopify Functions since Scripts are being deprecated. This migration will also allow Skio to apply the volume discounts automatically at checkout, which requires Shopify Functions.
What if I don’t want the Skio volume discounts to apply at checkout?
For newer stores that are already using Shopify Functions, you can find the volume discount in Shopify and disable i