A smooth and intuitive checkout experience is essential for increasing conversions in any WooCommerce store. One overlooked but powerful way to streamline this experience is by showing customers only the relevant shipping methods during checkout. By hiding unnecessary or unavailable shipping methods based on certain conditions, you can avoid confusion, save time, and improve satisfaction.
In this blog post, we’ll dive deep into how you can Hide Shipping Method for WooCommerce, why it matters, which conditions you can apply, and how plugins make it easier than ever.
Why Hide Shipping Methods in WooCommerce?
By default, WooCommerce shows all available shipping methods in the checkout—even when some aren’t applicable. This can lead to:
- ❌ Customer confusion if multiple options seem similar
- 📉 Cart abandonment due to higher-than-expected shipping fees
- 🛠️ Inaccurate deliveries if customers choose the wrong option
Hiding shipping methods based on specific criteria ensures that the right shipping option appears for each customer. This improves usability and helps you manage logistics more efficiently.
When Should You Hide Shipping Methods?
Here are some common scenarios where hiding shipping methods makes sense:
🏷️ Based on Product Category
You may want to show “Flat Rate” only for physical goods and hide it for digital products.
📦 Based on Shipping Class
If bulky products require freight shipping, hide other methods when such products are in the cart.
🚛 Based on Cart Weight
Show “Free Shipping” only if the total cart weight is under 10kg, and hide it otherwise.
🌍 Based on Customer Location
Offer local delivery only to customers in certain zip codes or countries.
👤 Based on User Role
Show different shipping methods to wholesalers, logged-in customers, or guest users.
💰 Based on Order Subtotal
Hide “Cash on Delivery” unless the subtotal is above a specific amount.
⏳ Based on Date or Time
Temporarily disable express delivery during holidays or non-working days.
Methods to Hide Shipping Methods
There are two main ways to hide shipping methods in WooCommerce:
1. 🧩 Using a Plugin (Easy and Flexible)
The most user-friendly option is to use a WooCommerce Hide Shipping Methods Plugin. These plugins allow you to set conditions without touching code.
Top Features:
- Hide based on product, category, or tag
- Set rules based on cart subtotal, weight, or quantity
- Hide shipping by user roles or specific users
- Location-based hiding (country, state, ZIP)
- Hide shipping methods when free shipping is available
- Apply rules for multiple shipping zones
- Temporarily disable specific methods
Popular plugins:
- WooCommerce Hide Shipping Methods
- Conditional Shipping for WooCommerce
- Advanced Shipping Rules
How it works:
- Install the plugin and go to the settings.
- Create a new rule.
- Choose the shipping method(s) you want to hide.
- Set the conditions (e.g., category, weight, zip code).
- Save and test it on the frontend.
2. 💻 Using Custom Code (Developer Friendly)
If you’re comfortable with PHP, you can write custom functions in your theme’s functions.php file to hide specific methods.
Example: Hide all shipping methods except Free Shipping if available:
phpCopyEditadd_filter('woocommerce_package_rates', 'custom_hide_shipping_when_free_is_available', 100);
function custom_hide_shipping_when_free_is_available($rates) {
if (isset($rates['free_shipping:1'])) {
return array('free_shipping:1' => $rates['free_shipping:1']);
}
return $rates;
}
This approach offers deep control but requires maintenance and testing with every WooCommerce update.
Examples of Use Cases
1. Physical vs. Digital Products
If a customer purchases only downloadable products, there’s no need to show any shipping method. Automatically hide all options.
2. Local vs. International Shipping
Hide “Local Pickup” for customers outside a specific city or country.
3. Free Shipping Over Threshold
Encourage larger orders by hiding paid methods if free shipping is available for orders over $100.
4. Specific Products Need Freight
If a product requires freight, hide other shipping options to avoid incorrect selections.
5. Wholesalers Get Different Options
Only show bulk shipping or freight for wholesale customers, and hide those for retail users.
How to Customize Shipping Rules Using a Plugin
Let’s walk through an example using a WooCommerce Hide Shipping Methods plugin:
Goal:
Hide “Flat Rate” when “Free Shipping” is available.
Steps:
- Install and activate the plugin.
- Go to WooCommerce > Settings > Shipping Method Rules.
- Click Add New Rule.
- Select “Flat Rate” as the method to hide.
- Add a condition:
- If “Free Shipping” is available → Hide “Flat Rate”.
- Save the rule.
Bonus: You can add multiple conditions, such as:
- If product category is “Furniture”
- AND cart weight > 25kg
- THEN hide “Standard Shipping”
This gives you complete control over how, when, and where shipping methods appear.
Benefits of Hiding Shipping Methods
✅ Simplified Checkout
Customers won’t be overwhelmed with irrelevant or confusing shipping choices.
🎯 Improved Accuracy
Eliminate incorrect selections like free shipping for large/heavy products.
📈 Increased Conversions
A faster, cleaner checkout process reduces cart abandonment rates.
📦 Better Logistics
Route orders to the right shipping method depending on weight, product, or region.
🔒 Control Over Costs
Prevent loss from customers accidentally selecting cheaper methods not suited for the order.
Tips for Using Hide Shipping Method Rules
- Test each rule thoroughly across different cart setups.
- Use clear naming in your rules to stay organized.
- Combine multiple rules for advanced control.
- Always provide at least one shipping option per scenario.
- Offer fallback options in case conditions aren’t met.
Final Thoughts
Hiding irrelevant or inapplicable shipping methods is a small change that delivers a huge improvement in the shopping experience. With WooCommerce’s flexibility and a good Hide Shipping Methods plugin, you can tailor shipping options to match each customer’s cart, location, and profile.
