How do I set up a free gift that adds itself to the cart?

Updated November 2, 2026 · SMART Bundles App & Upsells (E-TRADE PARTNER)

In SMART Discounts, click Create new discount, pick Free gift under Free gifts, choose a Trigger, pick the gift product in Tier #1 and click Create. Once the cart reaches the tier, the gift is added to the cart by itself on any page of your store, and it's removed when the cart stops qualifying. This needs the SMART Discounts app embed on in your theme.

Before you start

• Turn on the app embed. The gift is added by the app's script in your Online Store theme, so the SMART Discounts app embed (Deal widget in App embeds) must be on in the published theme. If it's off, the app offers Turn on app embed when you pick Free gift. See Turn on the app embed.
• Publish the gift product to the Online Store. Otherwise the editor warns: "This product isn't active on your Online Store, so the gift can't be added to carts."
• Keep the gift's normal price. The discount makes it free only while it's earned. Added by hand to a cart that doesn't qualify, it costs the full price.

Step by step

1. Open SMART Discounts in your Shopify admin, click Create new discount and pick Free gift under Free gifts.
2. Enter a Discount name (only you see it). Leave Application method on Automatic, or choose Code for a gift that needs a code (Free gift with a discount code). The method can't be changed after the first save.
3. In Trigger, choose Cart value or Items in cart. To stop giving the gift on large carts, tick Set a maximum cart value or Set a maximum number of items.
4. Under Counts toward the tier, keep All products or choose Specific products and pick them. Tick Require all of these products if the gift needs every listed product in the cart.
5. In Gift tiers > Tier #1, enter the Minimum cart value (or Minimum items) and the Free quantity (1 to 10). Click Select gift product and pick the Variant if there are several. A tier always adds that one variant.
6. Set the Gift price: Free (the default), Percentage off or Fixed price per unit. The Checkout label (default "Free gift") shows at checkout next to the gift, so rename it for a paid gift.
7. Click Add tier for more tiers, up to 5. See Free gift tiers.
8. In Eligibility, set Customers (by tags or all), New customers only and Markets. See Customer eligibility.
9. Check Combinations (all ticked by default) and Active dates, read the Summary, and click Create. With a start of now, the gift is live once saved.

What the shopper sees

• The gift shows up as its own cart line at the tier's Free quantity, with your checkout label at checkout. The app refreshes your theme's cart drawer or cart page quietly and never opens the drawer.
• A raised gift quantity is set back to the Free quantity. A gift the shopper deletes isn't added again in that browser tab while the cart stays at that tier.
• When the cart drops below the tier, the gift is removed. A checkout click during a cart sync is held for a moment until the sync finishes.

How the gift is priced

• Free gift is a product discount on the gift line only, for the tier's Free quantity.
• Fixed price sets each gift unit to that price. If the gift already costs that or less, nothing is taken off: a discount never raises a price.
• Amounts are in your store currency and converted at Shopify's rate. If you sell in other currencies, the globe button next to an amount sets an exact amount per currency. See Markets and currencies.

Limits

• Never in Shopify POS, and no gift in flows that skip the cart, such as Buy it now. See Free gift not added to the cart.
• No progress bar or "spend $X more" message.
• Shoppers can't choose between gifts. For a choice, use a Buy X get Y discount: the shopper adds the option they want.
• The checkout label has one language.
• Each automatic Free gift counts toward Shopify's limit of 25 active automatic discounts, which includes app discounts (Shopify Help Center).
• Gifts inside a bundle are set up in the bundle editor (Add gift on an offer card, or Extras > Progressive gifts) and are added only on pages that show the bundle widget: see Progressive gifts.

Frequently asked questions