BOGO & multi-buy calculator
"Buy one get one free", "3 for 2", "3 for $10". Pick the deal, say how many you'll take, and see what each one really costs.
Multi-buy
- 5 at full price
- $17.50
- With the deal
- $14.00
- You save
- $3.50 (20%)
- Each works out at
- $2.80
full price free
Take one more: the next item would be free.
Working out a multi-buy
Every multi-buy is a group of items for a price. The calculator splits what you take into complete deal groups, charges anything left over at full price, and divides the total by the number of items to give the real price of each.
Price each = (complete deals × deal price + leftover items × full price) ÷ items
Example: buy 2 get 1 free on $3.50 items. Five items make one complete deal (you pay for two) plus two at full price: 4 × $3.50 = $14.00, which is $2.80 each, or 20% off. The sixth item would be free, so the calculator suggests taking it.
Is it worth it?
A multi-buy only saves money on things you would have bought anyway: five yogurts at $2.80 each beat three at $3.50 only if the extra two get eaten. And watch for "deals" that cost more than buying singly, such as 3 for $10 on items that are $3 each.
Questions
What does 3 for 2 mean?
Take three and pay for two: the same as buy 2 get 1 free. It is a third off when you take exactly three, or any multiple of three.
What if the items have different prices?
Shops often make the cheapest item in each deal the free or reduced one; check the small print. Enter the cheaper price to see the smallest saving you can expect.
Is half price on the second item the same as 25% off?
When you buy two, yes: you pay one and a half times the price for two items, which is 25% off each. Take three and only one of them is reduced.