Free shipping reward

Free shipping rewards let your customers exchange their loyalty points for a coupon that removes shipping costs from their next order. Shipping fees are one of the top reasons customers abandon their carts, so offering free shipping as a redeemable reward can be a strong motivator for repeat purchases. This guide covers how to set up the reward, what your customers need to do to redeem it, and how it differs from referral free shipping.

Prerequisites

Before setting up a free shipping reward, make sure you have:

1. WooCommerce shipping zones configured – Free shipping coupons rely on WooCommerce’s shipping system. You’ll need at least one shipping zone with a shipping method set up. Without this, the coupon won’t have anything to override at checkout.
2. The points program enabled – Free shipping rewards are part of the points system, so the points program must be active in RewardsWP » Settings » Points.

If your store doesn’t charge for shipping (digital products, local pickup only, etc.), this reward type won’t add value for your customers. Consider a fixed or percentage discount reward instead.

Add a free shipping reward

To create a free shipping reward:

1. Navigate to RewardsWP » Settings » Points.
2. Scroll down to the Ways to Redeem section.
3. Click Add ways to redeem and select Free shipping.
4. Configure the settings described below.
5. Click Save Changes.

Configure the reward settings

Click on the newly added Free shipping reward to expand its settings. You’ll see the following options:

Points required

The number of points a customer must spend to claim free shipping. The default is 1,000. Set this based on your earn rate and the typical shipping cost in your store. If your average shipping charge is $8 and customers earn 5 points per dollar, you might want to price the reward at a point level that feels attainable but still requires meaningful engagement.

Reward expiry

How long the coupon remains valid after generation:

• Never expires (default) – The coupon has no expiration date
• 30 days – Expires 30 days after generation
• 3 months – Expires 3 months after generation
• 6 months – Expires 6 months after generation
• 1 year – Expires 1 year after generation
• 2 years – Expires 2 years after generation

Setting an expiration encourages customers to use their reward promptly and make a repeat purchase sooner.

How customers redeem free shipping

From your customer’s perspective, the process works like this:

1. Browse available rewards – The customer opens the rewards widget and navigates to the Ways to Redeem panel.
2. Select free shipping – They see the free shipping reward with its point cost and click to redeem.
3. Points are deducted – The required points are immediately subtracted from their balance.
4. Coupon code is generated – RewardsWP creates a WooCommerce coupon with the free shipping flag enabled and displays the code in the widget.
5. Apply at checkout – The customer copies the coupon code and enters it at checkout. The shipping charges are removed from the order total.

The coupon is not auto-applied. Customers must manually enter the code at checkout, just like any other WooCommerce coupon.

Behind the scenes, RewardsWP generates a WooCommerce coupon with the free shipping flag set. This means the coupon works within WooCommerce’s standard shipping and coupon system, so any shipping zone rules you’ve set up are respected.

Frequently asked questions

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That’s it! Free shipping rewards give your loyalty program a practical, high-value perk that directly addresses one of the biggest sources of checkout friction.