Losing time on orders from addresses you never meant to serve?
Check every delivery address before checkout
Check every delivery address before checkout by postal code, straight-line radius or real driving distance, then show the right store's dates and rates.
Enter your address
240 King St
240 King St W, Toronto
240 King St E, Toronto
240 Kingston Rd, Toronto
Local delivery available from Downtown Zone · 6.2 km by road
On any page
Do we deliver?
M5V 3L9
CheckGood news, we deliver to you.
Outside every area? Customers see your out-of-area message instead.
What changes when delivery addresses are validated first?
Out-of-area customers get a clear answer early
Customers can check delivery eligibility before checkout, so your team avoids avoidable order fixes.
Each address gets the right store and schedule
Bird assigns covered addresses to the matching location, then shows that location's dates and rates.
Distance-based pricing gets more accurate
Use driving distance for real road routes when straight-line distance is too rough for delivery planning.
What is geo distance validation in Bird?
In Bird Pickup & Delivery, the Shopify app by BirdChime, delivery validation checks a customer's postal code or address before checkout. You can use exact or pattern postal code matching, a straight-line radius, or driving distance by road. Bird then assigns the address to the right location, with that location's schedule and rates.
| One mode | One validation mode applies to your whole store |
|---|---|
| Price | From $19.99 a month, billed through Shopify, with a 14-day free trial. Compare plans |
| Used by | 7,000+ Shopify stores in 60+ countries |
Everything you can set
How can Bird check a delivery address?
Use postal code, straight-line radius, or driving distance.
How can Bird check a delivery address?
Use postal code, straight-line radius, or driving distance.
| You can | What happens | For example |
|---|---|---|
| Postal codes | Match ZIP codes or postcodes exactly, with a wildcard (SW1*), or with advanced patterns that handle spaces (B1_*). | Example: SW1* covers SW1, SW1A and SW19. M1_A* allows M1 A234 but not M12 A234. Exact 90210 rejects 90210-1234. |
| Radius | Set a straight-line circle around each location, such as 5 km, in km or miles. Good where postal codes are not used, like the UAE or Hong Kong. | Example: A store with a 7 km radius can accept nearby neighborhoods even when local postal codes are inconsistent. |
| Driving distance | Use real distance by road, measured by Google Maps. Better in cities and across rivers. | Example: 4 km away in a straight line but 12 km by road counts as 12 km. |
| No validation | Leave the list empty and your customers see dates straight away. Addresses are then checked only at Shopify checkout, so your customer can book a slot and find out there that you do not deliver to them. | Example: A customer picks a slot in cart, then learns at checkout that their address is outside your area. |
Which store does a customer get?
Bird picks the nearest location whose limit covers the address, with that location's schedule and rates.
Which store does a customer get?
Bird picks the nearest location whose limit covers the address, with that location's schedule and rates.
| You can | What happens | For example |
|---|---|---|
| Nearest that covers it | Bird measures distance to each location and picks the nearest one whose radius or driving distance includes the address. | Example: An address between two stores gets assigned to the closer store that still covers it. |
| Overlaps | If locations overlap, Bird picks the one with the smallest limit. | Example: A customer in two overlapping areas is assigned to the tighter 5 km zone instead of the 10 km zone. |
| That store's rates | Each location's delivery rate applies to every address assigned to it. | Example: An address mapped to your downtown location gets downtown delivery pricing automatically. |
| That store's dates | Your customers pick a date and time from that location's schedule. | Example: Customers assigned to your north store see north-store slots, not downtown hours. |
| Postal code lists | Each location has its own list, and a postal code can belong to only one location. | Example: Once 90210 is assigned to West Store, it cannot also be added to Central Store. |
Can customers check before they reach the cart?
Yes, with the global postal code checker or on the product page.
Can customers check before they reach the cart?
Yes, with the global postal code checker or on the product page.
| You can | What happens | For example |
|---|---|---|
| Global checker | Turn on the global postal code checker and your customers can check delivery from any page, for example a "Do we deliver?" box in your header. | Example: A first-time shopper checks their postcode from your home page before adding anything to cart. |
| Product page | The product page widget asks for a postal code or address, depending on your mode, and shows delivery availability and the earliest date. | Example: A customer checks one cake page and sees the earliest delivery date for their address right there. |
| Its own look | Style the checker's label, box and input, and write its success and error messages. | Example: You change the success message to Great news, we deliver to your address. |
When is an address checked?
Before checkout: in the cart widget, and earlier if you add the checker or product page widget.
When is an address checked?
