What usually causes this

After you update a shipping rule on a category or tag, there are a few reasons the old behaviour might persist at checkout:

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1. Object cache

WordPress and WooCommerce cache term meta (which includes category and tag data) using object caching. If you use a persistent object cache (Redis, Memcached), the old rule might be served from cache even after you've saved the update.

Fix: Flush your object cache. In Redis, you can do this from your hosting control panel or using WP-CLI: wp cache flush. Then retest in a fresh browser session.

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2. Page/full-site cache

If your checkout page is cached by a full-page caching plugin (WP Rocket, LiteSpeed Cache, Kinsta Cache, etc.), customers may see a cached version of the page.

Fix: Purge the cache from your caching plugin's dashboard and test in an incognito window.

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3. The product has its own rule that overrides the category

Product-level rules take priority over category and tag rules. If the product you're testing has a rule set directly in its editor, that rule wins — no matter what you set on the category.

Fix: Open the product, scroll to the Shipping Methods panel, and check whether a product-level rule is active. Remove or update it if needed.

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4. Product not actually in that category or carrying that tag

Double-check the product is actually assigned to the category or tag you edited. Open the product in the editor and verify under Product Categories and Product Tags on the right-hand side panel.

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If rules still don't apply after checking all of the above, open a support ticket with details of the category/tag rule you set, the product you tested, and the shipping methods that appeared.