PrestaShop free shipping threshold: where to set it and how to choose the amount
The PrestaShop free shipping threshold is one field in Shipping → Preferences: you enter the cart value above which the customer does not pay for delivery. Choosing the amount is harder. Work out your store's average order value, set the threshold a little higher, check your margin and test every carrier on a test cart.
Author: The TellMyShop team. A guide for PrestaShop store owners: the cause, the manual fix and the same work in a chat conversation.
Last updated: · 6 min read
Where do you set free shipping above an amount?
You set the threshold in the shipping preferences, once for the whole store. The PrestaShop documentation describes this field in the chapter on shipping preferences: you enter an amount or a weight, and orders above it ship for free. A value of 0 turns the threshold off.
- Go to Shipping → Preferences.
- Find the section with handling and free shipping.
- Enter the amount from which delivery is free. Leave the weight field at 0 if you do not want a weight threshold.
- Save and make a test cart just below and just above the threshold.
- Update the delivery information on the Delivery page, in the bar above the menu and in your terms.
The costs of the carriers themselves, with their price and weight ranges, you set separately in Shipping → Carriers. How ranges work is explained in the chapter on carriers.
Threshold in preferences or a discount code?
These are two different tools, and it is worth choosing deliberately.
| Method | When it fits | What to watch |
|---|---|---|
| Threshold in Shipping → Preferences | a fixed store rule, all year round | it has no dates, it works until changed |
| Discount code with free shipping | newsletter, a campaign for regular customers | the customer has to enter the code, set an end date |
| Cart rule without a code | a short campaign for everyone, e.g. a weekend | set a minimum amount and dates, otherwise it runs forever |
| A free carrier | in-store pickup, one free delivery method | the customer always sees it, with no threshold |
The MyPresta guide to free shipping and margin points out that the threshold in preferences is the simplest option, but it covers the whole store. When a free shipping code does not work for a customer, look for the cause in the guide on discount codes that do not work.
How do you match the threshold to the average cart?
A threshold makes sense when it is close to what customers buy anyway. Too low, and it gives free delivery to orders that would have come anyway. Too high, and it encourages nobody, because the gap is too big.
Work it out from your store's data:
- Average order value. Revenue from paid orders divided by their number, ideally over the last year to include the season.
- Distance to the threshold. How much a typical order is short of free delivery. When the gap is smaller than the price of your cheapest popular product, the customer has something to add.
- Shipping cost. What you really pay the carrier for a parcel in that range.
- Margin on the extra item. When a customer adds a product to reach the threshold, the margin on that item should cover the shipping.
Free delivery also affects what people see outside the store. When you show products in Google, the shipping cost goes into the product data. Google describes this in its guide to sharing your product data. After changing the threshold, check that the data in Merchant Center says the same as the store.
What usually goes wrong after changing the threshold?
The old threshold in your texts. The bar above the menu says “free delivery over €49”, while the store calculates from €60. The customer complains before they have even bought.
A carrier that should not be free. Pallet delivery or an international courier suddenly costs nothing. Check every active carrier on a test cart.
Threshold incl. or excl. tax. Check how the store calculates the cart value, especially if you also sell to businesses with prices excluding tax.
A discount code pushes the cart below the threshold. A customer with a -10% code may drop below the threshold. Decide whether that is fine and check on a test cart.
How do you set the free shipping threshold with the chat?
With the TellMyShop module you start with a question, not with a field in the back office. Your chat (Claude or ChatGPT) reads the carriers and their costs, works out the average order value from sales data and shows how far the average cart is from the threshold. The amounts in the example are made up.
You: I want free delivery from €60. Check whether that makes sense, and set it.
Your chat: The average paid order over the last 12 months is €52 incl. tax. A typical customer is €8 short of €60, and you have 41 popular products priced between €8 and €12. Active carriers: courier, pickup point and pallet. The pallet could also become free above the threshold. Preview of the change:
You: The pallet should stay paid, save the rest.
Your chat: The threshold in preferences is shared by the whole store, so I can't exclude the pallet with this field. I'll save the €60 threshold, then we'll check on a test cart what the customer sees with the pallet. Save the threshold?
You: Yes.
Your chat: Saved. The threshold is €60 incl. tax. Now here's a preview of the fix on the Delivery page, which still says €49.
Card status: waiting for your “yes”old version: Free shipping starts at: €49.00
new version: Free shipping starts at: €60.00
The chat says plainly what it will not do in one move. It does not create new carriers or new price ranges: you add those in the back office, and the chat can then change the prices in them. Example requests are in the use cases free delivery above a chosen amount and delivery threshold vs average order.
Delivery, prices and codes belong to the Sales area. In TellMyShop Pro saving works once the Sales switch is on in the module panel, and the switch stays on until you turn it off. Pro saves the fix on the Delivery page straight away, with no switch, because it is content. Every change has a preview, waits for your approval and goes into the change history, and you can undo most changes with one request.
TellMyShop Free works out the average order value from the sales report, but it does not read carrier settings and saves nothing. Plan prices are on the pricing page. When you are preparing the threshold for Black Friday, have a look at the five-week plan.
Questions and answers
Where do I set free shipping above an amount in PrestaShop?
In the Shipping → Preferences menu, in the field for free shipping from a given amount. Next to it there is a similar field for weight. Entering 0 turns the threshold off.
Does the free shipping threshold apply to all carriers?
The threshold is a store-wide setting, not a per-carrier one. If you have a carrier that should not be free, for example pallet delivery, check on a test cart what the customer sees.
How do I choose the free shipping threshold?
Start with your store's average order value. The threshold is usually set a little above the average, so the customer has to add one cheaper item. Then check against your margin whether paying for the shipping is worth it.
Can I offer free shipping for just a week?
Yes, but not through the threshold in preferences, because it has no dates. For a short campaign a discount code or a cart rule with free shipping, a minimum amount and an end date works better.
Will TellMyShop Free set the free shipping threshold?
No. TellMyShop Free reads sales and works out the average order value, but saves nothing. The threshold is set by TellMyShop Pro once the Sales switch is on, with a preview and undo.
PrestaShop is a registered trademark of PrestaShop SA. Claude is a trademark of Anthropic PBC. ChatGPT and OpenAI are trademarks of OpenAI. TellMyShop is not affiliated with these companies.