From September 30, 2026, Google requires certain pickup costs and minimum order values for eligible in_store products in the United Kingdom, Switzerland and the European Economic Area. The requirement applies when those charges or restrictions exist on the website and the products are enabled for pickup. It is a conditional requirement, not a request for every merchant to add a pickup fee. Google’s announcement defines the scope.
For an operations team, the first job is to separate the pickup fee from the spend needed to remove it, and from the spend needed to place an order at all. These rules often share a settings screen while describing different customer experiences.
A minimum order is not a free pickup threshold
An order minimum controls whether a purchase can proceed. A free pickup threshold controls the charge on a purchase that can already proceed. Moving a value between these fields changes the commercial promise.
| Rule | Customer question | Relevant data |
|---|---|---|
| Pickup fee | What does collecting this item cost? | pickup_cost_flat_rate within pickup_cost |
| Free pickup threshold | When does that fee disappear? | Optional pickup_cost_free_threshold |
| Minimum order value | How much must I spend to order or reserve? | minimum_order_value |
Use the pickup cost specification for the fee and its currency. Use the minimum order specification for the separate order restriction. A shipping charge is not an equivalent pickup charge. Submit minimum_order_value only when the product price is less than or equal to that minimum, as specified by Google.
Build the evidence around one purchase context
Select a real pickup-enabled product and the country in which its offer appears. Record the rule shown on the product page, then the rule applied in the buying journey before payment details are entered. Compare both with the submitted product data. Keep the product, currency and destination consistent throughout the check.
Give each discrepancy its own work item: the actual commercial rule, the evidence supporting it, the system that needs attention and its owner. A missing feed value and an undisclosed website charge are separate problems.
Illustrative scenario, not a measured store: collection costs £3, becomes free at £20, and the customer must spend £10 to order. Sending £20 as the order minimum misrepresents the rule. The numbers are fictional and serve only to show the difference between the conditions.
Verify what the receiving system sees
Finding a populated field in a feed editor is an intermediate result. Check the submitted record for the selected product, then inspect its status in Merchant Center. A correct value in your own system does not establish that Google received or accepted it.
The pickup amount must match the fee disclosed to shoppers. Keep dated evidence of the customer journey rather than relying on a settings screenshot alone. Recheck the comparison whenever the fee, threshold or selling country changes.
This is part of a wider product data discipline: the visible offer and the machine-readable offer should describe the same transaction. The VerityScore guide to Google’s AI visibility recommendations explains the broader relationship. Start this specific check with the rule that actually changes the customer’s cost or ability to order.