# Set up a reward bar in the cart drawer

> Add a progress bar that unlocks free shipping, an order discount or free gifts as the cart grows.

The **Reward bar** shows shoppers how close they are to a reward. Turn on the **Reward bar** card in the cart editor, set your tiers and click **Save**. A new bar starts with one tier: free shipping at 50 in your store's currency.

Merchants also call this a free shipping bar, progress bar or tiered rewards.

**Using ChatGPT, Claude or another AI assistant?** On a Plus store with no carts yet, the first cart and its rewards go live at once. Confirm the amount first. See [Build a cart drawer with an AI assistant](https://section-store.orka.help/a/build-a-cart-drawer-with-an-ai-assistant).

## Before you start

Shoppers see the bar only on a live cart. That needs Section Store Plus and the **Cart drawer** app embed.

## Set it up

1. In Shopify admin, open **Apps** → **Section Store** → **Cart Drawer**.
2. Click **Edit** on your cart.
3. Under **Body**, find the **Reward bar** card. If it isn't there, click **Add block** and pick **Reward bar**.
4. Turn on the card's switch.
5. Under **Tiers**, choose **Unlock by**: **Cart total** or **Item quantity**.
6. Open the **Free shipping** tier and set **Min price**.
7. To add a reward, click **Add tier** and pick **Free shipping**, **Order discount** or **Free gift**.
8. Set the messages under **Content**.
9. Click **Save**. The preview shows the bar on **Filled cart**.

## How tiers work

- We sort tiers by threshold, lowest first.
- **Free shipping** and **Order discount** tiers don't stack. Only the highest unlocked tier of each type applies.
- A free shipping tier and an order discount tier can both apply.
- **Free gift** tiers stack. Every unlocked gift tier adds its gifts.
- There is no fixed tier limit. All reward settings together must stay under 10,000 bytes.

## What the bar counts

Thresholds use the cart subtotal before discounts. To count what shoppers pay, tick **Count cart total after discounts**, under **Unlock by**. Free gifts don't count. Order addons don't count unless you tick **Include in reward threshold**. You can exclude products too.

## Where rewards come from

We create one Shopify automatic discount called **Section Store Cart**. It gives the free shipping, the order discount and the free price on gifts. Shopify checks the threshold again at checkout.

## When the bar hides

The bar hides when the cart is empty or has no tiers. A free gift tier with no product stays hidden too.

## If it doesn't work

- **The bar doesn't show on the storefront:** check that the card's switch is on, the cart is **Active** and the cart has items.
- **A reward doesn't reach checkout:** see the articles below.
- **"Reward settings are too large to save":** remove unused tiers or shorten shipping method lists.

## Related

- [Set up free shipping on the cart reward bar](https://section-store.orka.help/a/set-up-free-shipping-on-the-cart-reward-bar)
- [Add an order discount tier to the cart reward bar](https://section-store.orka.help/a/add-an-order-discount-tier-to-the-cart-reward-bar)
- [Add a free gift to the cart reward bar](https://section-store.orka.help/a/add-a-free-gift-to-the-cart-reward-bar)
- [Unlock cart rewards by spend or by item quantity](https://section-store.orka.help/a/unlock-cart-rewards-by-spend-or-item-quantity)
- [What is the Section Store Cart discount?](https://section-store.orka.help/a/what-is-the-section-store-cart-discount)

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