Shopify COD by Country: Offer COD Where You Deliver – KlinKode
Cash on Delivery is popular in many places. But you may not be able to offer it everywhere. If you only handle COD in one country, you need a way to hide it for the rest. Shopify COD by country does exactly that. In this guide, you will learn how to offer COD only for the United Arab Emirates (UAE) with the PayRules app. A shopper in Saudi Arabia will see Credit card and Bank deposit instead. You will also get testing tips and an honest look at other apps.
What Is Cash on Delivery?
Cash on Delivery, or COD, means the shopper pays when the order arrives. There is no card at checkout. The courier takes the money at the door.
Many shoppers love it. They do not need to trust a website with a card. But it is harder for you. The courier must handle cash. Some shoppers also refuse a package at the door. Then you pay for shipping and get nothing back.
That is why many stores offer COD only in places where they can manage it well. A conditional payment setup makes this easy. It shows or hides a payment method based on a rule you set.
Table of Contents
Why Set Up Shopify COD by Country?
Here is why store owners hide COD in some places.
1. It matches your delivery policy. Maybe your courier takes cash only in the UAE. Then COD should not show anywhere else.
2. It cuts failed deliveries. When a shopper refuses a COD package, you lose the shipping money. Fewer COD orders in risky places means fewer losses.
3. It helps you avoid extra costs. The PayRules listing says that hiding methods like COD can help you avoid chargebacks, frozen accounts, and extra shipping costs.
4. It saves you time. Fewer refused packages means fewer calls and fewer emails.
5. It keeps checkout simple. Shoppers only see the options that work for them.
6. It makes your rules clear. When your payment rules are clear, nobody is surprised at the door.
One more thing. Rules about cash and delivery can be different in each place. Check your local laws, and ask a lawyer if you are unsure. I am not a lawyer.
A Real Example: COD for the UAE Only
Omar sells home goods. He ships to the UAE and to Saudi Arabia. His courier takes cash only in the UAE. So he makes one simple rule: hide COD when the shipping country is not the UAE.
A shopper in Dubai reaches the checkout. She sees Cash on Delivery, and she picks it.
A shopper in Riyadh reaches the checkout. She does not see COD. She sees Credit cards and Bank deposits instead. She picks one and pays.
Omar gets his orders. His courier only handles cash where it is allowed. And nobody has to cancel anything.
That is the goal. A clear rule that matches your delivery policy.
How PayRules Works
PayRules is a Shopify app that hides payment methods based on your rules. Its listing says it can hide Cash on Delivery, PayPal, Stripe, Bank deposit, and other methods. Your rules can use the cart, the country, the shipping method, the customer, the product, the cart amount, and the quantity. In short, it is a conditional payment tool for your checkout.
The listing shows a 4.9 star rating from 98 reviews. You do not need to write code.
There are two honest things to know about the plans.
First, the free plan is only for development stores. A live store needs a paid plan.
Second, the plans limit how many rules you can have. The smallest paid plan allows 5 active rules. Rules that use “OR” logic, like “hide COD if the country is X or Y,” are only on the top plan.
How to Set Up Shopify COD by Country with PayRules
Menus can change over time, so read the app’s own guide too. But the steps look like this:
- Write your policy. For example: “COD is only for UAE addresses.”
- Install PayRules from the Shopify App Store and open it.
- Add a new hide rule.
- Pick the payment method to hide. Choose Cash on Delivery.
- Add a condition for the shipping country. Tell the rule to hide COD when the country is not the UAE. I could not check the exact wording of the options, like “is not.” If you cannot find it, ask the app’s support team.
- Save the rule.
- Test it with a UAE address and a Saudi Arabia address.
The payment method name in the app must match the name in your Shopify payment settings. If your store calls it “Cash on Delivery (COD),” look for that name.
If your rule is different, PayRules can also use other conditions. The listing shows cart total, quantity, products, location, customer tag, amount spent, and registered status.
Write Your Policy First
A short policy helps you build the rule right. Answer three questions:
- Which countries can use COD?
- Is there a maximum order amount for COD?
- Which methods should shoppers see instead?
For Omar, the answers are: the UAE only, no maximum, and Credit card or Bank deposit for everyone else.
Test Your Rule
Never skip testing. Try these cases:
- A UAE address: COD should show.
- A Saudi Arabia address: COD should be hidden. Credit card and Bank deposit should show.
- Change the country mid-checkout: Start with a UAE address, then switch to Saudi Arabia. Check that the shipping country changes the list.
- Signed-in and guest shoppers: Test both.
- Quick-pay buttons: The listing mentions hiding express checkout too. Make sure those buttons behave the way you want.
- Your phone: Many shoppers buy on mobile.
Also make sure you do not hide every payment method by mistake. A checkout with no options loses every sale.
Tell Shoppers Early
Do not wait for checkout to share your COD policy. Say it in a few places:
- In your store banner
- On your product pages
- On your shipping page
- In your FAQ
When shoppers know early, they choose the right method. That means fewer surprises and fewer abandoned carts.
