Apply discount together with free shipping

Shopify Discussion

Topic summary

Core Issue:
Shopify merchants cannot natively combine a product discount (percentage or fixed amount) with free shipping in a single discount code. Customers must enter separate codes, which creates friction and can push orders below free shipping thresholds when discounts are applied.

Business Impact:

  • Discount codes often reduce cart totals below free shipping minimums, negating promotional value
  • Critical for influencer campaigns, affiliate programs, and first-time customer acquisition
  • Merchants report customers abandoning purchases or being confused by shipping charges after applying discount codes

Community Response:

  • Thread spans 5+ years with 350+ posts and dozens of vote requests
  • Merchants express frustration that this “basic” feature exists on competing platforms (WooCommerce, Ecwid)
  • Some users threaten platform migration due to this limitation

Shopify’s Evolution:

  • Initially: Feature marked as “in development” with no ETA, votes collected by support staff
  • September 2021: Shopify launched “Discount Combinations” allowing customers to stack multiple codes AND introduced automatic free shipping discounts
  • Current limitation: Still requires customers to enter multiple codes; no single code can apply both effects natively

Workarounds:

  • Set conditional free shipping rates in shipping settings (applies automatically when threshold met)
  • Use third-party apps like “Discount Mixer” or “Single Code Discount by Swiftbee” ($0.99-$10/month)
  • Shopify Plus merchants can use Discount Functions (requires development)

Status: Partially resolved through discount stacking, but original request for single-code solution remains unmet natively.

Summarized with AI on October 26. AI used: claude-sonnet-4-5-20250929.
101

Add my vote as well!

1 Like
102

I worked with a shopify guru on the phone for half an hour and this is the only way we were able to work around that.

We set up free shipping in my shipping rates; not as a discount. Go to

“Settings”

“Shipping”

“Manage Rates”

“Add Rate”

Type in “Rate Name” as “Free Shipping” then click “Add Conditions” If you are going to set a minimun price condition, make sure to take into account what the price will be once the discount code is applied.

After you have done this, then set up your discount code.

103

I had to duplicate the item they wish to give away, and make it the only item assigned to the free shipping rate. BUT the item has to be hidden and if anyone finds out they could buy the item and get free shipping. It’s stupid that we have to do these workarounds. It should be as simple as adding a radio button, “free shipping with this code”. Why do we have to choose between a discount or free shipping?

1 Like
104

In my opinion, that is a horrible workaround as it now applies free shipping to all the products in your catalog that meet the pricing conditions. If you have one product in your catalog with the price range set for the free shipping method, then it’s usable but the second you add more products (that you don’t want to ship for free) you will have problems.

105

No it doesn’t. You can apply the Free rate to only ONE item in the store. The only lousy solution part is having to police any orders with that design and make sure they also have a code applied as ONLY people with the code should even know that page exists.

NOTE: You might not be aware but Shopify finally added a shipping rate area in the preferences where you can assign specific items to specific shipping rates. So if (like me) you sell lots of shirts but also posters in tubes — I can make a shipping rate for posters that require rates that will cover parcel prices versus the large envelope rates which apply to almost everything else.

106

@Thomas_Romer I apologize, you are correct. I saw that you can create a separate shipping profile and specify the products that are applicable but I still think it is a bad workaround even with this functionality. I know have to manage a discount in multiple locations instead of being able to add it as part of a single rule. This is still bad UX in my opinion.

107

No, again– it works in my case as I have a partner that is doing a giveaway. So they send the discount code with the link to the item’s secret page. As far as the user knows, they are just applying a code like any other and getting free shipping on the listing. My only issue is if people find the secret listing and even then, I can contact them and say that listing is only for campaign supporters and ask for shipping or refund it. But I have done much larger campaigns with secret listings where thousands of people did this and only maybe 2-3 people found and purchased an item that was secretly listed.

108

In your case it will work but let me give a scenario (which can be common) where this will not work.

You have a discount offering a fixed amount discount of $10.00 and free shipping for product A if the customer also purchases product B and C. The customer can purchase A on their own in multiples or with product D, E, F etc. Your discount code will not apply as it shouldn’t because the conditions were not met, but the free shipping may still be met for product A because the Weight or Price minimum (depending on how you set the condition on the specific free shipping profile) are met so now the customer got free shipping on a product where they didn’t qualify. As a workaround, this is acceptable for some use cases and horrible for others.

