This guide walks you through the full setup for Magical Fees on the Starter Plan. You'll install the app, create fee rules, and configure your online store so fees display correctly from product page to checkout. If you're on the Growth Plan (Shopify Plus), see the Growth Plan setup guide instead.
What the Starter Plan Covers
Starter gives you fixed and percentage fees on products and order subtotal, location-based rules, credit card surcharges, and support for both the online store and POS. You don't get order-total fees, PayPal fees, customer tag fees, or the Checkout UI Extension — those are Growth-only.
Install the App
- Install Magical Fees from the Shopify App Store.
- Confirm your subscription. There's a 14-day trial so you can test before committing.
After installing, you'll land on the Magical Fees dashboard. The app will show App is Not Active until you add at least one fee rule and activate a sales channel.
Create Your First Fee Rule
- From the Magical Fees dashboard, click Add fee rules (or Create fee rule).
- On the rule page, you'll configure the following.
Fee Method
- Function Method (recommended) — Uses Shopify functions. Fees appear at checkout as part of the product or bundle, but are separated from the product price. Faster and more reliable for most stores.
- Block Method — Fees display as separate line items in checkout. Use this if your workflow depends on fee lines being distinct, or if you need discounts to apply to fees (Growth Plan feature; Block method is less relevant for Starter).
Title & Description
Enter a title (e.g. "Recycling Fee") and, in Details, describe what the fee is for. The description is visible to customers at checkout.
Fee Type
- Product Fee — Applies to specific products or collections.
- Order Fee — Applies to the order subtotal (Starter supports subtotal only; order total is Growth-only).
Calculation
Set a fixed amount (e.g. $0.05) or a percentage (e.g. 1.5%).
Product Fee Options
If you chose Product Fee:
- Number of times fee applies: Every product (per quantity) or Once per product (max one per matching product).
- Bundle with: Matching Product (fee bundled with products, included in product-based discounts) or Other Product Fees (fee grouped with other fees under a placeholder, excluded from product discounts).
- Conditions: All products, Specific collections, Specific products, or Custom conditions.
Order Fee Options
If you chose Order Fee:
- Apply to: Subtotal (order subtotal before shipping/tax).
Payment Method Fees
To add credit card surcharges, click Add payment methods and select Credit Cards. PayPal fees are Growth Plan only.
Location-Based Fees
Click Add Locations and select the countries, provinces, or states where the fee applies. Use the search field to find specific regions.
- Click Save and confirm the rule shows as Active.
Activate Sales Channels
The app must be active on at least one sales channel. In the Magical Fees app, go to Add sales channels (or the equivalent in your setup flow).
Online Store
- Under Online Store, click Activate app embed block.
- In the theme editor, toggle Magical Fees on under Theme settings > App embeds.
- Click Save.
Disable Dynamic Checkout Buttons
When fees apply, dynamic checkout buttons (Shop Pay, PayPal Express) can bypass fee calculation. Disable them for product templates that use fees.
- In Shopify admin, go to Online Store > Themes.
- Click Customize on your theme.
- Open the dropdown at the top and select Product.
- Select the Product template used by products with fees.
- Select the Buy buttons block.
- Uncheck Show dynamic checkout buttons.
- Click Save.
If your theme doesn't support this setting, contact us for help.
Set Up Fees in Shopify POS
To use fees in POS, add a fees tile to your POS home screen and ensure your fee rules include the POS sales channel. For the full walkthrough, see How to set up Magical Fees for Shopify POS.
Video Walkthroughs
- Product fees (eco-fees, deposits, per-product fees): How to Set Up Magical Fees (Product Fees)
- Order fees (surcharges, service charges, subtotal fees): How to Set Up Magical Fees (Order Fees)
Need Help?
Visit our Help Center for troubleshooting and FAQs. For specific fee types (tariffs, bottle deposits, excise taxes, etc.), check the use-case guides or the setup library.
Always label deposits separately for compliance
Display bottle deposit fees as a clearly labeled, separate line item at checkout and on receipts. This meets regulatory transparency requirements, builds customer trust by showing exactly what they're paying, and makes it significantly easier to track deposits for reporting and audits. Use a clear label like "Bottle deposit" or "Container deposit (CRV)" so customers immediately understand the charge.
“Magical Fees is the only fee app that allows you to apply a fee based on a specific or individual state/province situation. All the other apps we tested only allow 'Location' (the entire country) which is a major limitation. The solution Magical Fees applies during the Cart to Checkout process is very smart and not a hassle. Very easy app to setup and the support was great.”