PayRules vs. Other Apps for Shopify COD by Country
PayRules is not the only choice. Some apps do more. Some do less. Here is a fair look. I could not verify every detail of the other apps, so check each listing before you choose.
| Option | Best for | Watch out for |
| PayRules | Hiding COD, PayPal, Stripe, or Bank deposit by country, cart, customer, or product | Free plan is for dev stores only; OR logic is on the top plan only |
| HidePay | Hiding, sorting, and renaming methods by country, cart total, product, and customer | Free plan is for dev stores only; a review reports a theme editor problem |
| CCL Hide Payment Methods | Hiding, sorting, reordering, and renaming methods | Only 22 reviews; details not verified |
| Nexo Sort Hide Payment Methods | Sorting, renaming, and hiding methods | No rating seen; details not verified |
| Shopify’s own payment settings | Free, built into your store | I did not verify country-based hiding |
PayRules. It is built for this exact job. It hides payment methods based on country and many other rules. The reviews are strong. One UAE store owner on the listing says they use country rules together with order amount rules, and that support helped with tricky setups. The downsides are the dev-only free plan and the rule limits.
HidePay. Its listing says it can hide, sort, and rename payment methods by product, customer, country, cart, and more. It has a Built for Shopify badge and a 4.8 rating from 390 reviews. That is a much bigger review count than most apps in this list, and I did not see that badge on PayRules. Its listing shows “hide by country” as a feature, so it fits the UAE example. It has two honest downsides. Like PayRules, its free plan is only for development stores. And one merchant from Saudi Arabia wrote that the app embed crashed their theme editor. The developer replied that this can happen with highly customized themes and offered to fix it. So test it on a copy of your theme first. Also, “OR” logic is not on the smallest paid plan.
CCL Hide Payment Methods. Its listing says it can hide, sort, reorder, and rename methods conditionally. It has a Built for Shopify badge and a 5.0 rating. But that rating comes from only 22 reviews, and I did not check the details of its rules.
Nexo Sort Hide Payment Methods. Its listing says it can sort, rename, and hide methods with checkout rules, and it is shown as free. I did not see a rating or review count. Test it well before you trust it.
Shopify’s own payment settings. Shopify has payment settings built in, and they are free. It is worth checking them first. But I did not verify that you can hide a method by country there.
So which one should you pick? For hiding COD by country, start with PayRules or HidePay, since both list country rules. CCL is also worth a look. Ask each team one clear question: “Can it hide Cash on Delivery when the country is not the UAE?” Then test on a trial. Check Shopify’s own settings too.
Tips to Make It Work Better
- Keep your rules few. Start with one rule. Add more only when you need them.
- Add an amount limit. You can also limit COD by cart total. High-value COD orders carry more risk.
- Keep your payment rules in sync with your policy. If your courier expands, change the rule.
- Watch your refused orders. If many COD packages come back, tighten the rule.
- Offer easy alternatives. Make sure card and bank options work well.
- Review the rule every month. Couriers and costs change.
Common Mistakes to Avoid
- Hiding every method by accident. Always test a full checkout.
- Typing the country wrong. Check the spelling and the country name the app uses.
- Forgetting the shopper note. Silent changes confuse people.
- Skipping the mobile test. Half your shoppers may be on phones.
- Building too many payment rules at once. Start small, so you can find mistakes fast.
- Forgetting to update the rule. When your delivery area grows, the rule must grow too.
FAQ
Can PayRules hide Cash on Delivery for some countries?
Yes. Its listing says it can hide COD and other methods based on country, cart, shipping, customer, and more. Test your exact “country is not the UAE” rule first.
What will a Saudi Arabia shopper see?
In your example, they see Credit card and Bank deposit instead of COD.
Do I need to know the code?
No. You build each rule in the app.
Is the free plan enough for a live store?
No. The free plan is for development stores. A live store needs a paid plan.
How many rules can I have?
The smallest paid plan allows 5 active rules. Higher plans allow more.
Can I hide COD for big orders only?
Probably. The listing shows cart total as a condition. Test it to be sure.
Can I hide other methods too?
Yes. The listing mentions PayPal, Stripe, Bank deposit, and express checkout.
Will hiding COD hurt my sales?
A few shoppers may leave if COD was their only choice. Tell shoppers early, and make card and bank options easy.
Final Thoughts on Shopify COD by Country
Offer COD where your delivery policy allows it. That is a fair and simple rule. It protects your money, and it keeps shoppers from choosing a method you cannot serve.
Shopify COD by country is an easy way to match your checkout to your real delivery policy. Write your policy first. Build one clear rule. Test a UAE address and a Saudi Arabia address. Tell shoppers early.
PayRules lets you build this conditional payment rule without code. If another app fits you better, use the comparison above to ask the right questions.
Ready? Open the PayRules listing, add your first rule, and see COD show up only where it should.
