Introducing Two Methods to Create Fees
Two methods are now available for creating fees. The existing Block Method and the new Function Method are both full-featured and allow you to create product and order fee types with percentage-based or fixed-price calculations.
- The Block Method remains fully supported and continues to work as before.
- Function and Block Methods work differently, so be sure to test both to find the best fit for your workflow.
Select Fee Method
Both fee methods are full-featured and powerful, allowing merchants to create both product and order fee types with support for percentage-based and fixed-price calculations, depending on your plan. Choose the method that best fits your workflow and store requirements.
Function Method
Bundle fees directly with products for faster, more reliable application and seamless checkout. Ideal for speed, automation, and compatibility.
Block Method
Display fees as separate line items for enhanced control and detailed tracking. Perfect for excluding fees from discounts.
Introducing Function Method fees, a new way to apply fees on Shopify
On November 6, 2024 a new version of the Magical Product Fees app (3.0.0) launched.
The update introduces a variety of powerful performance, design, and feature enhancements. In this post, we will examine the new concept of a fee “Method” introduced in the 3.0.0 update, which is the basis for many of the aforementioned enhancements.
Two fee Methods are available: the brand new “Function Method” and the traditional “Block Method”.
Both fee Methods are full-featured and powerful, giving merchants access to both previously available fee “Types” and fee “Calculation” options.
- Types: Product fee and Order fees
- Calculations: Percentage-based and Fixed-price, depending on your plan.
Function Method fees bundle fees directly with products for faster, more reliable application and seamless checkout. Ideal for speed, automation, and compatibility.
These are in contrast to Block Method fees, which are the original method used for all fees created prior to the launch of the new version of the app. They display fees as separate line items for enhanced control and detailed tracking. Perfect for excluding fees from discounts.
Moving forward, both Function Method fees and Block Method fees will continue to be supported within Magical Product Fees. So don’t worry, if you created a fee in the app previously, it will continue to work as is.
But you might be wondering, what are exactly the differences between the two? Should you remake your Block Method fees as Function Method fees? Below you’ll find answers to the most commonly asked questions about this update, and how it could impact your store.
Please read below and contact the Magical Apps team if you have further questions about the update.
What are fee Methods?
Fee Methods determine how fees work and are displayed on your store. A fee can be created using either Method and both can be mixed on your store.
Each fee Method has unique fee Types, Calculations, and POS features which differentiate how they may behave on your store.
Be sure to test them to find the best fit for your workflow and store requirements.
What are Function Method fees?
Function Method fees are the new fee Method launched on November 6, 2024. This fee Method will be the focus for new features and improvements moving forward.
Function Method fees bundle fees directly with products for seamless application, appearing as expanded line items at checkout.
Technically speaking, Function Method fees leverage Shopify functions to determine whether a product and/or order should incur a fee. Function fees update cart attributes on the fly and the function determines the fees to apply based on the current state of the cart. This approach enhances reliability, speed, and efficiency in applying fees.
Features supported:
Starter Plan
- Types: Supports both Product fees and Order Subtotal fees. Does not support Order Total fees.
- Calculations: Allows Fixed-price and Percentage-based for Product fees and Order Subtotal fees. Percentage-based Calculations are not fully compatible with Discounts and may produce unexpected results.
- POS: Supports fee application automatically or manually via a clickable tile. Additionally, a BETA feature is available which allows all Shopify plans to subscribe to the Growth Plan of the app in order to unlock Order Total fees with Fixed-price or Percentage-based Calculations for POS. To access this BETA feature, a request must be sent directly to the Magical Apps team.
Growth Plan
- Types: Supports Product fees, Order subtotal fees, and Order total fees.
- Calculations: Allows Fixed-price and Percentage-based for Product fees and Order Subtotal fees. Supports Percentage-based for Order Total fees. Percentage-based for Product fees and Order subtotal fees are not fully compatible with Discounts and may produce unexpected results.
- POS: Supports fee application automatically or manually via a clickable tile.
- Location: Support for Location-based fees.
See the chart below for a detailed comparison of the features supported by each plan and each fee Method.
What are Block Method fees?
