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Zip code matching
Jelizaveta avatar
Written by Jelizaveta
Updated over 4 months ago

Zip code matching checks the postal code (zip code, postcode, pin code) that your customers entered at the checkout. That postcode will need to match one of the postcodes you entered in Zapiet - Rates by Zip Code delivery zone settings.

You can switch between matching methods in Zapiet - Rates by Zip Code > Settings.

Recommended use

For delivering to a relatively small area

For delivering to a wide area

For more complex delivery rules

Example zip codes

12345,

SW1A 1AA

123,

SW1A

123*,

SW1A_***

Eligible zip codes

12345,

SW1A 1AA

12345,

1230,

SW1A 1AA

1234,

SW1A 1AA,

SW1A 6TH

Non-eligible postcodes

Any postcode that is not added to Zapiet - Rates by Zip Code

Any postcode that does not begin with 123 or SW1A

Any postcode that does not begin with 123 or SW1A, has less or more digits than asterisks and is missing a space


Exact matching

Exact matching checks if the postal/zip code your customers enter in the checkout exactly matches the one you have entered in the settings.

When you create zones within Zapiet - Rates by Zip Code you will need to enter the full postal/zip code.

We recommend using this mode if you deliver to a smaller set of postal/zip codes. For larger sets of postal/zip codes, you should use partial matching.

  • For example, if you deliver to all of Toronto, instead of entering all 850,000 zip codes, you would use our partial matching option.

Postal/zip codes need to be entered in a comma separated list.


Partial matching

Partial matching is used when you deliver to a lot of postcodes—you can then make them all available by adding only the first part of the postcode.

You can enter any set of numbers/letters within your location's settings. The postcode entered in the checkout will be eligible if it starts with the set you've entered.

  • 902 entered in the location settings would match any postcode/zip code customers enters, as long as it begins with 902:

    • 90210,90211,90212,902 AAA

  • 1 entered in the location settings would match your customer's postcode starting with 1:

    • 11,100,123456,1A28

  • SW1 entered in the location settings would match your customer's postcode starting with SW1:

    • SW1 AAA,SW10 AAA,SW11KGH,SW12

Postal/zip codes need to be entered in a comma separated list.


Advanced postal code match

This option can be used regardless of your location. It's designed for countries where postcodes have letters followed by single and double digits (e.g. in the UK, SW2 and SW20), in order to differentiate between them.

When you enable advanced postal code matching, you can use an underscore to denote a space, and an asterisk to define boundaries.

  • SW2_ will match SW2 1AA, but not SW20 1AA.

  • SW2_*** will match SW2 1AA, but not SW2 1AAB (non-existent postcode).

When you use an underscore, your customers will need to enter a space between the first part of their postcode and the second.

If you notice customers are not adding a space, you can also add SW2*** to match SW21AA, but not SW2 1AA or SW20 1AA.

For example, if you add SW2_*** in the settings, check which example postal codes will be eligible for delivery:

Zip code

Eligible for delivery

SW2 1AA

YES

SW21AA

NO

SW20 1AA

NO

You can use our advanced postal code matching feature, if you want to use different zip code matching rules for different delivery zones. Learn more in our Advanced postal code match guide.


Change the zip code matching method

  1. In Zapiet - Rates by Zip Code, click Settings.

  2. In General section, select the desired matching method.

  3. Click Save.

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