In this article, Iâll show you how to configure WooCommerce shipping by cart total in your store. This way the final shipping cost will depend on the total cost of your customerâs order. The method is simple so this article wonât be long đ Letâs begin!
Configuring shipping settings is a crucial step in setting up an ecommerce store, as it directly affects the shipping costs and options available to customers. Shipping costs can be calculated based on various factors, including the shipping method, shipping zones, and shipping classes. Understanding how to configure shipping settings can help store owners provide flexible shipping options to their customers, which can lead to increased customer satisfaction and loyalty.
In WooCommerce, shipping settings can be configured using the shipping zones. This system allows store owners to add multiple shipping methods, including flat rate, free shipping, and table rate shipping. By setting up these shipping options, store owners can ensure that their customers have a variety of choices at checkout, catering to different needs and preferences. Whether itâs offering free shipping for orders over a certain amount or providing expedited shipping options, configuring your shipping settings effectively can make a significant difference in the overall shopping experience.
There is something I really donât want to do. Itâs wasting peopleâs time. Thatâs why I decided to show you the final effect at the beginning. This way you will get sure that this is what you are looking for!
So, first, Iâll show you how it works. Then, Iâll show you what plugin you need and how to get it. The plugin is free! The plugin can calculate shipping costs based on cart totals, making it easier to manage shipping expenses. The last step is to configure the plugin. Iâll cover that topic in this article, too.
Letâs begin with the checkout page. You know it. There is no change to this page. The only different thing you can see is the shipping method:
My awesome shipping method is the shipping methodâs title.
ÂŁ10.00 is the price of the shipping method. It changes dynamically. Thatâs the WooCommerce shipping by cart totals feature you want to have in your store.
The best shipping method you have ever seen! is the shipping methodâs description. Itâs optional. You donât have to use it at all.
But does the âWooCommerce shipping by cart totalâ feature really work?
Of course, just look at the screenshots I made for you. You can see them below. But first, you have to know the rules I configured based on order totals:
First rule in action:
With the total of ÂŁ126.00 there is ÂŁ10.00 of shipping cost:
Another rule works as we expected:
And here is the ÂŁ1.00 shipping:
You need a plugin to configure your shipping methods to work like this. The plugin name is Flexible Shipping. We are the pluginâs developers. Itâs available to download for free from WordPress.org.
This plugin is very popular. Over 100,000 stores worldwide use it on a daily basis.
The best Table Rate Shipping for WooCommerce. Period. Create shipping rules based on weight, order totals or item count.
Go to WordPress.org or Download for freeThere are a lot of reviews. People really appreciate our work. Thatâs very nice đ
Look at some exemplary review:
Donât regret as our user so that he didnât find this plugin earlier! Install it immediately! Iâll guide you through the configuration process later in this article.
There is also available the PRO version of the Flexible Shipping plugin, which extends the functionalities of the free version.
The best Table Rate Shipping for WooCommerce. Period. Create shipping rules based on weight, order totals or item count.
View Details or Add to cartWant to learn more about Flexible Shipping PRO features? Check out our dedicated playlists!
To install Flexible Shipping, you just need to type the name in the Plugins â Add New.
You wonât miss it for sure:
As you can see on the screenshot above, there is also a WooCommerce UPS Shipping plugin available. Itâs very useful. It works worldwide and it calculates shipping costs automatically online. It also integrates live rates from courier APIs like UPS, providing real-time shipping cost calculations.
Learn more about it in our WooCommerce UPS Shipping Guide â
Once you install and activate the Flexible Shipping, you can configure it. This way you will get the âWooCommerce shipping by cart totalâ feature in your store.
Simply go to WooCommerce â Settings â Shipping.
There you have your shipping zones.
Click on the one which you want to add the feature to. I have the âUKâ shipping zone:
Next, click the Add shipping method button:
Choose the Flexible Shipping:
Once you created the Flexible Shipping method, click it.