Block Method fees are the original fee Method available in the app before the 3.0.0 update on November 6, 2024 (formerly called “Fees”). They can still be created, edited, and managed now.
All existing Block Method fees will continue to work moving forward. However, they will only receive bug fixes and maintenance updates.
Block Method fees apply fees as separate line items at checkout.
Technically speaking, Block Method fees rely on Javascript. They watch for updates to the website through an app extension to determine whether a product and/or order should incur a fee.
Features supported:
Starter Plan
- Types: Supports Product fees. Does not support Order Subtotal fees or Order Total fees.
- Calculations: Allows Fixed-price for Product fees. Does not support Percentage-based.
- POS: Supports fee application manually via a clickable tile. Additionally, a BETA feature is available which allows all Shopify plans to subscribe to the Growth Plan of the app in order to unlock Order Total fees with Fixed-price or Percentage-based Calculations for POS. To access this BETA feature, a request must be sent directly to the Magical Apps team.
Growth Plan
- Types: Supports Product fees, Order subtotal fees, and Order total fees.
- Calculations: Allows Fixed-price and Percentage-based.
- POS: Supports fee application manually via a clickable tile.
- Location: Support for Location-based fees.
See the chart below for a detailed comparison of the features supported by each plan and each fee Method.
Can I convert a Block Method fee into a Function Method fee? And vice-versa?
It is not possible to convert a fee across fee Methods automatically, but it can be done manually by rebuilding the fee from scratch.
Please contact the Magical Apps team if you have further questions about fee conversion.
I made fees before the update on November 6, 2024. Do I need to make any changes?
No. Recreating a fee created before the Magical Product Fees (3.0.0) app update published on November 6, 2024 (formerly a “Fee”, now a “Block Method fee”) to a “Function Method fee” is not required as they will continue to work as is.
What are the differences between Function Method fees and Block Method fees?
Beyond the technical differences, there are a range of more tangible differences to consider between Function fees and Block fees.
You can compare the features between both versions of the app in the chart below.
Please read below and contact the Magical Apps team if you have further questions about the differences between fee Methods.
Fee Methods Feature Comparison (Block Method vs. Function Method)
| Feature | Plan | Block Method fees | Function Method fees |
| Product fees (Fixed-price) | Starter | Yes | Yes |
| Growth | Yes | Yes | |
| Order subtotal fees (Fixed-price) | Starter | No | Yes |
| Growth | Yes | Yes | |
| Order total fees (Fixed-price) | Starter | No | No |
| Growth | Yes | Yes | |
| Product fees (Percentage-based) | Starter | No | Partial (1) |
| Growth | Yes | Partial (1) | |
| Order subtotal fees (Percentage-based) | Starter | No | Partial (1) |
| Growth | Yes | Partial (1) | |
| Order total fees (Percentage-based) | Starter | No | No |
| Growth | Yes | Yes | |
| POS : Automatic fee application (Product fees) | Starter | No | Yes |
| Growth | No | Yes | |
| POS : Automatic fee application (Order subtotal fees) | Starter | No | Yes |
| Growth | No | Yes | |
| POS : Automatic fee application (Order total fees) | Starter | No | Yes |
| Growth | No | Yes | |
| POS : Manual fee application (Product fees) | Starter | Yes | Yes |
| Growth | Yes | Yes | |
| POS : Manual fee application (Order subtotal fees) | Starter | Yes | Yes |
| Growth | Yes | Yes | |
| POS : Manual fee application (Order total fees) | Starter | Yes (2) | Yes (2) |
| Growth | Yes | Yes | |
| Location-based fees | Starter | No | No |
| Growth | Yes | Yes |
(1) Percentage-based Calculations for Product fees and Order subtotal fees are not fully compatible with Discounts and may produce unexpected results.
(2) A BETA feature is available which allows all Shopify plans to subscribe to the Growth Plan of the app in order to unlock Order Total fees with Fixed-price or Percentage-based Calculations for POS. To access this BETA feature, a request must be sent directly to the Magical Apps team.
Magical Product Fees
The Magical Product Fees app is a fast and easy way to build, customize, and attach fees to products or entire orders.