A loss leader sells one item at a loss to get people to buy a second at a profit. Our check, which is our own approach and not a rule: loss on item 1 must be smaller than margin on item 2 times the attach rate (the share of customers who say yes to item 2).
Defaults: the 2.6% + $0.15 is the in-person rate on Square’s Free plan as read from Square’s pricing page on 2026-10-15; check yours. On a $1.50 swipe the card fee alone is about 12.6% of the sale.
Setting it up in Square: Square’s Combo feature is not on the free plan (it needs Square Plus/Premium or Square for Restaurants Plus/Premium, per Square support). A free-plan route is a modifier set or two priced variations, which is our approach, not Square’s; the modifier article lists no plan limit but we did not find a page confirming the free plan includes modifiers. If you sell food, check your city or county permit office and health department first. We did not research any rules.
Get the spreadsheet template
A Sheets-ready file with the same math, a table for several item pairs, and a break-even column.
Sascribe is independent. Figures come from the linked primary pages on the date shown and can change. Nothing here is financial advice or a promise of income.