Shopify checkout rules, without code.
Trigger any action at checkout from any cart state — subtotal, tags, line items, country, customer segment. No flow tools, no third-party automation.
The engine under your blocks.
Checkout Rules is a logic engine that fires actions based on what's in the cart and who's buying. Subtotal over $200? Apply a 10% code. Customer has the “VIP” tag? Surface a hidden product. Cart contains a heavy SKU? Hide standard shipping and show freight only. The conditions are AND/OR composable; the actions cover discounts, shipping, payment methods, and block visibility.
Three steps. Zero code.
Pick a trigger
Subtotal, line item count, specific SKU, country, customer tag, segment — 20+ conditions, composable.
Pick an action
Apply discount, hide shipping method, show/hide block, set payment filter, attach order tag. Layer multiple.
Test in preview mode
Build a test cart that matches your trigger. Rules engine shows you exactly which actions fire and why.
Where it earns its keep.
B2B vs B2C routing
Customer tag = “wholesale” → surface PO field, show net-30 payment, hide upsells, attach “B2B” order tag.
Threshold gifts
Cart > $150 → auto-add a free gift SKU, show celebratory banner, hide further upsells.
Country-specific shipping
Country = UK + cart > 2kg → hide tracked-letter, show only courier. No surprises at the door.
Shopify checkout rules, explained.
What a checkout rule is
A checkout rule is a condition paired with an action: when the cart or the customer matches the condition, checkout does something different. It is the job Shopify Scripts used to do on Plus, and the reason merchants search for a rules engine now that Scripts have stopped running. Checkout Rules gives you that logic from a visual editor, so the person who knows the business policy can set it up without a developer or a custom app.
Conditions you can build on
Rules start from what Shopify knows at checkout: cart subtotal, line item count, a specific SKU in the cart, shipping country, customer tag and customer segment, among 20+ conditions. Conditions compose with AND/OR and nested groups, so a rule can be as narrow as "wholesale-tagged customers shipping to the UK with a cart over £500" or as broad as "every order under $50".
Actions a rule can take
When a rule fires it can apply a discount, hide a shipping method, show or hide a checkout block, filter the payment methods on offer, or attach an order tag for your fulfilment team. One rule can layer several actions, which is what makes flows like B2B routing possible: one condition, and the PO field appears, consumer payment methods disappear, upsells hide and the order is tagged B2B.
How to set up your first rule
Open Checkout Rules in the Checkout Ninja admin and create a rule. Pick a trigger, for example cart subtotal above your free-gift threshold. Pick one or more actions. If you have several rules, order them: when two rules conflict, the one higher in the priority list wins, and the editor flags the conflict so you can resolve it. Then build a test cart that matches the trigger in preview mode, confirm the right actions fire, and publish.
Checkout rules vs Shopify's native options
Shopify's native discount settings only trigger discounts. Shopify's own Checkout Blocks app, also Plus-only for these features, can hide, rename or reorder payment and delivery methods and set order limits. Checkout Rules puts discounts, shipping, payment filters, order tags and block visibility behind one set of conditions, so a single rule can change what the customer sees and what they can choose at the same time.
Checkout rules vs Conditional Visibility
They work together. Conditional Visibility decides which blocks render; Checkout Rules decides what checkout does. If all you need is to show a banner to international shoppers, use visibility. If you need to change shipping, payment or pricing, use a rule. For payment-only filters, Hide Payment Methods is the fastest route.
Where to go next
If you are mapping out everything you want to change, our guide to customizing Shopify checkout without code shows where rules fit next to branding, custom fields and trust badges. For the technical background on Functions and extension targets, see Checkout Guy's Shopify checkout extensibility guide.
Common questions.
Something else we missed? Our support team replies within a day.
Ask support-
How does this differ from Shopify's native discount rules?
Shopify's native discount rules only trigger discounts. Checkout Rules can hide blocks, filter payment methods, gate shipping methods — far broader action surface.
-
Can rules conflict?
Yes — when they do, rules higher in the priority list win. We surface conflicts in the editor so you can resolve them.
-
Is there an AND/OR builder?
Yes. Compose conditions with AND/OR and nested groups. Visual editor — no code.
-
Do Shopify checkout rules replace Shopify Scripts?
For the common jobs, yes. Shopify Scripts stopped running on 30 June 2026. Hiding a payment method for certain customers, hiding a shipping rate under a cart condition and applying a threshold discount are all rules you can rebuild in Checkout Rules from a visual editor.
-
Do I need Shopify Plus?
Yes. Checkout Ninja runs on the information, shipping and payment steps of checkout, and Shopify only allows apps to customize those steps on the Shopify Plus plan.
-
Which plan includes Checkout Rules?
Checkout Rules is a Deluxe feature. Every feature, Deluxe included, is available on the 3-day free trial so you can build and test rules before you pay.
-
Can I test a rule before customers see it?
Yes. Build a test cart that matches the trigger in preview mode. The rules engine shows which actions fire and why, so you can check the logic before you publish.
Pairs well with these.
Conditional Visibility
31 condition types — cart contents, customer state, geo, time, traffic source. Show a block only when it belongs. Hide it when it doesn't.
See the feature Platform featureHide Payment Methods
Filter Shopify's payment menu by cart contents, country, customer segment, or any rule. Hide COD on B2B carts. Block Klarna under €30. Stop chargebacks at the source.
See the feature Platform featureA/B Testing Ready
Every block is instrumented for A/B testing out of the box. Run variants with Shopify's native tools, Optimizely, or your in-house stack — without writing tracking code.
See the featureTurn on Checkout Rules in your next checkout.
Every platform feature is included on the 3-day trial. No credit card. No developer required.