How do I discount specific shipping rates in Shopify, like free standard shipping but not express?

What merchants ask for

The ask is one rate free or cheaper, the others at their normal price. Examples:

• Free standard shipping, paid express. Standard is free over $50, Express stays $24.95.
• Cheaper express for a weekend. 30% off Express, or Express for a flat $5, from Friday to Monday.
• Free shipping, but not to pickup points. Shipping to an address is free, and pickup point delivery keeps its price.

All three set a discount on a shipping rate you choose, not on every rate checkout shows.

What Shopify does on its own

Shopify has one discount type for shipping: free shipping. The setting closest to "this rate only" is a price cap (Shopify's free shipping help page, checked November 11, 2026): "check Exclude shipping rates over a certain amount and enter the amount in the field. This discount applies to shipping rates only, and is unrelated to order amounts."

The native workaround: cap the price

If Standard is $7.95 and Express is $24.95, a free shipping discount capped at $8 makes Standard free and leaves Express at full price.

1. From your Shopify admin, go to Discounts, click Create discount, then click Free shipping.
2. Choose Automatic discount or Discount code, and pick the Countries.
3. Check Exclude shipping rates over a certain amount and enter 8.
4. Set any minimum, the Combinations and the Active dates, then click Save.

The cap works on price, not on the rate's name, so check where the prices cross:

• Carrier-calculated rates change per cart. A heavy cart's Standard rate can pass $8 and lose free shipping, and a light cart's Express rate can fall under $8 and become free.
• Zones have their own prices. A cap that fits domestic Standard may not fit international Standard.
• Only "free" is possible. The cap can't give 30% off Express or a $5 Express.

For a standing policy, not a sale, you can also set the Standard rate itself to $0 over an order amount and keep Express priced. The steps are in where to set your free shipping threshold.

Discount specific shipping rates with Discount Genie

Discount Genie is a Shopify discount app by Shopstack, built on Shopify Functions. Its Shipping discount picks the rates it covers in Target shipping rates, so the discount follows the rate's name, not its price. Targeting Specific shipping rates or By delivery options is on paid plans; the All rates option is on the basic free plan (up to 3 basic discounts).

1. In Shopify admin, open Discount Genie and click Discounts.
2. Under Create discounts like a Genie, click Shipping (which discount type fits).
3. Under Method, choose Automatic discount or Discount code.
4. In Target shipping rates, set Shipping rates to Specific shipping rates.
5. Set Condition to Include, and under Select shipping rates pick Standard. Exclude does the reverse: every rate except the ones you pick.
6. In Setup discount value, choose Percentage off and enter 100 to make the rate free.
7. Add a subtotal rule under Cart qualifiers if free shipping needs a minimum, set Active dates, and save.

The other choices in the same form:

• Most expensive rate or Least expensive rate under Condition discounts only that one rate in the cart's delivery group.
• By delivery options targets a delivery method instead of a rate: Shipping, Local delivery, Local pickup or Shipping to a pickup point.
• Fixed amount takes money off the rate, for example $10 off Express.
• Custom rate sets the rate's price, for example Express for $5.
• Exclude shipping rates over a certain amount stays available for All rates, like Shopify's cap.

A rate you rename in Shopify's shipping settings needs to be picked again in the discount, because Discount Genie matches rates by name. The discount lowers the price of the rates you choose and leaves the list of rates at checkout as it is.

A Black Friday free shipping weekend

A free shipping weekend often means free Standard while Express keeps paying for itself:

• Free Standard, full-price Express: a Discount Genie Shipping discount, Specific shipping rates, Include Standard, 100% off, with Active dates from Friday to Monday.
• Cheap Express as the upgrade: add a second entry under Discount configurations in the same discount, on Express with Custom rate 5. Several configurations in one discount are on paid plans.
• On top of a % off sale: allow Shipping discounts in the sale's Combinations, and the sale's class in the shipping discount. See combine and stack discounts.

For free shipping that depends on what is in the cart, see free shipping on specific products. For one code that gives a percentage and free shipping, see percent off and free shipping in one code. The Black Friday checklist covers the rest of the weekend.

Test it before launch

1. Each rate: open checkout with a test cart and confirm Standard shows the discount and Express shows its full price.
2. A heavy and a light cart: if your rates are carrier-calculated, confirm the right rate is still discounted at both weights.
3. Each zone: try one domestic and one international address.
4. With your sale: add the sale's code or product and confirm both discounts apply.

Shopify vs Discount Genie for discounting specific shipping rates

Related

• Where to set your Shopify free shipping threshold
• Free shipping on specific products in Shopify
• Percent off and free shipping in one Shopify code
• Combine and stack discounts on Shopify
• Black Friday 2026 discount checklist for Shopify
• Which discount type fits my goal? (Discount Genie docs)