How to offer free shipping for members and charge Flat Rate for guests in WooCommerce

This business use case shows how a WooCommerce store set up free shipping for logged-in members and a $10 flat rate for guest users.

This helped boost member signups and created a more personalized checkout experience—resulting in a 20% increase in guest-to-member conversions.

Overview

Encourage guest users to register or log in by offering free shipping for members and applying a flat rate charge for guests. This use case helps you differentiate the checkout experience based on user role. (Plugin feature: Scheduled Flat Rate Shipping)

Revenue/Business Impact Example: A WooCommerce electronics store charges guest users $10 shipping while offering free shipping to logged-in users. This tactic increased member registrations and reduced checkout friction for loyal users.

Preconditions

• Flat Rate Shipping Plugin is installed and activated.
• User Role-Based Shipping is enabled in settings.
• You have at least one user role defined as "Customer" or "Member".

Step-by-Step Instructions

1. Access Shipping Settings

Go to: Dashboard → Flat Rate → Manage Shipping

2. Create Guest Flat Rate Shipping Method

• Click “Add New Shipping Method”
• Set Title: “Standard Shipping (Guest)”
• Fee Type: Flat Rate
• Fee Amount: $10
• Enable User Role Condition: Select Guest or Not Logged In

3. Create Free Shipping for Logged-in Users

• Click “Add New Shipping Method” again
• Title: “Free Shipping for Members”
• Fee Type: Flat Rate
• Fee Amount: $0
• Enable User Role Condition: Select Customer or Logged-in User

Screenshot: Admin: Create $0 flat rate for logged-in customers

4. Save Both Methods

Make sure both shipping methods are enabled.

Test the Flow

• Guest View: Add a product to cart → Go to checkout

  You should see a $10 flat rate shipping method.

• Member View: Log in → Add a product to cart → Go to checkout

  You should see a $0 free shipping method.

Alternate Flows

• You can add additional conditions like order total thresholds or product categories along with user roles.
• Use tooltips to highlight “Free shipping for members!” at checkout to nudge guest users to sign up.

Expected Outcome

• Guest users pay a flat $10 shipping fee.
• Logged-in members get free shipping.
• Increased membership signups and improved user experience.