How do Shopify discount codes work with bundle discounts?
Overview
Simple Bundles allows you to apply a bundle-level discount independently from Shopify's native discount codes. This means your customers can receive a discount on the bundle itself and also redeem a Shopify discount code at checkout; both apply simultaneously. This guide covers how to set up bundle discounts, how Shopify discount codes stack on top, and how the combined discount is displayed at checkout.
How to set a bundle discount in Simple Bundles
Stacking with Shopify discount codes
What customers see at Checkout
How bundle discounts work
When you set a discounted price on a bundle in Simple Bundles, the app automatically updates two fields on the corresponding Shopify product:
• Compare at price - the original (full) value of the bundle
• Price - the discounted bundle price customers pay
This is handled entirely within Simple Bundles. You do not need to create a separate Shopify discount for this; the bundle price itself is the discount.
How to set a bundle discount in Simple Bundles
1. Open Simple Bundles and navigate to the bundle you want to discount.
2. In the bundle details, locate the Price section.
3. Enter your desired bundle price. Simple Bundles will automatically calculate the discount percentage and update the Compare at price and Price fields in your Shopify product. Refer to this help guide regarding how bundle price sync and compare-at price works: How bundle price sync and compare-at price work in Simple Bundles 2.0
4. Save your changes and verify the updated pricing on your Shopify product page.
Example:
Suppose you have a bundle with a combined component value of $200. You set the bundle price to $160 in Simple Bundles, a 20% saving. Shopify will display $200 as the "Compare at price" and $160 as the "Price" on the product page, showing customers exactly how much they're saving.
Stacking with Shopify discount codes
Once a bundle discount is in place, you can create additional Shopify discounts (automatic discounts or discount codes) in your Shopify admin. These will stack on top of the bundle discount already applied.
In Simple Bundles 2.0, any Shopify discount is distributed proportionally across the individual component products within the bundle at checkout. Here's how each discount type behaves:
Percentage Discounts
A percentage discount is applied proportionally to each component in the bundle based on its value.
Example: A bundle contains three products, each priced at $5 (after the bundle discount). An additional 20% Shopify discount code is applied at checkout.
| Component | Price After Bundle Discount | Additional 20% Discount |
| Product A | $5.00 | −$1.00 → $4.00 |
| Product B | $5.00 | −$1.00 → $4.00 |
| Product C | $5.00 | −$1.00 → $4.00 |
Fixed Amount Discounts
A fixed discount amount is also distributed proportionally across each component based on its relative value within the bundle.
Example: The same bundle of three equal-value products has a $3 fixed discount applied.
| Component | Price After Bundle Discount | Fixed $3 Discount (÷3) |
| Product A | $5.00 | −$1.00 → $4.00 |
| Product B | $5.00 | −$1.00 → $4.00 |
| Product C | $5.00 | −$1.00 → $4.00 |
What customers see at Checkout
At checkout, customers will see:
• The bundle price already reflects the bundle-level discount (set in Simple Bundles)
• The Shopify discount code or automatic discount reflected in their cart, distributed proportionally across the bundle's components
Both discounts are visible and applied simultaneously, giving customers full transparency on their savings. We strongly recommend placing a test order before launching any promotion to confirm that both the bundle discount and any Shopify discount codes are applying correctly and displaying as expected.
When testing, verify the following:
• The Compare at price and Price are displaying correctly on the product page
• The Shopify discount code or automatic discount is applied at checkout
• The final price at checkout matches what you intend customers to pay
Known limitations
There are some scenarios where Shopify discount codes may not apply as expected when bundles are involved. These are due to a Shopify Cart Transform limitation rather than Simple Bundles itself.
Quantity-based discounts and free shipping thresholds
When a customer’s cart contains a mix of bundles and individual items (or multiple bundles) to meet a quantity threshold, for example, “buy 12 items for free shipping,” the discount code may not apply, even though the total item count, including the bundle contents, is technically met.
This is because Shopify's discount engine evaluates the cart before the Cart Transform API expands the bundle into its components. In practice, this means a bundle containing 4 items is counted as just 1 item toward the threshold, so a cart with three 4-item bundles (12 items total) may still not qualify for a "12 items" free shipping rule.
As a workaround, consider using spend-based thresholds (e.g., “free shipping on orders over $X”) instead of item quantity thresholds, as these are evaluated against the cart total rather than the item count and are not affected by this limitation. More details here: https://community.shopify.dev/t/do-cart-transform-merge-expand-custom-products-receive-discounts/7415/2