> For the complete documentation index, see [llms.txt](https://native-app-co.gitbook.io/stork-credit/llms.txt). Markdown versions of documentation pages are available by appending `.md` to page URLs; this page is available as [Markdown](https://native-app-co.gitbook.io/stork-credit/automations/promotion-stacking.md).

# Promotion stacking

Decide what happens when one order qualifies for more than one of your automations.

When a customer's order qualifies for several order-value automations at once, this setting decides whether they collect all of them or just the best one.

Find it under **Settings → Promotion Stacking**.

## The two options

### Stack promotions (default)

Every qualifying rule issues its credit, and the customer receives the **combined total**.

An order that qualifies for a 2% sitewide cashback rule *and* a €5 VIP bonus earns both.

### Best value only

All qualifying rules are compared and **only the single highest-value one** issues credit.

The same order earns whichever of the two is worth more on that order — not both.

## Which to choose

**Stack** suits rewards that are conceptually separate: a baseline cashback rate plus an occasional promotional bonus, where earning both is the intended generosity.

**Best value only** suits rules that are alternatives to each other — spend tiers being the clearest case. With three tiers at €0–99, €100–249, and €250+, an order should land in exactly one. Non-overlapping minimum and maximum amounts already achieve that, but best-value-only protects you if the windows ever overlap by mistake.

{% hint style="info" %}
Ties are broken deterministically, so two rules of identical value always resolve to the same winner rather than varying between orders.
{% endhint %}

A rule set to **Once per customer** that has already rewarded a customer drops out of the comparison for that customer's later orders. It can't win and then pay nothing, so the next-best eligible rule wins instead.

**Rules that wait before issuing.** For a rule that [waits for fulfillment or a set time](/stork-credit/automations/order-value-automations.md#when-credit-is-issued), the comparison happens when the order is paid, using the credit each rule would issue then, and held credit counts as already credited. If the winner's held credit is later cancelled, for example because the order is refunded, the other rules don't step in and the order earns nothing.

**Referral codes entered on the Thank you page.** A shopper can enter a [referral code](/stork-credit/automations/referral-codes.md#on-the-thank-you-page) after their order is paid, by which point another rule may already have credited it. With best value only, that order keeps the credit it already has. The referral rule doesn't add a second reward, even if it's worth more. With stacking on, the referral reward is added on top.

## Scope

The setting applies to **order-value automations only**, since they're the only rule type where one event can trigger several rules at once.

[Scheduled automations](/stork-credit/automations/scheduled-automations.md) always issue their credit independently — if a customer is in the audience of three scheduled rules, they receive all three. Use the **priority** field to control the order those run in.

Credit from [CSV imports](/stork-credit/bulk-import/csv-import.md), [Shopify Flow](/stork-credit/integrations/shopify-flow.md), and [external triggers](/stork-credit/integrations/external-triggers.md) is never affected.

## Seeing the effect

When stacking is off, the rules that lost record a **skipped** run reading *"Best-value only: another eligible promotion has a higher credit value"*, naming the winner. Nothing is silently dropped — see [Run history](/stork-credit/automations/run-history.md).

## Changing the setting

Changes apply to orders paid **after** you save. Credit already issued is never recalculated.