Yes, I have a third party shipping option (advanced shipping rules) however I’m not sure the will apply directly to a coupon code.
Patrick
Topic summary
Merchants want to offer free shipping promotions that apply only to standard/ground shipping rates, not expedited options. Currently, Shopify’s native free shipping discount codes make all shipping methods free when applied.
Shopify’s suggested workaround:
- Set an exclusion for “shipping rates over a certain amount” to prevent expensive expedited options from becoming free
- This approach fails for many merchants because:
- Shipping rates vary by product weight, size, and destination
- Standard shipping for large orders can exceed expedited rates for small orders
- Error messages confuse customers (“discount not available for your address” instead of explaining rate restrictions)
Why merchants need this feature:
- Prevents customers from exploiting free shipping codes by selecting expensive expedited options
- Avoids manual order review to downgrade shipping methods
- Calculated shipping rates make dollar-amount exclusions impractical
- Multiple shipping profiles with different rate structures complicate workarounds
Current status:
- Feature remains unavailable in native Shopify (only Shopify Plus can use scripts)
- Support has added multiple merchants to feature requests over several years
- No ETA provided for implementation
Available solutions:
- Third-party apps like Advanced Free Shipping, Single Code Discount by Swiftbee, Customer Shipping Rules, or Bespoke Shipping
- Merchants express frustration at paying monthly fees ($10+) for what they consider basic functionality
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