How to Charge Woocommerce Additional Fees on Checkout: Step-by-Step Guide

Discover how to add transparent extra fees at WooCommerce checkout for packaging, handling, or COD, etc, without frustrating your customers.

Are you thinking of charging additional fees on your WooCommerce checkout page?

Many store owners need to apply extra costs like packaging, handling, or Cash on Delivery (COD) charges, to maintain healthy margins.

WooCommerce doesn’t support this out of the box, but with the right plugins, you can add dynamic fees based on product price, cart total, shipping method, payment type, and more.

However, it’s also crucial to apply these fees transparently. Hidden or surprise charges can frustrate customers, lead to abandoned carts, or damage your store’s reputation.

In this blog, we’ll show you exactly how to set up additional fees in WooCommerce step by step, clearly, fairly, and efficiently.

What are the Common Use Cases For Charging Additional Fee at Checkout?

Additional fees at checkout can help you cover costs not included in the base product price. 

Whether packaging, customizations, or taxes, additional fees ensure you don't lose money and protect profit margins. 

Here are some common scenarios where applying checkout fees makes sense:

• Shipping and handling charges

Shipping and handling often incur extra costs, such as special packaging, fragile item care, or delivery to remote areas. If you don’t charge your customers this extra cost, it can affect your profit margin. That’s why many store owners charge a handling charge as additional fees on the checkout page.

• Cash on delivery (COD) fees

COD transactions involve more risk and administrative effort, such as verifying addresses and handling returns for unpaid items. Charging an extra amount encourages customers to use prepaid options and reduces their financial exposure.

• Service fees

Service-oriented businesses, such as event organizers or restaurants, often add service fees to cover operational expenses. For example, an online ticket booking platform might charge an extra fee per ticket to manage their booking systems and customer support.

• Customization fees

When offering personalized options like engraving, embroidery, or gift wrapping, a customization fee ensures the business recoups its costs. 

• Fast shipping fees

In case customers want a faster delivery than usual, you can ask for additional fees at the checkout once they choose the shipping option. This will help cover the extra costs for fast delivery and ensure your customer is happy. 

• Minimum order fees

Processing small orders can sometimes cost more than the revenue they generate. Adding a minimum order fee ensures you cover logistical expenses. 

• Environmental fees

Eco-conscious businesses can promote sustainability by charging an environmental fee. For example, a clothing brand might add a small fee for biodegradable shipping bags, helping offset the cost of eco-friendly materials. Customers who value sustainability often support such initiatives.

• Taxes and duties

Additional fees for taxes or duties might be necessary for international sales or region-specific regulations. Therefore, global businesses can charge fees for international orders to ensure compliance with local laws.

Adding fees at checkout is about covering costs,  creating transparency, and maintaining trust. Move to the next section to find out the benefits. 

How to Charge WooCommerce Additional Fees on Checkout?

To charge additional fees on the WooCommerce checkout, we will use the Extra Fees Plugin for WooCommerce by Dropstore. This freemium plugin allows you to charge additional fees on the checkout page. 

We're using this plugin because it allows you to charge additional fees for all orders, as well as based on various conditions like order total, shipping methods, payment methods, and more.

Here, we will demonstrate how to apply an additional handling charge to every order on your WooCommerce store. The free version is enough to add this option to your WooCommerce store. 

Follow these steps to add WooCommerce's additional fees on checkout : 

Step 1: Install and activate the required plugin 

The first step is to install and activate the Extra Fees plugin for WooCommerce. To do this, navigate to Plugins ⇒ Add New Plugin, search for the product, and install it. After successfully installing, make sure to activate the plugin. 

Step 2: Add the additional fees on checkout

Now, to add the additional handling charge, navigate to DotStore Plugin ⇒ WooCommerce Extra Fees and hit Add New next to product fees. 

Next, configure the following: 

• Status: Make sure the status is enabled. If you don't want to charge extra, you can disable it later or at any time. 
• Fee Title: Provide a title to keep transparency.
• Fee Type: Choose fee type as fixed, percentage, percentage + fee. 
• Fee Amount: Based on the fee type, set the amount. 

With the free version, you can make it taxable if you want.

Step 3: Save and test the additional fees on the WooCommerce checkout

Now, make sure to hit the Save Fee button. Now, place a test order to verify that the additional handling charge you set is being applied at checkout. 

If you followed the steps properly, your checkout page should be ready to charge additional fees. 

How to Charge Additional Fees for Specific Use Cases on WooCommerce Checkout 

With the Extra Fees plugin for WooCommerce, you can charge additional fees on checkout based on different conditions. Here are some of the conditions you can set 

Use Case #1: Additional fee for COD 

Charging an extra fee for COD helps cover the additional handling costs and risks. This includes delayed payments, higher cancellation rates, and the extra logistics involved in cash transactions, ensuring your business remains efficient and protected. 