You will see this screen:
As you see, I configured the Method Title and Method Description. I described them earlier in this article. You can configure the Free Shipping in here, too. But thatâs optional.
The Rules are the most important for us. We will use them to create rules to implement WooCommerce shipping by cart total feature.
As you see, you just need to select Price as the type. Then you provide the price range for the rules. The last thing you need to do is to provide a cost per order for a rule. These shipping cost calculation rules allow you to optimize delivery costs based on various criteria.
Flexible Shipping has many more options available. You can use some of them such as Visibility or Calculation Method. Additionally, the plugin can help increase the average order value by encouraging customers to add more items to their cart to qualify for better shipping rates. However, thatâs not all! We developed the PRO version of this plugin.
By following this guide, youâve learned how to configure WooCommerce shipping based on the total value of a customerâs cart using the Flexible Shipping plugin. This method allows you to offer dynamic shipping rates that adjust depending on how much your customer spendsâencouraging larger purchases while maintaining control over shipping costs.
The setup is straightforward: install the free Flexible Shipping plugin, define your shipping rules by setting price ranges, and assign appropriate shipping fees to each range. This approach gives you full flexibility and ensures your customers are presented with fair, transparent shipping rates at checkout.
Whether youâre running a small shop or a growing ecommerce business, this feature can make a real difference in both user experience and profitability. Donât forgetâover 100,000 stores already trust Flexible Shipping, and with the additional capabilities offered by the PRO version, you can scale your setup even further.
If you found this method useful or have any questions, weâd love to hear your thoughts in the comments section below!
1. Do I need to install any plugins to enable shipping by cart total in WooCommerce?
Yes, youâll need the Flexible Shipping plugin, which is available for free on WordPress.org. It allows you to create shipping cost rules based on cart totals and other conditions.
2. Is the Flexible Shipping plugin really free?
Absolutely. The core version of Flexible Shipping is free and includes all the features needed to set up shipping costs based on cart value. Thereâs also a PRO version available with more advanced options if you need them.
3. Can I offer free shipping with this method?
Yes, the plugin allows you to configure free shipping based on cart total or other conditions. Just create a rule with âÂŁ0â as the shipping cost for a specific price range.
4. Will this method work with other shipping zones?
Yes. You can apply Flexible Shipping to any shipping zone youâve configured in WooCommerce. Just go to WooCommerce â Settings â Shipping, select the zone, and add the Flexible Shipping method there.
5. Can I combine this method with other shipping conditions, like weight or item count?
Yes, with the PRO version of Flexible Shipping, you can create more complex rules using multiple conditions such as weight, item count, shipping classes, and more.
6. Does this solution support real-time shipping rates from couriers?
Not directly. The method shown here uses static rules based on cart total. However, if you need real-time rates from couriers like UPS or FedEx, Octolize also offers dedicated plugins that integrate with courier APIs.
7. Is this setup mobile-friendly and compatible with most themes?
Yes, the Flexible Shipping plugin works seamlessly with most modern WordPress themes and is fully responsive on mobile devices.
8. What happens if a customerâs cart doesnât match any of the defined shipping rules?
If no rule matches the cart total, WooCommerce will not display a shipping method for that zone. Make sure to cover all price ranges to avoid this issue.
Content Writer at Octolize
Bartosz Gajewski is a content and marketing specialist with a solid background in SEO, WordPress content strategy, and technical documentation for digital products. With years of hands-on experience in both in-house and freelance roles, he supports tech companies â especially in the SaaS and e-commerce space â by creating content that informs, engages, and drives results.
His approach blends storytelling with data-driven SEO, and heâs been involved in projects ranging from rebranding and product marketing to growth experiments and copywriting for complex software tools. On the blog, he shares actionable insights from his work across marketing teams, product documentation, and online store optimization.
This article saved the day for me. What a sweet and simple way to used custom shipping rates based on cart totals. You have no idea how much this article has helped me, thank you very much!
