Is free shipping worth padding your cart?
Compare paying for shipping with spending more to hit the free-shipping threshold. See which option costs less before you check out.
Simple calculator. We may merge overlapping tools later; this page stays online with its image. Uses the cart total, shipping fee and free-shipping threshold you enter. How we research · How links work
The short answer
Cart at $42 with free shipping at $50 and $7.99 shipping: you need about $8 more. A $10 pad item makes the free-ship path $52.00 vs $49.99 if you pay shipping.
Your checkout
Cheaper path
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Quick examples
| Cart | Threshold | Shipping | Pad item | Usually better |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| $42 | $50 | $7.99 | $6 | Pad (spend $6 vs $7.99 ship) |
| $42 | $50 | $5 | $12 | Pay shipping |
| $55 | $50 | $8 | n/a | Already free |
At the payment screen
Only count pad items you will use. Returning the filler later often costs time and may erase the “saving”.
Common questions
When is padding the cart a bad idea?
When the extra item costs more than the shipping fee, or you will not use what you add. Paying $12 to avoid $8 shipping leaves you $4 worse off.
What if I add something I already needed?
Then the pad spend is a normal purchase. Compare only the part you would not have bought otherwise against the shipping fee.
Do thresholds include tax?
Stores differ. Match the threshold rule shown at checkout (before tax, after tax, or after discounts).