How to Hide Shipping Methods Using Category Subtotal in Advanced Rules

Category Subtotal Advanced Rules allow you to hide shipping methods based on the total cart value of products from a specific category.

This is useful when you want to offer or restrict shipping methods depending on how much a customer spends within a category.

You can define minimum and maximum subtotal limits per category.

Shipping methods are hidden automatically when the category subtotal matches your conditions.

How it works

When a customer adds products to the cart, the plugin calculates:

• Which product categories are present
• The subtotal of products from each selected category
• Whether the subtotal falls within your defined range

If the category subtotal meets your rule, the selected shipping method is hidden on the cart and checkout pages.

Steps to configure Category Subtotal Advanced Rules

Step 1: Create or edit a hide shipping rule

1. Go to WooCommerce > Hide Shipping Method > Manage Rules
2. Click Add New Rule or edit an existing rule

Step 2: Enable Advanced Rules

• In the rule settings, select Advanced Rules
• Click + Add Rule to add a new advanced condition

Step 3: Select Category Subtotal condition

For each rule:

• Choose Category Subtotal as the condition type
• Select the product category
• Set the Minimum Subtotal
• Set the Maximum Subtotal

You can add multiple category subtotal rules by clicking + Add Rule again.

Step 4: Choose the rule match option

• Select Any One Rule Match if the rule should apply when any category subtotal condition is met
• Select All Rules Match if all category subtotal conditions must be satisfied

Step 5: Select shipping methods to hide

• Choose the shipping methods you want to hide
• Or hide all shipping methods and keep only the preferred ones active

Step 6: Save and enable the rule

• Review the configuration
• Make sure the Status is enabled
• Click Save

The rule will now work automatically based on the category subtotal.

Example scenario

An online store sells products in these categories:

• Electronics
• Accessories

The store owner wants:

• To hide Standard Shipping when
  • Electronics subtotal is between ₹10,000–₹30,000, or
  • Accessories subtotal is between ₹2,000–₹5,000

Setup:

• Add two Category Subtotal advanced rules
• Select Any One Rule Match
• Hide Standard Shipping for this condition

Result:

• Customers placing high-value category orders see only suitable shipping options
• Checkout experience stays simple and relevant

Why use category subtotal advanced rules

• Control shipping availability based on category spending
• Encourage higher-value purchases within categories
• Offer category-specific free or premium shipping
• Automate shipping logic without manual checks

Conclusion

Category Subtotal Advanced Rules give you precise control over shipping visibility based on how much customers spend in specific categories.

By using these rules, you can align shipping options with pricing strategies and improve checkout clarity.

FAQs

1. What is a category subtotal rule in hide shipping?

A category subtotal rule hides shipping methods based on the total value of products from a specific category in the cart.

2. Can I apply category subtotal rules to multiple categories?

Yes. You can add multiple category subtotal rules and set different subtotal ranges for each category.

3. How is the category subtotal calculated?

The plugin calculates the subtotal of all products from the selected category that are added to the cart.

4. What happens if the cart contains products from different categories?

You can control how the rules apply by selecting All Rules Match or Any One Rule Match, depending on your requirement.

5. Will category subtotal rules change shipping costs?

No. These rules only control which shipping methods are shown or hidden. Shipping prices remain unchanged.