Thank you for kind feedback, I am very glad that the tips presented have helped you in the configuration of the shipment.
Hi,
Is it possible to calculate the shipping cost on the Subtotal, instead of the total?
When I apply a Coupon the price goes down but Iâd want to maintain the shipping cost the same, is it possibile to do this?
Thanks,
Matteo
Hi Matteo, Iâm afraid it is unfortunately not possible yet at this moment. Our Flexible Shipping plugin hooks into the WooCommerce calculation methods and takes
the values from the cart, where the discounts are already applied. However, we receive many questions from our customers about such feature and we plan to implement it in the one of the future updates.
With this plugin, can you calculate the shipping costs on the total price of the products, including VAT? On my chekout page, products appear without VAT and shipping costs are calculated in the subtotal without VAT. I need to calculate the expenses on the total, including VAT. If so, how would it be done, because I canât find a way to do it?
Thank you so much.
Hello Angel, Flexible Shipping hooks into and uses the productâs price so if you have set the prices to be exclusive of tax: http://wpdesk.me/mp/qw54w.png, our plugin wonât add the tax while calculating the shipping costs. To have the tax included you will need to turn it on in the shipping method and set the prices to be displayed with tax at WooCommerce Tax settings: http://wpdesk.me/mp/qw54w.png.
Hi Lukasz.
Thank you very much for your answer.
Super helpful and the cart based shipping cost is exactly what I needed. Thanks!
Thank you for the kind words. Weâre glad it met your needs.
I have followed through the instructions, cleared all the caches I can find but for some reason none of my flexible shipping costs show on either of mine or my nephews mobile devices, at the moment they show no shipping costs at all. Any help or advice will be greatly appreciated
Hi Caroline, from what you have written I suppose something wasnât configured properly. Maybe the shipping zone isnât matched right or your shipping methodsâ cost calculation rules are not being triggered correctly. Have you tried enabling the Debug mode at Flexible Shipping methodâs configuration screen Advanced Options section?
Hi All,
I have issue regarding the flexible shipping charge.
How can I add flexible shipping charges based on total while ordering the products?
How can we adding custom / manually code?
Any help or advice will be greatly appreciated.
Hi Nitesh, just to make sure if I got everything right â do you want the shipping cost to be fixed value, e.g. $15 and want to have it applied based on the order total price or should be calculated dynamically as a percentage of the order total value, e.g. always 10%?
can you have different rates for different amount to different countries
Hi Nick, sure, you can define the different rates and different shipping cost calculation rules for each Flexible Shipping method within every shipping zone you have configured in your shop.
Can rules be based on Distance? Not cost? For examle, if distance is from 0 to 10 km â the total shipping is 5 dollars e t c. thanks
Hi Maria, Iâm afraid that unfortunately defining the shipping cost calculation rules based on the distance the way you described it is not possible at the moment using our Flexible Shipping PRO plugin. Nevertheless, since we are being frequently asked about such possibility, we plan to implement it in the one of the future updates. Iâve added you to the list of people interested in such feature and you will be notified as soon as the proper update is released.
@Maria Some time ago, you asked us about a distance-based shipping cost.
Iâm glad to inform you that we have just released a brand-new Flexible Shipping add-on â Distance Based Shipping Rates for WooCommerce.
You can now use this plugin to define the cost calculation rules to be based on the distance or duration of the productsâ delivery between your store and the customerâs address. This plugin works with Google Maps API.
Looking forward to your feedback!
This is very helpful article for me. itâs save my lotâs of time and tension.
Will this work if there are 2 types of customers each with their own set of shipping values? For example â Retail Orders ship free on orders over $95; Wholesale Orders ship free on orders over $250.
Hi Darren, you can achieve such a scenario based on condition USER ROLE. This condition is available in the Flexible Shipping PRO. The best option here would be creating 2 shipping methods â 1st for retail order and 2nd for Wholesale Orders. Please have in mind that this will work, if your customers will have assigned proper user role.