The threshold is a number, not an obligation

"Free delivery on orders over 39.90 euros" appears in a lot of baskets, and the obvious reaction is to quickly add something until you reach the figure. It is smarter to treat the threshold as a simple sum rather than as an invitation to buy more. Say you put two pairs of trousers in your basket, reach 34.50 euros, and the shop would otherwise charge 4.95 euros for delivery. The question is not what else you could add, but whether there is anything you need anyway that would close the gap.

So you can reach the free delivery threshold either with purchases you had planned, or you can pay for it with a spontaneous extra item that ends up costing more than the fee you avoided.

First check what is already on your list

Before an item goes into the basket just because of the free delivery threshold, it is worth looking at your own shopping list or wish list. If there is something on it that fits the same shop, you can top up the order sensibly without spending money on something that would otherwise go unused. If there is no such item, the maths is usually simple: it is better to pay the delivery fee than to buy something you do not need.

Bundle several planned purchases on purpose

If you know you would be placing two or three orders with the same shop over the next few days anyway, you can combine them into one. That saves a delivery fee, and fewer parcels arrive at your door. A wish list or a saved basket helps you collect items instead of ordering them one at a time at different moments. How a saved basket can pay off in another way is described in the article Saving your basket to buy later: when it brings a discount.

A worked example

Say your basket at a shop comes to 33.20 euros and the free delivery threshold is 40 euros. Otherwise, delivery would cost 4.95 euros. You are 6.80 euros short of the threshold. If you find an item in this shop for 6.80 euros or more that you would have bought fairly soon anyway, your actual spending effectively drops by the delivery fee you avoided. If instead you buy just anything to cover the difference, for example for 8 euros, you are really spending 3.05 euros more than if you had simply paid the 4.95 euros for delivery.

Two small orders instead of one big one

Combining orders is not always worth it. If two planned purchases are far apart in time, for example because one of them will only become relevant in a few weeks, it can make more sense to simply pay the delivery fee for the smaller, more urgent order, rather than stocking up or bringing the second order forward for no good reason. Avoiding a delivery fee is no advantage if it means spending money on an item you only really need later, or that ends up unused.

Keeping thresholds in mind across several shops

• The free delivery threshold varies considerably from shop to shop, so comparing is worthwhile, especially for larger orders.
• Some shops apply their own delivery rules to certain product groups, such as surcharges for bulky items that apply even above the threshold.
• With some retailers, different delivery terms apply to customer accounts or memberships. It is worth checking this before you order; the rules are usually in the delivery terms or in your account.

How a discount code affects the threshold

A discount code often reduces the subtotal before the free delivery threshold is checked. This can mean that a basket that was above the threshold without a code suddenly drops below it again once the code is applied. Whether a particular shop handles it this way usually only becomes clear once you have entered the code and the total has been recalculated. What counts towards the total cost of an order is described in more detail in the article Working out the total cost of an online purchase.

Why delivery costs alone are not the whole picture

Besides the delivery fee itself, delivery time also plays a part. Some shops deliver a free-delivery order more slowly than one with paid express shipping. If you are in a hurry, you may prefer to pay a small fee for faster delivery rather than lose time just to reach the free delivery threshold. How delivery times and delivery costs relate to each other overall is explained in the article Understanding delivery times and delivery costs when shopping online.

A quick rule of thumb for your basket

Before you add something only because of the free delivery threshold, one simple question helps: would you have bought this item without the threshold? If the answer is yes, topping up the basket is a real saving. If it is no, the delivery fee you avoided has really been paid for with an unplanned purchase. You can find current discount codes that may make an order even cheaper in the discount code overview on daily-coupons.info.

Frequently asked questions

Is it worth buying an extra item to get free delivery?

Only if you would have needed that item anyway. Otherwise you usually end up spending more than the delivery fee would have cost.

Does a discount code affect the free delivery threshold?

That depends on the shop. Some check the threshold against the total before the code, others only after the discount has been deducted, which can push the basket back below the threshold.

Is it better to combine two small orders or keep them separate?

It depends on when you really need the items. If both purchases are close together in time, one combined order usually saves on delivery. If they are far apart, it often makes more sense to keep the smaller order separate and pay the delivery fee.

Does a customer account permanently lower the free delivery threshold?

With some shops it does, especially as part of a loyalty or membership programme. Whether this applies to a particular shop usually only becomes clear after you sign up or in the site's delivery terms.