Before checkout: in the cart widget, and earlier if you add the checker or product page widget.
| You can | What happens | For example |
|---|---|---|
| In the cart | When your customer enters a postal code or picks an address on the delivery tab, before they choose a date. | Example: A shopper enters their address first, then only sees slots that actually match that area. |
| At checkout | If the shipping address at checkout differs from the one entered in the cart, Bird shows a checkout address error, in your own words. | Example: A shopper changes checkout address to a different suburb and gets your custom mismatch warning. |
| Remembered | On the current widget, your customer's postal code is remembered while they browse, so they do not type it again as they shop. | Example: A customer checks one product, browses three more, and still sees delivery results for the same postcode. |
What do customers see if I don't deliver to them?
They see a message saying the address is outside your delivery area, in your own words.
What do customers see if I don't deliver to them?
They see a message saying the address is outside your delivery area, in your own words.
| You can | What happens | For example |
|---|---|---|
| Success and error | Rewrite the messages for a valid and an out-of-area postal code or address, in each language. | Example: You use We deliver to this address for valid checks and Sorry, outside our delivery area for invalid ones. |
| Ask for an address | For distance modes, change the prompt from postal code to address, such as "Enter your address". | Example: Your form prompt changes from Enter postcode to Enter your delivery address for driving-distance mode. |
What do I need for distance-based checks?
Use a Google Maps key with billing turned on in your Google account, and a location in Bird for each area.
What do I need for distance-based checks?
Use a Google Maps key with billing turned on in your Google account, and a location in Bird for each area.
| You can | What happens | For example |
|---|---|---|
| Both modes | Use a Google Maps key, a code you get from Google so Bird can use Google Maps, with Google's Places and Geocoding services turned on. They suggest addresses and find them on the map. | Example: After enabling Places and Geocoding, customers can choose real address suggestions instead of typing guesswork. |
| Driving distance | Also turn on Google's Routes service, which measures distance by road. | Example: With Routes on, an address across a river is priced by actual road distance instead of a short straight line. |
| Billing with Google | Google asks you to turn on billing in your Google Cloud account before these services work. | Example: Even with a key created, distance checks stay inactive until billing is enabled in Google Cloud. |
| Per-location mode | Distance zones need the setting that gives each location its own schedule, since each zone is its own location. | Example: Your 5 km zone and 12 km zone can each keep separate delivery windows because each is set as its own location. |
Radius or driving distance?
| Capability | Radius | Driving distance |
|---|---|---|
| Measures | RadiusStraight-line distance | Driving distanceActual road distance |
| Accuracy | RadiusApproximate | Driving distanceMore precise |
| Google service to turn on | RadiusGeocoding | Driving distanceRoutes |
| Best for | RadiusSimple zones and regions without postal codes | Driving distanceUrban areas and accurate delivery costing |
How do I set up address validation?
In Bird's Delivery settings, choose your distance validation mode, then add each location's postal codes, radius or driving distance. The guides walk you through each mode.
FAQ
What else do merchants ask about address validation?
How can I stop Shopify customers outside my area from booking local delivery?
Choose a validation mode in Bird and set each location's postal codes, radius or driving distance. Your customers enter their postal code or address in the widget, and anyone outside every location's area sees they are outside your delivery area before checkout.
Is radius the same as driving distance?
No. Radius measures a straight line, while driving distance measures the route by road with Google Maps.
Can I mix postal codes for one store and radius for another?
No. Validation mode is one setting for your whole store.
Can customers check if I deliver before they add to cart?
Yes. Turn on the global postal code checker so your customers can check from any page, or add the product page widget, which shows delivery availability for their postal code or address.
Do I need a Google Maps key?
Only for radius and driving distance. Both use Google Maps, which needs billing turned on in your Google Cloud account. Postal code matching does not need a key.
Does it work for Shopify stores outside the US?
Yes. Radius and driving distance suit countries without standard postal codes, such as the UAE, Qatar or Hong Kong. Partial and advanced postal code matching handle UK, Canadian and Dutch formats, and distances can be set in km or miles.
Do I need a developer?
You set the mode and each location's codes or distances yourself in Bird's settings, then test them in the widget preview. Distance modes need a Google Maps key, which you create in Google Cloud Console.
How much does delivery address validation cost?
Paid plans start at $19.99 a month, billed through Shopify, with a 14-day free trial and 10% off annual billing. Google bills you separately for Google Maps if you use radius or driving distance. The pricing page shows what each plan includes.
Terms on this page
- Distance validation mode
- The one setting that decides how Bird checks every delivery address in your store.
- Global postal code checker
- A checker your customers can use from any page to see if you deliver to them.
Related features
Industry guides: grocery stores, restaurants and florists.
Comparing apps? Bird vs Zapiet, Pickeasy, Stellar and Flare, or the best Shopify pickup and delivery apps.
Only take deliveries you can make.
Try Bird free for 14 days on any paid plan. Add your postal codes or radius, then test a few addresses in the widget preview before you pay.