Shopify free shipping simulator
By the Discount Prime team. Last reviewed November 7, 2026.
Pick one of Discount Prime's shipping templates, set the threshold and build a sample cart with the shipping rates your shoppers see. The simulator applies the same rules as the app's shipping discount: which tier the cart reaches, which rates turn free or cheaper, the label at checkout, what the shopper pays and the gross profit once you pay for the label.
- Customer pays
- $50.00
- Off shipping
- $6.90
- Gross profit
- $31.20
- Gross margin
- 62.4%
Counted: $50.00 before other discounts, 3 items. Tier 1 (from $50: free shipping) applies.
| Option | At checkout | Shopper pays |
|---|---|---|
| Standard$6.90 · chosen | Discount on DeliveryFree | $0.00-$6.90 |
| Express$14.90 | Discount on DeliveryFree | $0.00-$14.90 |
| Products after discounts | $50.00 | |
| Gross profit without the shipping offer | $38.10 | |
This order keeps a gross profit after the shipping offer.
Before or after discounts changes who ships free
A $50 free shipping threshold, and a cart with a $34 serum and two $11 lip balms. The serum carries a 20% product discount of $6.80. Standard shipping is $6.90 and the label costs you $6.20.
| Threshold counts | Counted | Shipping | Customer pays | Gross profit |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Before other discounts | $56.00 | Free | $49.20 | $29.20 |
| After other discounts | $49.20 | $6.90 | $56.10 | $36.10 |
Counted before discounts, the cart is $56.00 and ships free, so you pay the $6.20 label out of the order. Counted after discounts it is $49.20, the shopper pays $6.90 for shipping and the cart shows how much more unlocks it. Pick after other discounts when the threshold should mean money actually paid for products.
Express can turn free too
Free shipping applies to every rate the shopper sees. On a $60 cart, standard at $6.90 and express at $14.90 both qualify. With the most you cover set to $8, standard stays free and express gets $8.00 off, so the shopper pays $6.90 for it instead of nothing.
How Discount Prime applies shipping discounts
- Before or after other discounts
- Before other discounts, the threshold counts the cart at its prices without product discounts. After other discounts, it counts what the products cost after product discounts and after a Discount Prime cart spend discount.
- Free reward units do not count
- Measured before other discounts, a line given away in full, or whole free units on a Buy X Get Y reward line, are left out, so a free item cannot lift a cart over the line. A unit at part price still counts.
- Free shipping beats an amount off
- When several tiers are reached, free shipping wins. Between a percentage and a fixed amount, the larger saving on your most expensive shipping option wins.
- Every shipping option is discounted
- The discount applies to each rate the shopper sees for the shipment, so standard and express can both turn free. A fixed amount never makes a rate go below zero.
- A cap turns free into a fixed amount
- With a most-you-cover amount, a rate above it gets that amount off and the shopper pays the rest. Rates at or below it stay free.
- Guards you can switch on
- Free shipping can skip countries in your remote zones, give up when shipping costs more than the products, and turn an amount off into free shipping when the amount covers the whole rate.
What the simulator leaves out
- Customer segments, tags and markets. The simulator assumes the shopper qualifies, apart from the first-order check.
- Several shipping campaigns at once, discount codes and currency conversion. Enter every amount in one currency.
- Split shipments. Like the app, it discounts the first shipment only.
- Taxes and duties.
An estimate for planning. Test a campaign in your store before you launch it.
Build the same campaign in Discount Prime
Every scenario above is a template in the app. Pick it, set the threshold, and a progress bar on the product page and in the cart shows shoppers how close they are. Free shipping starts on the Premium plan at $19.90 a month, and Profit Analytics counts shipping separately on every discounted order.
Questions merchants ask
Does a free shipping threshold count prices before or after discounts in Discount Prime?
You choose per campaign. Before other discounts counts the cart without product discounts, minus any free reward units. After other discounts counts what the products cost after product discounts and after a Discount Prime cart spend discount. A $56 cart with $6.80 off a product passes a $50 threshold before discounts and misses it after.
Can I cap how much shipping I pay for?
Yes. Set the most you cover per shipping option. Rates at or below it stay free, and a dearer rate gets that amount off while the shopper pays the difference. Express at $14.90 with an $8 cap costs the shopper $6.90.
Which shipping options become free?
Every option shown for the shipment, as long as the cart reaches a tier. That includes express, which is why a cap or a check on the express margin matters.
Does free shipping combine with product discounts on Shopify?
Yes. Free shipping is a shipping discount, and Shopify lets shipping discounts combine with product discounts on every store when both allow it. Discount Prime's own discounts are set to combine.
Is this exactly what my checkout will show?
The simulator follows the rules of Discount Prime's shipping discount for one campaign. Your real rates, markets, other apps and customer rules can change the result, so test the campaign in your store before launch.
Related guides
- The free shipping threshold playbook for Shopify stores
- The math behind free shipping: when it pays for itself
- Best Shopify free shipping apps compared
- Discount profit calculator: margin and break-even for one offer
Shopify's combination rules are from its discount combinations guide. Discount Prime is our app. The rules come from its shipping discount code and test suite.