Additional Terms Lite Documentation

Clear checkout agreements help customers understand the specific policies, terms, or notices that apply before they place an order. While WooCommerce already includes a standard terms and conditions checkbox, some stores need an additional checkbox for more specific agreements.

For example, an online course store may have a refund policy that only allows refunds within 48 hours of enrollment, with an administrative fee deducted from the refund amount. If this policy is only included inside a general terms page, some customers may miss it during checkout and later dispute the refund terms. Adding a separate checkbox for the refund policy makes the agreement more visible and gives customers a clearer opportunity to review it before purchasing.

Additional Terms for WooCommerce helps with this by adding an extra agreement checkbox to the WooCommerce checkout page. You can use it for refund policies, delivery delay notices, age confirmations, GDPR or privacy-related notices, optional services, gift wrapping choices, or any other additional checkout agreement your store requires.

The plugin lets you control the checkbox text, link it to a WordPress page, choose how the linked page opens, decide whether the checkbox is required or optional, and temporarily enable or disable the checkbox when needed. Customer acceptance is also recorded in the order notes, so you can review it later from the WooCommerce order edit screen.

This guide explains how to configure and use the free version of Additional Terms for WooCommerce.

Creating an Additional “I Agree” Checkbox for the Checkout Page

To improve checkout transparency, you can add an extra “I agree” checkbox to your WooCommerce checkout page. This allows customers to explicitly accept a specific policy or notice before completing their order.

This can be useful when your store has important terms that should not be hidden inside a general terms and conditions page. For example, you may want customers to confirm that they understand a custom return policy, shipping delay, product restriction, service limitation, or other purchase condition.

To create the checkbox:

1. Go to WooCommerce → Settings → Additional Terms.
2. Find the Terms text field.
3. Enter the text you want to display beside the checkbox on the checkout page.
4. Click Save changes.

After saving your settings, the checkbox will appear on the checkout page when the checkbox status is active.

Changing the Checkbox Status

The Status setting allows you to show or hide the Additional Terms checkbox without deleting your existing settings.

This is useful when the checkbox is only needed for a limited time. For example, you may want to display an additional notice during seasonal promotions, holiday periods, temporary shipping delays, vacation periods, or special campaigns. When the notice is no longer needed, you can disable the checkbox and keep your existing configuration saved for later use.

To change the checkbox status:

1. Go to WooCommerce → Settings → Additional Terms.
2. Find the Status field.
3. Select the status you want to use.
4. Click Save changes.

When the status is active, the checkbox will be displayed on the checkout page. When the status is disabled, the checkbox will be hidden from checkout.

Linking the Checkbox to a Terms Page

Additional Terms for WooCommerce allows you to link the checkbox text to a specific WordPress page. This is useful when the full policy or agreement is too long to include directly in the checkbox label.

For example, you may create a separate page for your refund policy, age agreement, privacy notice, delivery delay policy, or special service terms. You can then link that page inside the checkbox text so customers can review the full content before placing an order.

To link the checkbox to a page:

1. Go to WooCommerce → Settings → Additional Terms.
2. Use the Terms Page field to search for and select the page you want to link.
3. In the Terms text field, add the {{additional-terms}} smart tag where you want the linked page title to appear.
4. Click Save changes.

The {{additional-terms}} smart tag is automatically replaced with the title of the selected page on the checkout page.

For example, if your selected page is titled “Refund Policy,” this text:

I have read and agree to the {{additional-terms}}.

Will appear on checkout as:

I have read and agree to the Refund Policy.

The page title will be linked according to the selected Link Action setting.

Customizing the Link Action

The Link Action setting controls what happens when a customer clicks the linked page title inside the checkbox text.

This gives you flexibility over how customers review the selected terms page during checkout. Depending on your store’s needs, you may want to show the terms directly on the checkout page, open them in a modal popup, or open them in a new browser tab.

You can choose from the following options:

Embed Above Checkbox

This option displays the selected terms page content directly above the checkbox.

It is useful when you want the full agreement to be visible on the checkout page without requiring customers to open another page or popup. This can be helpful for important policies that customers should review before checking the box.

Open in Modal

This option opens the selected terms page content in a modal popup.

A modal keeps customers on the checkout page while still allowing them to review the full terms. This is a good option when you want to keep the checkout experience focused and avoid sending customers away from the page.

Open in New Tab

This option opens the selected terms page in a new browser tab.

This can be useful when the terms page is longer or when you prefer customers to review the policy as a normal page. Opening in a new tab also helps prevent customers from losing their checkout progress.

To change the link action:

1. Go to WooCommerce → Settings → Additional Terms.
2. Find the Link Action field.
3. Choose the behavior you want to use.
4. Click Save changes.

