Zen Cart Shipping Insurance
Zen Cart stores have offered optional insurance for years. Keep it optional, and make sure a real insurer is behind it.
Scope your Zen Cart setupot_insurance, adds an optional insurance line, but its compatibility with current Zen Cart is not confirmed. InsureShip connects to Zen Cart through its API or a custom integration. Contact us to scope setup for your store.Reviewed by Kyle Gibson, Compliance Auditor · Updated October 2026
Key takeaways
- Zen Cart core has no shipping insurance.
- Order-total modules (
ot_*) add lines such as an insurance charge to the order. - A community insurance module dates from 2006. Test it carefully before use on a current store.
- That module can be changed to mandatory. Keep it optional instead.
- A charge on its own is not coverage. Know which licensed company pays claims.
Does Zen Cart include shipping insurance?
No. Zen Cart, a free PHP cart that began as a fork of osCommerce, has no insurance in core. The best-known add-on is a community “Optional Shipping Insurance Module” first posted on the Zen Cart forum on October 30, 2006.
According to that thread, it lives at includes/modules/order_total/ot_insurance.php. It can price coverage at USPS rates, as a percentage of the subtotal, or with an incremental rate, and skips virtual items and gift certificates. Shoppers see a checkbox at checkout. We have not verified that it runs on Zen Cart 2.x.
InsureShip connects to Zen Cart through its API or a custom integration. Contact us to scope setup for your store. We do not offer a native Zen Cart extension, module or plugin today.
How do you add shipping insurance to Zen Cart?
- Scope with InsureShip. Tell us your Zen Cart version, your PHP version and which add-ons touch checkout.
-
Build or adapt an order-total module. A module in
includes/modules/order_total/adds the insurance line. Price it with the rule you agree with InsureShip. - Keep the checkbox optional and unchecked. Do not convert it to a hidden, always-on field.
- Enable and sort it in admin. Place the line after shipping in the order-total sort order.
- Report insured orders. Send InsureShip each insured order through the API once it ships.
How do Zen Cart order-total modules work?
Order-total modules are PHP classes whose file names start with ot_. Each one adds a line to the order total, for example subtotal, shipping, tax or a fee. An insurance module adds one more line when the shopper opts in.
The 2006 thread shows why defaults matter. A later post explains how to make the module mandatory by swapping the checkbox for a hidden field set to opt_insurance = 1. That removes the shopper’s choice. We advise against it.
| Design choice | Our recommendation |
|---|---|
| Checkbox default | Unchecked; the shopper opts in |
| Line label | “Shipping insurance,” with a link to terms |
| Virtual items and gift certificates | No insurance charge |
| Reporting | Send insured orders to InsureShip after shipment |
How do claims work with InsureShip?
Your Zen Cart store never has to process a claim. No Zen Cart admin page is involved.
- File online at our claim page. InsureShip handles the claim from there.
- Up to $5,000 per shipment.
- Loss, damage and theft, including porch piracy.
- Licensed. InsureShip is licensed by the California Department of Insurance, license #0G55434, and licensed in all 50 states. Established in 2012, it is backed by Navigators (The Hartford), rated A+ by AM Best.
What are the checkout best practices for Zen Cart?
A few rules keep the checkout option clear and fair.
- Unchecked by default. InsureShip recommends, and configures by default, an opt-in (unchecked) offer. The shopper opts in. Several class-action complaints allege that pre-selected shipping protection toggles charged shoppers without clear consent. Those are allegations, not rulings; see our lawsuits tracker for status.
- Say “shipping insurance.” Avoid vague names, and show the price before the shopper pays.
- Link the terms right next to the checkbox, and say who insures the shipment.
- Keep it on its own line in totals, confirmation emails and invoices. Do not fold it into shipping or handling.
- Never hide it. A hidden, forced insurance field is the opposite of opt-in.
Whether a product counts as insurance is decided by state law and regulators, based on what it does, not what it is called. Read the risks of fake shipping insurance and our shipping insurance scams resource center. This is general information, not legal advice.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does Zen Cart include shipping insurance?
Not in core. A community order-total module called ot_insurance has offered an optional insurance line since 2006, but we have not verified it on Zen Cart 2.x.
Is there an InsureShip module for Zen Cart?
No. InsureShip connects to Zen Cart through its API or a custom integration. Contact us to scope setup for your store.
Can a Zen Cart insurance module be made mandatory?
The community thread shows how, using a hidden field. We recommend keeping insurance optional and unchecked so the shopper chooses it.
Should the shipping insurance box be pre-checked?
We recommend an unchecked box. Several class-action complaints allege problems with pre-selected shipping protection toggles. This is general information, not legal advice.
How do customers file a claim?
Online at the InsureShip claim page. InsureShip handles the claim, with coverage up to $5,000 per shipment for loss, damage and theft, including porch piracy.
Related resources
Scope a Zen Cart integration
Tell us your Zen Cart and PHP versions. We will map what an order-total module and API reporting need.
InsureShip: Established in 2012. Licensed by the California Department of Insurance, license #0G55434, and licensed in all 50 states. Underwritten by Navigators, a Hartford company, rated A+ by AM Best (Navigators Insurance Company, as of 2024).
Talk to InsureShipSources
Last checked October 9, 2026. General information, not legal advice. Zen Cart forum: Optional Shipping Insurance Module (2006) · The Hartford: Navigators fact sheet (April 2025)