Free shipping: the cheapest way to reach the minimum order
Aug 21, 2026 · 09:00
Adding items to save on delivery only makes sense when the maths works. Often it doesn't.
Free shipping thresholds are designed to make you spend more, and they work. The question is when playing along is actually cheaper.
Do the simple sum first. If delivery costs 5 and you are 20 short of the free shipping threshold, adding 20 of things you didn't want costs you 20 to save 5. That is not a saving. Adding 20 of things you would have bought next month is a saving of 5, as long as you genuinely would have bought them.
Buy forward, not sideways. The items worth adding are the ones you use continuously and that don't expire soon: household basics, refills, replacement parts. The items not worth adding are things you are talking yourself into.
Check whether a coupon code counts toward the threshold. This varies by store and matters more than people realise. Some stores calculate free shipping on the pre-discount total, some on the post-discount total. If it is the latter, applying a large code can push you back under the threshold and add the delivery fee back on.
Look for a shipping-specific code. Many stores run separate free-delivery codes alongside their percentage codes. These are usually the better option for small orders, and we list them separately on each store page.
Consider collection points. Locker and pickup-point delivery is frequently cheaper than home delivery, sometimes free where home delivery isn't, and often faster.
Watch the returns cost. Free outbound shipping means nothing if returning an item costs you. For clothing especially, where returns are likely, the store with paid delivery and free returns is often the cheaper one overall.
One last thing worth knowing: if you are just over the threshold and something in the basket goes out of stock, some checkouts silently drop you back below it and re-add the fee. Check the total on the final screen, not the basket screen.