Selecting the Checkbox Requirement

The Additional Terms checkbox can be configured as either required or optional.

This setting allows you to decide whether customers must check the box before placing an order, or whether the checkbox should simply give them a choice.

Required Checkbox

A required checkbox must be checked before the customer can complete checkout.

This option is useful when customers must explicitly agree to a policy, condition, or legal notice before placing an order. For example, you may use a required checkbox for a refund policy, privacy notice, age confirmation, pre-order agreement, delivery delay notice, or product-specific checkout condition.

If the customer tries to place an order without checking a required checkbox, WooCommerce will show the error message you configured in the plugin settings.

Optional Checkbox

An optional checkbox does not block checkout if the customer leaves it unchecked.

This option is useful when you want to offer an additional choice or optional service. For example, a gift shop may use an optional checkbox to let customers request a free postcard, accept optional gift wrapping, or opt in to an extra service related to the order.

Even when the checkbox is optional, the customer’s choice is still recorded in the order notes. This allows store managers to review whether the customer accepted or declined the optional checkbox.

To configure the checkbox requirement:

1. Go to WooCommerce → Settings → Additional Terms.
2. Find the Required field.
3. Check the field to make the checkbox required.
4. Uncheck the field to make the checkbox optional.
5. If the checkbox is required, enter the error message customers should see when they try to place an order without checking it.
6. Click Save changes.

Additional Terms Block

Additional Terms for WooCommerce works with both the classic WooCommerce checkout shortcode and the WooCommerce Checkout block.

If your checkout page uses the classic [woocommerce_checkout] shortcode, the Additional Terms checkbox will automatically appear near the WooCommerce terms and conditions section.

If your checkout page uses the WooCommerce Checkout block, the plugin provides an Additional Terms block that can be used inside the checkout layout. This gives you more control over where the checkbox appears within the block-based checkout experience.

Tracking the Acceptance of the Additional Terms Checkbox

Recording customer acceptance can be useful for store management, customer support, and dispute resolution.

For example, if a customer later questions a refund policy, delivery delay notice, age agreement, or optional service selection, you can review the order notes to confirm whether the customer accepted the Additional Terms checkbox during checkout.

The plugin records the acceptance status in the WooCommerce order notes after an order is placed.

To review the acceptance record:

1. Go to WooCommerce → Orders.
2. Open the order you want to review.
3. Check the Order notes section.

If the customer checked the checkbox, the order notes will show that the customer accepted the additional terms.

If the checkbox was optional and the customer left it unchecked, the order notes will show that the customer did not accept the additional terms.

This makes it easier to confirm what the customer agreed to at the time of purchase.

Troubleshooting Common Issues

You may occasionally need to check your settings if the checkbox or linked page does not appear as expected.

Checkbox Not Displaying on the Checkout Page

If the Additional Terms checkbox is not showing on checkout, check the following:

Make sure the Terms text field contains checkbox text.

Make sure the Status field is set to active.

Make sure your checkout page is using the WooCommerce checkout shortcode or WooCommerce Checkout block.

Make sure your theme or checkout customization is not hiding the checkbox area.

Linked Terms Page Is Missing

If the linked terms page title is not appearing inside the checkbox text, check the following:

Make sure a page is selected in the Terms Page field.

Make sure the {{additional-terms}} smart tag has been added to the Terms text field.

Make sure the selected page is published.

Make sure the selected page is not deleted or unavailable.

Required Checkbox Error Message Is Not Showing

If the checkbox is required but no error message appears, check the following:

Make sure the Required field is enabled.

Make sure an error message has been entered in the plugin settings.

Make sure the checkout form is being submitted through the normal WooCommerce checkout process.

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Developer Guide

Customizing Additional Terms with CSS and JavaScript

When the Additional Terms checkbox is active on the checkout page, the plugin automatically adds the following class to the checkout page <body> tag:

woo-additional-terms-enforce-terms

Developers can use this class to target checkout pages where the Additional Terms checkbox is enabled. For example, you can use this class to:

• Adjust the spacing around the Additional Terms checkbox.
• Change the appearance of the checkbox section.
• Apply custom styling only when the Additional Terms checkbox is active.

Run custom JavaScript only on checkout pages where the Additional Terms checkbox is enabled. To use this class:

1. Open the checkout page on your site.
2. Inspect the page using your browser’s developer tools.
3. Locate the <body> tag.
4. Check whether the woo-additional-terms-enforce-terms class is present.
5. Use the class in your custom CSS or JavaScript.

Example CSS selector:

.woo-additional-terms-enforce-terms .woocommerce-additional-terms { margin-top: 16px; }

This class is useful when you want to customize the checkout page only when the Additional Terms checkbox is active.