USPS New API Brings 60-Call/Hour Limit That Can Break WooCommerce Checkout
USPS retired its legacy Web Tools APIs on January 25, 2026, replacing them with a new OAuth-based system at developers.usps.com that uses JSON endpoints for domestic and international shipping rates. The new API caps each registered app at 60 calls per hour per API, which can be exhausted quickly during high-traffic sales events, causing checkouts to display no USPS shipping options at all. Developers can request a higher quota through the USPS developer portal, but in the meantime the recommended workaround is to cache identical shipment queries — same origin, destination, weight, and dimensions — to stay within limits. Separately, USPS moved address validation behind a restricted license as of August 1, 2026, meaning plugins relying on default API keys for that feature will now receive a 403 error unless a specific license is applied for. Experts advise enabling debug logging after migrating to the new API and maintaining a fallback flat rate so customers always see a shipping option even if the live API fails.
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