# "Can't be combined" notes

> Why shoppers see a "can't be combined" note in an AndOr widget, why checkout paid a different discount, and how to fix it.

Source: https://backtrackhq.com/docs/help/cant-be-combined/

Shopify applies two discounts together only when both allow it. When
they can't be combined, checkout pays one and drops the other. AndOr
widgets then show a short note instead of promising a reward the
shopper won't get.

## What shoppers see

The note appears in the widget, in place of the reward. For example:

- Goal bar: "A discount in your cart can't be combined with order
  discounts."
- Free gift: "Your gift isn't free right now. Your cart has another
  discount that can't be combined with it."
- Buy X get Y: "10% off isn't applied. Your cart has another discount
  that can't be combined with it."
- Tiered rewards: "Your rewards don't apply right now. Your cart has
  another discount that can't be combined with them."

When the other discount's name is known, the note names it, for
example "Summer sale in your cart can't be combined with order
discounts."

(Screenshot: A cart with a goal bar and a can't be combined note)

You can change or hide these notes on the **Storefront text** page. Look
for labels like **When another discount wins over the goal**. See
[Storefront text](https://backtrackhq.com/docs/widgets/storefront-text/).

## Why it happens

### Each discount must allow the other

Every Shopify discount has **Combinations** settings. Two discounts
apply together only when each one allows the other's type. If one says
no, Shopify applies just one of them.

### Product and order discounts: the bigger one wins

When a product discount and an order discount can't be combined,
Shopify applies the one that saves the shopper more.

Example: a 20% "Summer sale" on a product, and an order discount of 10%
over a cart total. They don't combine. When the cart reaches the
total, checkout keeps the 20% sale. So the goal bar doesn't promise the
extra 10%.

### Shipping discounts always lose

When a shipping discount can't be combined with a product or order
discount, Shopify applies the product or order discount. It does this
even when free shipping would save the shopper more. The shopper may
see "You already have a better combination" at checkout. This is
Shopify's rule, not a bug.

### A shopper typed a discount code

A widget can't know if a shopper will type a code. If the code can't
be combined with the discount the widget shows, checkout applies only
one of them.

### A discount you did not show still applies

The **Show on storefront** switch only decides what AndOr shows. Every
active discount still applies at checkout. A discount you did not turn
on can still beat the one you did.

### A discount for some customers only

A discount for new customers or a customer tag can win for those
shoppers only. Widgets can't tell who is shopping, so for those
shoppers the widget can be off.

## What you see in the app

On **Promotions** > **Storefront widgets**, two badges warn you:

- **Not combined with** and a discount name: checkout applies only the
  bigger of this sale and the spend discount. The goal bar and volume
  table show only savings the shopper will actually get.
- **Hidden from the goal bar:** a free shipping step the goal bar
  leaves out. Its note says which discount wins and how to fix it.

## Fix it

Pick one:

1. **Let the two discounts combine.**

   Open each discount and allow the other's type in its
   **Combinations** settings. Do it on both, because each must allow
   the other. Then both apply and the widget shows the full reward.

   - In Shopify, open **Discounts**, open the discount, and use the
     **Combinations** card.
   - In AndOr, use **Combine with** on the promotion page, or the
     **Combinations** card in the rule editor.

2. **Show the other discount too.**

   Turn on **Show on storefront** for it on the **Storefront widgets**
   tab. Then AndOr knows about both and words the widget correctly.

3. **Turn off the discount you don't want.**

   If it was not meant to be running, deactivate it.

> **Note:** Turning the widget off and on, or editing its message, does
> not fix this. The widget shows what checkout will really pay.