Introduction

Managing shipping options efficiently is crucial for any WooCommerce store. Customers expect a smooth checkout experience, and having too many shipping methods or displaying irrelevant options can create confusion.

With WooCommerce Hide Shipping Method, you can:
✔ Automatically hide specific shipping methods based on conditions.
✔ Remove unwanted shipping options when free shipping is available.
✔ Restrict certain shipping methods for specific locations, user roles, or order values.
✔ Enhance customer experience by offering only the most relevant choices.

In this guide, we’ll explore why you should hide shipping methods, how to do it in WooCommerce, and the best practices to optimize your checkout page.

Why Hide Shipping Methods in WooCommerce?

📌 1. Prevent Confusion at Checkout

Showing multiple shipping methods for the same conditions can overwhelm customers. Hiding unnecessary options keeps the checkout process simple.

📌 2. Ensure Free Shipping is Used When Available

If you offer free shipping on orders over $50, you wouldn’t want customers to accidentally select a paid shipping method instead.

📌 3. Restrict Shipping Methods Based on Location

Certain shipping services might not be available for specific countries, regions, or postal codes. You can hide them to avoid delivery issues.

📌 4. Hide Shipping for Certain User Roles

For example, you might offer free shipping for VIP members but charge regular customers. Hiding other shipping methods ensures the correct option is applied.

📌 5. Improve Checkout Speed & Reduce Abandonment

A clutter-free checkout process reduces decision fatigue, leading to higher conversion rates.

How to Hide Shipping Methods in WooCommerce

WooCommerce does not provide an option to hide shipping methods by default. However, you can achieve this using:

1️⃣ Built-in WooCommerce settings
2️⃣ A custom code snippet
3️⃣ A WooCommerce plugin

Method 1: Hiding Shipping Methods via WooCommerce Settings

If you want to hide all shipping methods when free shipping is available, follow these steps:

1️⃣ Go to WooCommerce Dashboard > Settings > Shipping.
2️⃣ Click on Shipping Zones and select a zone (e.g., United States).
3️⃣ Click Add Shipping Method and choose Free Shipping.
4️⃣ Remove any other paid shipping options if free shipping is enabled.

✅ Now, customers will only see free shipping when eligible!

Method 2: Hide Shipping Methods Using Code (For Developers)

If you need more control over hiding shipping methods, you can add this code to your functions.php file:

php
add_filter('woocommerce_package_rates', 'hide_shipping_when_free_available', 100, 2);
functionhide_shipping_when_free_available($rates, $package) {
    $free_shipping = false;

    foreach ($ratesas$rate_id => $rate) {
        if ('free_shipping' === $rate->method_id) {
            $free_shipping = true;
            break;
        }
    }

    if ($free_shipping) {
        foreach ($ratesas$rate_id => $rate) {
            if ('free_shipping' !== $rate->method_id) {
                unset($rates[$rate_id]);
            }
        }
    }

    return$rates;
}

📌 What this code does:
✔ Checks if free shipping is available.
✔ Hides all other shipping methods when free shipping is an option.

🚀 This method works best for stores offering free shipping on bulk orders.

Method 3: Using a WooCommerce Plugin (Easiest Method)

For non-developers, using a plugin is the best option. Some great plugins for hiding shipping methods include:

✔ WooCommerce Hide Shipping Methods
✔ Conditional Shipping and Payments
✔ Advanced WooCommerce Shipping

Steps to Use a Plugin

1️⃣ Go to WordPress Dashboard > Plugins > Add New.
2️⃣ Search for “WooCommerce Hide Shipping Methods”.
3️⃣ Click Install Now, then Activate.
4️⃣ Navigate to WooCommerce > Settings > Shipping Methods.
5️⃣ Set up conditions to hide or show shipping methods based on:

  • Order subtotal

  • Product categories

  • User roles

  • Customer location
    6️⃣ Click Save Changes.

✅ Your shipping options will now automatically adjust based on the rules you set!

Best Practices for Hiding Shipping Methods

✔ Use Clear Shipping Rules – Ensure customers understand which methods are available based on their location, cart total, or products.
✔ Keep Checkout Simple – Offer only the most relevant shipping options to avoid decision fatigue.
✔ Use Conditional Logic – Restrict shipping methods based on order value, user roles, and regions.
✔ Test Before Going Live – Place test orders to confirm that shipping methods appear and disappear correctly.
✔ Inform Customers About Shipping Changes – If a shipping method is removed, notify customers via product pages or a FAQ section.

Final Thoughts

The WooCommerce Hide Shipping Method feature is essential for streamlining the checkout process and enhancing the shopping experience. Whether you use built-in settings, custom code, or a plugin, hiding irrelevant shipping methods will increase conversions and customer satisfaction.