# Unlock cart rewards by spend or by item quantity

> Choose if the reward bar counts money or items. One setting applies to every tier on the bar.

The **Unlock by** setting decides what the **Reward bar** counts: **Cart total** counts money and **Item quantity** counts items. It applies to every tier on the bar, so you can't mix the two.

## Change it

1. In Shopify admin, open **Apps** → **Section Store** → **Cart Drawer**.
2. Click **Edit** on your cart.
3. Under **Body**, open the **Reward bar** card.
4. Next to **Tiers**, set **Unlock by**.
5. Check each tier. The threshold field now reads **Min price** or **Min quantity**.
6. Click **Save**.

## Cart total

- Thresholds are in your store's currency.
- By default the count is the subtotal before discounts. Codes, bundle discounts and automatic discounts don't lower it.
- To count what shoppers pay, tick **Count cart total after discounts**, under **Unlock by**. This covers the bar and free gifts. Free shipping and order discount tiers still count before discounts at checkout.
- Other currencies convert at Shopify's rate. You can set your own with **Per market**.

## Item quantity

- Thresholds are whole items.
- The count adds up the quantity of every counted line.
- The **Per market** button hides, since a count needs no currency.
- The remaining amount in your message shows items, not money.

## What never counts

- Free gift lines.
- Order addons, unless you tick **Include in reward threshold** in that block.
- Products you exclude with **Exclude products from being counted**.

Lines from bundles and subscriptions count like any other line.

## Can I use both?

No. One bar has one **Unlock by**. Only one cart can be live, so a store has one bar at a time.

## If it doesn't work

- **The bar counts too many items:** exclude products, or check **Include in reward threshold** on your addons.
- **The bar shows an odd amount:** see the article below.

## Related

- [Why does the reward bar show the wrong amount?](https://section-store.orka.help/a/why-does-the-reward-bar-show-the-wrong-amount)
- [Exclude products from the cart reward bar count](https://section-store.orka.help/a/133-exclude-products-from-the-cart-reward-bar-count)
- [Set per-market thresholds on the cart reward bar](https://section-store.orka.help/a/121-set-per-market-thresholds-on-the-cart-reward-bar)

*Also searched as:* buy 3 get free shipping, by quantity, item count threshold, reward by number of items, rewards by item count, count items not money, spend or quantity, unlock by, min quantity, mix spend and quantity, quantity tier, free shipping by quantity, free gift at 3 items
