"Buy X get Y" not working

Shopify Discussion
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Topic summary

A Shopify store owner is experiencing issues with a “Buy 4 get 1 Free” discount not functioning, while their tiered percentage discounts (10% off 1 item, 20% off 2, 30% off 3) work correctly.

Troubleshooting suggestions provided:

  • Verify the discount type is set to “Buy X, Get Y” rather than percentage-based
  • Check for cart conditions, app conflicts, or overlapping discount rules
  • Ensure both products X and Y are added to the cart (required for Shopify’s native discounts)
  • Review combination settings with other active discounts (currently combined with free shipping)

Current status: The issue remains unresolved. Community members have requested additional details including screenshots of discount settings, checkout page examples, and specific scenarios where the discount fails.

Alternative solutions proposed: Two third-party apps (BOGOS and Monk) were recommended as alternatives to Shopify’s native discount system. These apps claim to handle complex multi-tier promotions more effectively, with features like automatic gift addition and milestone-based rewards that can combine discounts with free products without conflicts.

Summarized with AI on October 27. AI used: claude-sonnet-4-5-20250929.
1

So I have set up a set of discounts on my store, all other discounts works fine but the “Buy 4 get 1 Free” isn’t working. the discounts that I have are

  • Buy one get 10% off (Active and working)

  • Buy two get 20% off (Active and working)

  • Buy three get 30% off (Active and working)

  • Buy 4 get 1 Free (Active but NOT working)

store link: www.islaboutique.com.au

Can anyone help me how to fix this ?

Thank you in advance

2

Hi,

Hope this will help

  • Check discount type is set to “Buy X, Get Y” and not as a percentage or fixed discount.
  • Check whether there are any cart conditions for “Buy 4, Get 1 Free” offer
  • Check for App Conflicts
  • Check for Overlapping Discounts
3

Hi @technase :blush:

This is Ellie from BOGOS, #1 Promotion App on Shopify.

May I ask did you use Shopify Discounts or apps to create the Buy 4 get 1 Free?

If you use Shopify Automatic Discounts, you’ll need to add both products X and Y to the cart, the discount will then make product Y free.

On the other hand, BOGOS offers a hassle-free solution for you. When customers buy 4 products, the gifts can be automatically added, simplifying their checkout experience.

Feel free to explore the demo of this offer here: https://bogos-demo-store.myshopify.com/collections/free-gift-auto-add-to-cart (password: 1234)

EllieBOGOS_0-1725447993570.png
EllieBOGOS_0-1725447993570.png1233×871 105 KB

Grab 7-day free trial of BOGOS (4.9 overall rating & 2,045+ reviews) to give it a try! :sparkling_heart:

Wish you all the best with the business,
Ellie
BOGOS (formally Free Gifts by Secomapp)

4

discount type is “Buy X, Get Y”, no conflicting app, no conditions on cart. I am not sure but do you think these discounts are conflicting ?

  • Buy one get 10% off (Active and working)

  • Buy two get 20% off (Active and working)

  • Buy three get 30% off (Active and working)

if yes how do you propose to set it up so our customers can have 10% on 1 product, 20% on two, 30% on three, and one free product on purchasing 4

5

I have selected all products in both X and Y so yeah they will always be in the cart..

6

Hi @technase Did you select the combination option while creating the Buy X Get Y discount rule?

7

its in combination with a free shipping discount only

8

Have you selected the combination option yet? You can select the Product discounts and Order discounts

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9

Hi Technase,

In order to get the best help possible, please provide more details about your discount setup.

  • Please upload screenshots of your discount settings
  • Please upload a screenshot of the checkout page - what products were in the cart, and were any other discounts applied?
  • Please provide written examples of when you want the discount to apply/not apply

The more information you can provide, the more likely a community member will be able to identify what’s “not working” about your discount.

Best,

Tobe

10

Hey @technase

It looks like your “Buy 4 get 1 Free” setup isn’t working because Shopify’s native discount system can be tricky with multi-tier offers.

I suggest you try Monk from the Shopify App Store, which is designed specifically to simplify complex free gifting setups. I am part of the team, so sharing this from direct experience, You can create multi-tier free gift offers with out any hassle in no time.

Here’s how you can make it work:

With Monk, You can create an item-based reward funnel that gives a specific reward based on the milestone, i.e., the quantity of item present in the cart.

The nature of reward can be:

  • A discount
  • A free gift- can be automatically added to the cart
  • A free gift- can be selected from a set of product options shown in a widget
  • Free Shipping

As per your Requirement, the set up is going to be:

  • Milestone 1- Buy 1 Get 10% off (A discount)
  • Milestone 2- Buy 2 Get 20% off (A discount)
  • Milestone 3- Buy 3 Get 30 % off (A discount)
  • Milestone 4- Buy 4 Get 1 free (A free gift-Auto Add)

Monk blends seamlessly with your existing cart, so the free product is added automatically without affecting other discounts.

11

Check your discount configuration in Admin → Discounts. Ensure the “Buy 4 Get 1 Free” discount is set to “Apply to specific items” and that the free product is manually added to the cart. Test with other discounts disabled to check for conflicts.

If the issue persists, share a screenshot of your discount settings for more specific troubleshooting.