How to set weekend and weekday shipping rates in Shopify

Updated August 13, 2026 · SMART Shipping Rates (E-TRADE PARTNER)

Weekend and weekday Shopify shipping rates use Day of the week and Time of the day conditions on calculated rates, evaluated in the shop timezone at rate-request time. SMART Shipping Rates & Rules can offer same-day only on weekdays before 2:00 PM, add a Saturday surcharge, and not return a Sunday same-day rate. This is not a customer date picker. Calculated rates need Shopify Carrier Service.

Same-day and weekend delivery only work when checkout follows the shop clock. A florist may offer same-day on weekdays before 2:00 PM, charge more on Saturday, and not offer same-day on Sunday. Those rules should apply when the customer is at the shipping step, using the store timezone, not the customer's phone timezone.

SMART does that with Day of the week and Time of the day on Shipping rates. Overnight windows such as 22:00 to 06:00 are allowed. The customer does not pick a delivery date in a widget.

Why weekday and weekend rates matter

• They stop same-day from appearing after the warehouse cutoff.
• They recover Saturday handling cost without raising weekday prices.
• They avoid promising Sunday delivery the team cannot fulfill.
• They keep every checkout on the same shop timezone from Settings.

What Shopify can and cannot do natively

Shopify can create rates that are available every day. Native shipping settings do not give you Day of the week or Time of the day conditions against the shop clock at checkout. Same-day cutoffs then become staff notes, not checkout behavior.

Day and time operators

Both conditions live in the Time group on Shipping rates. The current day and time come from Settings timezone when checkout requests rates.

Setup steps in SMART Shipping Rates & Rules

1. Open Settings and confirm Timezone. Day of the week and Time of the day use this shop timezone, not the customer's device time.
2. Open Shipping rates and check the Carrier Service notice if zone creation is disabled.
3. Create the same-day calculated rate. Add Day of the week is any Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday.
4. Add Time of the day is between 00:00 and 14:00 so the rate matches before 2:00 PM. Half-hour slots are the available from and to values.
5. Create a Saturday surcharge calculated rate with Day of the week is any Saturday. Blend it in Combined rates if it should appear with a base method.
6. Do not include Sunday on the same-day rate. Use is not any Sunday, or simply omit Sunday from the weekday list, so same-day is not offered.
7. If a Shopify-native method still appears when it should not, hide or rename it in Delivery customizations, then confirm that in real checkout. Checkout simulator tests calculated rates only.

Worked example: weekday same-day, Saturday surcharge, Sunday off

A bakery offers same-day local delivery on weekdays if checkout is before 2:00 PM shop time. Saturday orders pay a $8 surcharge on Standard. Sunday same-day is not offered.

1. Create Same-day local delivery in Shipping rates with the weekday and before-2:00 PM conditions above.
2. Create the Saturday surcharge rate with Day of the week is any Saturday.
3. If Standard and the surcharge should be one line at checkout, blend them in Combined rates.
4. Leave Sunday off the same-day rate so it is not offered.
5. Test with Checkout simulator on a weekday before 2:00 PM for the cart and destination. The simulator uses the real shop clock, so a Sunday run will not show weekday same-day.
6. Confirm any hide or rename of existing Shopify methods in real checkout.

The customer still does not pick a delivery day. Checkout asks for rates, SMART reads the shop day and time, and only matching calculated rates are returned.

Tips for same-day and weekend cutoffs

• Put the cutoff in the method name when customers need to understand it, such as Same-day, order before 2:00 PM.
• Use is not between when the rate should exist all day except a closed window.
• For calendar-date peak weeks, use holiday and date-based rates instead of listing every Sunday in December.
• Keep destination matching in Shipping rates and zones.
• Hide or rename existing Shopify methods in Delivery customizations, and remember those rules need real checkout.

Timezone and cutoff timing

Open Settings and read Timezone before you publish. A 14:00 cutoff is 2:00 PM in that timezone at the moment Shopify requests rates. Overnight Time of the day ranges wrap past midnight, for example 22:00 to 06:00. Date-based holiday cutoffs are a separate Date condition, not a day-of-week list.

Frequently asked questions