WooCommerce Hide Shipping Method: Control Shipping Options to Enhance Customer Experience

Introduction

Shipping plays a crucial role in eCommerce, influencing customer purchasing decisions and overall satisfaction. While offering multiple shipping methods can provide flexibility, there are times when it’s necessary to hide certain options based on specific conditions. WooCommerce allows store owners to manage shipping methods dynamically, ensuring that customers only see relevant options at checkout.

By hiding shipping methods based on factors like cart total, product type, customer location, or user role, businesses can streamline the checkout process, prevent confusion, and encourage customers to select the most cost-effective or preferred shipping method. This guide explores the importance of hiding shipping methods in WooCommerce, different ways to achieve this, and best practices for implementing these changes effectively.

Why Should You Hide Shipping Methods in WooCommerce?

There are several reasons why store owners may want to hide certain shipping methods:

Reduce Checkout Confusion – Displaying too many shipping options can overwhelm customers, leading to abandoned carts. By showing only the most relevant methods, you simplify the decision-making process.
Encourage Free Shipping – If free shipping is available, hiding paid shipping methods can push customers toward selecting the free option.
Restrict High-Cost Shipping Options – Some shipping methods may be too expensive for specific locations or order sizes. Hiding them ensures customers are not deterred by high shipping costs.
Limit Availability Based on Location – Certain shipping methods may not be available for all regions. Hiding unavailable options prevents checkout errors.
Customize Shipping for Wholesale Customers – Wholesale customers may have different shipping agreements. Hiding standard options ensures they only see the relevant methods.
Hide Shipping for Digital Products – If your store sells both physical and digital products, you can remove shipping options for digital-only orders.

Methods to Hide Shipping Methods in WooCommerce

There are multiple ways to control which shipping methods appear at checkout. Below are three primary approaches:

1. Hide Shipping Methods When Free Shipping Is Available

Many store owners prefer to remove paid shipping methods when free shipping is applicable. WooCommerce has a built-in option for this:

Navigate to WooCommerce > Settings > Shipping.
Click on Shipping Zones and select a zone.
Edit the Shipping Methods and enable Free Shipping.
Define conditions for free shipping, such as a minimum cart amount.
Ensure the option to hide other shipping methods when free shipping is active is selected.

2. Use a Plugin to WooCommerce Hide Shipping Method

If you need more advanced control, using a plugin is the best solution. Popular plugins for hiding shipping methods include:

WooCommerce Hide Shipping Method – Allows hiding shipping methods based on various cart conditions.
Flexible Shipping for WooCommerce – Provides advanced shipping rules based on weight, subtotal, and product categories.
WooCommerce Conditional Shipping and Payments – Enables restrictions based on customer roles, payment methods, and locations.

Steps to Hide Shipping Methods Using a Plugin

Install and activate the plugin.
Navigate to WooCommerce > Settings > Shipping and access the plugin settings.
Create custom rules based on:
- Cart subtotal
- Product category or specific product
- Shipping destination (country, state, zip code)
- User role (hide methods for guest users or specific customers)
- Selected payment method
Save the settings and test the checkout process.

3. Hide Shipping Methods Using Custom Code

For store owners comfortable with coding, adding a PHP snippet to the functions.php file allows for customized shipping control.

Example: Hide all shipping methods except free shipping when free shipping is available

php

add_filter('woocommerce_package_rates', 'hide_shipping_except_free', 100, 2);
function hide_shipping_except_free($rates, $package) {
    $free_shipping_available = false;
    foreach ($rates as $rate_id => $rate) {
        if ('free_shipping' === $rate->method_id) {
            $free_shipping_available = true;
            break;
        }
    }
    
    if ($free_shipping_available) {
        foreach ($rates as $rate_id => $rate) {
            if ('free_shipping' !== $rate->method_id) {
                unset($rates[$rate_id]);
            }
        }
    }
    
    return $rates;
}

This ensures that when free shipping is available, all other options are removed, reducing distractions for the customer.

Use Cases for Hiding Shipping Methods

Digital Products – If a customer purchases only digital products, shipping methods should be removed from the checkout page.
Location-Based Restrictions – Some shipping providers do not deliver to specific regions, so their options should be hidden accordingly.
Weight-Based Restrictions – If an item exceeds the weight limit for certain shipping services, those options should not be displayed.
User Role Restrictions – Wholesale customers may require different shipping arrangements, necessitating the hiding of standard shipping methods.
Local Pickup Orders – If local pickup is selected, all shipping methods should be removed to prevent confusion.

Best Practices for Managing Hidden Shipping Methods

To ensure a seamless shopping experience, follow these best practices:

Test Different Scenarios – After setting up shipping rules, go through the checkout process to verify that the correct methods appear based on cart conditions.
Communicate Clearly – If a shipping method is unavailable due to cart conditions, inform customers so they understand why.
Offer Alternatives – If a preferred shipping method is hidden, ensure customers have a suitable alternative.
Keep Plugins and WooCommerce Updated – Regular updates ensure compatibility and proper functionality.
Monitor Customer Feedback – Pay attention to customer concerns regarding missing shipping methods and adjust settings accordingly.

Troubleshooting Common Issues

1. Shipping Methods Are Not Hiding as Expected

Double-check that plugin settings or custom code are correctly applied.
Clear the WooCommerce cache and test again.
Verify that the correct shipping zones and methods are assigned.

2. Free Shipping Is Not Hiding Other Methods

Ensure that the option to hide paid shipping methods when free shipping is available is enabled in WooCommerce settings.
Confirm that the free shipping conditions (e.g., minimum cart amount) are met.

3. Shipping Methods Are Hidden for the Wrong Customers

Review user role settings if restrictions are based on customer type.
Check for conflicting conditions in your plugin or custom code.

Conclusion

Effectively managing shipping methods in WooCommerce can significantly improve the checkout experience. By hiding unnecessary or unavailable shipping options, you can reduce confusion, improve customer satisfaction, and streamline order processing. Whether using WooCommerce’s built-in settings, a dedicated plugin, or custom code, you have multiple ways to ensure that customers only see the most relevant shipping methods.