Hence the reason that free shipping should be available as an option in all discount rules and not as a separate rule. This functionality is handled very well on Enterprise level software and should be added to Shopify.

109

I don’t think that is the case as the standard shipping rule will apply once anything is selected outside of the free category. I believe the way it works is that if they add anything over the cost of the free shipping — that rate applies. In this case it is $0. So if they add anything like a sticker, they will pay the sticker rate to add that sticker. If they add another tee… they will pay the rate for shipping one tee. etc, etc.

110

Again, it depends on the scenario.

In your case it works fine. In other cases this workaround fails.

I’ll give you another possible scenario.

Products A - G

Discount rule applies to Product A giving a $10 discount on the condition that Products B and C are also in the cart. Additionally, I want to give Free Shipping to the whole cart only when these 3 items are purchased.

Under your workaround I can add the shipping profile that applies to product A, B, and C when the cart is a specific price or weight range. But then what if I add in addition to the three products Products D, E and F. Under my desired condition the cart should be given free shipping not only the first three products. I would then need to modify the profile to include these three products. Except now they can be given free shipping if they are included in a cart with where the products are D, E, F and G and does not include A, B, or C because product G’s price or weight will still put the cart price and/or weight within the set range.

This is a usable but flawed workaround.

The free shipping option needs to be included in the price rule giving the $10.00 discount as either applicable to the specific products or the whole cart. You should not have to create a different shipping profile for each possible combination of products receiving free shipping (and definitely should be basing it on a price and/or weight range),

111

Oh sure. I was just saying my workaround works for my purpose. The whole thing stinks.

I also installed a plug-in that assigns the right shipping class to new items. This plug-in was causing an error for this same listing because I forgot to assign it also to that plug-in correctly. I mean, how many plug-ins do I have to pay for to get normal behavior from Shopify? Why can’t I assign the shipping class to the item when I create it? I have to remember each time a new item is added to the store to also adjust the shipping settings.

Just like the coupon thing. Every platform allows combining standard coupon features like % off and free shipping. We should never have to install a plug-in to get a platform to do something all the others already do. No less — pay extra for it.

112

I’m not sure if it’s just me, but I took out the shipping rates for countries outside of the US and it allowed me to do free shipping on orders that are $50+. I can still add my discount code on top of this and it doesn’t forcefully take either out, they’re combined. I wasn’t able to do this yesterday I’m not sure if mine is glitched, but so far it’s working for me.

113

Hi there,

Is it possible to stack discount codes yet?

114

Hi there - just adding in my vote here. I would really like to see a discount option that allowed you to also give free shipping.

Thanks!

Amanda

115

Voting for this as well. We are switching from WooCommerce where this was possible so we are in need of this feature asap.

Aksel, Norway

116

what is the point of a 12 page threaed that has been ongoing for years and not resolved???

117

I’m going to take a guess and say that Shopify has limited themselves to releasing features that could be built by their application marketplace..

There is an app called “Discounts Combine” - https://apps.shopify.com/discounts-combine?surface_detail=multiple+discounts&surface_inter_position=1&surface_intra_position=4&surface_type=search

I used it for a couple months, and it works.. sort of. If you use “Advanced Product Options” BEWARE and do not use. If multiple discounts are combined it effectively erases the custom options ordered, so now you’re contacting every customer figuring out what they wanted for options. NOT COOL.

If you’re using the Shopify’s native options and that’s all you need then this app is for you and works as designed.

118

Please add my vote as well. Really need this feature

119

I agree. We get that Shopify want us to buy their apps, but this is a very basic feature that should be available in the shop. Can’t believe this hasn’t been resolved in two years.

120

Hello, I am creating gift cards for my store by creating a discount code for the buyer or receipient to use. However, when i test it, for example, the $25 discount code, it’s only taking it off the item, not shipping. How do I set it so it takes it off the item as well as shipping up to the $25 or whatever the total amount is supposed to be? Thank you

jd347@optonline.net

1 Like