With the premium version of the WooCommerce extra fee plugin, you can charge an additional fee when someone chooses COD as their payment method.  For this, select the payment method conditional matrix and set the value to 'Cash On Delivery'. 

🔔 Note: You can also add other payment methods, such as bank transfers and BNPL methods. Additionally, you can apply this additional fee to a specific country as well.

Here, we have set multiple conditions to charge additional fees for cash-on-delivery and direct transfer methods only for users in the United States.

Use Case #2: Location-based fees

You can set additional fees only for specific countries or cities. For this, set a fee as we did in the earlier section and add a condition using either the city parameter or country. 

Here, we are setting a handling charge only for Canadian customers. 

🔔 Note: With the premium version of the plugin, you can pay location-specific fees for specific states, zip codes, and zones. 

Use Case #3: Additional fees for specific products or categories

You can only charge additional fees if customers choose to buy certain products or products from certain categories. Again, set up a fee and conditions for this. 

With the free version, you can set conditions based on parameters like Cart contains product, cart contains variable products, cart contains tags product, and cart contains product quantity. 

Here, we set up a fee to charge people who buy a certain item. 

🔔 Note: With the premium version of this plugin, you can use another product-specific parameter like cart, which contains category, product, and attribute.  

Use Case #4: Additional fees based on the user

With the free version, you can charge a specific user using their email address. With the premium, you can charge additional fees based on the user's role. 

Apart from these, you can also set conditions based on purchase history, shipping method, payment gateway, etc. The process remains the same. To use the premium feature, just upgrade to the paid version. 

5 Best Practices You Need to Follow When Charging Additional Fees on Checkout 

Adding fees at checkout can help cover operational costs or encourage customers to choose prepaid options over COD, but it must be done carefully to maintain trust and satisfaction. Common mistakes include a lack of transparency, incorrect calculations, and applying fees too broadly or unfairly.

Here are five best practices to get it right:

1. Be transparent about fees

Display additional fees in the checkout process and explain why they are applied. Don’t charge people without telling them why; this may lead to cart abandonment. Transparency is non-negotiable when it comes to gaining customer trust. 

2. Charge for specific payment options only

You can charge additional fees for select payment methods, such as Cash on Delivery (COD). Customers understand that COD involves higher risks or processing costs, making the fee feel justified.

3. Set a fair and reasonable fee

Never overcharge, as it may put customers on guard, causing you to lose their business. The fee is proportional to the extra cost incurred. Excessive fees can deter customers from completing their purchases, while reasonable fees are more acceptable.

4. Don’t charge high-value customers

To increase customer loyalty to your brand, consider treating your VIP customers with special attention, such as not charging them the additional fee that you charge average customers. This way, high-value customers will feel valued and are likely to stay loyal to your brand, making repeat purchases. 

5. Waive fees for orders above a certain order total

By waiving fees for orders exceeding a certain order total, you can encourage customers to add more items to their cart, thereby increasing sales and order value. Set a minimum order total that ensures the value of the order covers the extra costs you’re choosing not to pass on to the customer.

By following these practices, you can implement additional fees without compromising the customer experience, while ensuring your business remains profitable.

How Charging Extra Fees at Checkout Helps Store Owners

Adding additional fees at checkout is more than just cost recovery; it's also a way to enhance customer experience. It can improve profitability, influence customer choices, and ensure legal compliance.

Here are the benefits : 

• Recovering costs such as packaging, shipping, or admin expenses.
• Encouraging behavior like choosing prepaid over cash on delivery.
• Increasing profits by charging for customizations or special services.
• Building trust through clear, transparent fee explanations.
• Staying compliant with taxes or regional regulations.
• Supporting sustainability through optional environmental fees.
  

Used correctly, additional fees can strengthen your business while keeping customers informed.

Ready to Charge Additional Fees on WooCommerce Checkout? 

While charging extra fees at the checkout may impact sales, transparency in your strategy can make it profitable. 

If an order costs you extra, you can legit charge the customer, but make sure they know why you add additional fees. 

By implementing fees strategically, you can recover operational costs, manage risks, and encourage customers to choose more efficient payment options. 

However, the key is striking a balance between profitability and customer satisfaction.

For this, you need transparency about additional fees at checkout and a well-optimized checkout process.

With FunnelKit Funnel Builder, you can create a seamless, conversion-focused checkout experience that supports additional fee structures and encourages customer retention and higher order values.

Start charging additional fees and optimize your checkout page to boost conversions. 

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