Considerations and payment gateways for subscription products

Learn about requirements and considerations for using subscription products on your store.

If you have a subscription app installed, then subscription information becomes available in the following areas of your Shopify admin:

Products with subscription options also display additional information to your customers on your online storefront's product pages and checkout.

To view information about your subscriptions in your Shopify admin, you must be using a subscription app from the Shopify App Store, such as the free first-party Shopify Subscriptions app.

You can track subscription data in select reports. To view the data, you need to add the Purchase option filter or column. Subscription data is available in all sales reports.

Considerations for subscription products

Review the following considerations for using subscription products on your store.

Payment gateways and customer payment details

You must use one of the supported payment gateways for subscriptions.
Customers can't use local payment methods to purchase subscriptions.
Customer payment information is stored securely by Shopify. You can't access your customers' full credit card information after it's been entered.
If a customer deletes a payment card from their Shop Pay account, then any active subscriptions linked to that card continue until the customer cancels them separately. Learn more about deleting cards and subscriptions.

Sales channel and order compatibility

Subscription products are supported only on the online store, Shopify POS, Shop, and custom storefront sales channels.
Subscriptions can't be used with draft orders.

Billing, shipping, and delivery

Customers are billed for their purchase the day after the subscription is due at 10:00 am in your store's local time.
You can use shipping and delivery options to deliver subscription orders, including local delivery and pickup in store.

Discounts and gift cards

Automatic discounts that you create in the Discounts section of your Shopify admin can be applied to subscription orders, ensuring that each order receives the specified discount.
Shopify Scripts that apply discounts to subscription costs or shipping rates apply only to the first payment.
Gift cards that are used to pay for subscriptions apply only to the first payment.

App compatibility and permissions

The order edits API doesn't support subscriptions.
Bundles aren't compatible with the Shopify Subscriptions app.
Users require a role with the apps and sales channels store permission to access subscription app.

Supported subscription product payment gateways

To use third-party subscription apps, your store must use one of the following payment gateways:

Payment gateway availability varies by region and terms of service.

Shopify Payments

Consider the following benefits and limitations of using Shopify Payments with third-party subscription apps:

Automatic card updates reduce payment failures or declines, especially when customers receive new cards.
Customers can use accelerated checkouts, such as Shop Pay, Apple Pay, Google Pay, or PayPal, to purchase subscriptions.
Customers can use only Shop Pay on some stores.
Apple Pay support for subscriptions is limited to Visa and Mastercard.

PayPal Express

Consider the following benefits and limitations of using PayPal Express with third-party subscription apps:

Customers can use the PayPal Express gateway and PayPal as a wallet option.
Third-party transaction fees are charged if Shopify Payments isn't activated on your store.

Authorize.net

Consider the following benefits and limitations of using Authorize.net with third-party subscription apps:

PayPal is the only wallet option available to customers. Google Pay and Apple Pay aren't supported.

Stripe

Consider the following benefits and limitations of using Stripe with third-party subscription apps:

Available only to select merchants.
You might be able to use Stripe as a wallet option if your store can't use Shopify Payments.

Card auto updater for Shopify Payments

When a customer's card expires or is replaced, automatic card updates might be supported for Shopify Payments or other payment gateways.

Shopify Payments integration

Automatic card updates: Shopify Payments collaborates with major card networks to automatically update saved card details when customers receive new cards.
Benefits:
- Reduces the likelihood of payment failures or declines.
- Minimizes the need for you to collect new card details when a card is replaced.
Availability: Automatic card updates are widely supported in the United States for major card networks, with international support varying.

Other supported payment gateways

If you use another supported gateway, then you might need customers to update their payment details manually to continue being charged. You should confirm with your payment gateway whether you can automatically receive updated payment details from major card networks.

Recurring shipments

When your customer selects an available shipping method on an order that includes subscriptions, that shipping method applies to the initial delivery of any subscriptions in the order as well as any one-time purchases. After the initial delivery, recurring shipments for subscriptions revert to the default shipping method for subscriptions.

When an order includes subscriptions, the Shipping method section includes the following additional sections:

The First shipment section, where customers can select a shipping method for their order. This selection applies to the initial delivery of all items in the order, including subscriptions and one-time purchase items.
The Recurring payments section, which displays the shipping method, transit time, cost, and delivery frequency for each recurring shipment included in the order.

Your customers can choose from all available shipping rates that apply to the products in their order for the initial delivery.

The initial delivery shipping rate depends on whether the order contains only subscriptions, or both subscriptions and one-time purchase items, and on the origin of the shipping methods that apply to subscriptions. Consider the following factors:

If you created shipping profiles in your Shopify admin for your subscriptions, then a single shipping rate applies to the entire order.
If you created shipping profiles in your third-party subscriptions app, then the shipping rate is applied based on the following factors:
- When the order contains a combination of subscriptions and one-time purchases, the app's shipping rate is added to the customer's selected shipping rate for the one-time purchases.
- When the order contains subscriptions only, the third-party app's shipping rate applies to the order.

After the initial delivery, recurring shipments default to the least expensive available shipping method. Recurring shipments are billed and fulfilled separately, even if they have overlapping delivery dates. The delivery frequency of a recurring shipment excludes the estimated delivery window of the shipping method. For example, if a subscription ships on the 15th day of the month, and the shipping method has a 5-day delivery time, then the customer will receive their order in 19 days.

If your subscription delivery frequency is set to a specific day of the week or month, then the initial delivery still ships on that day of the week regardless of the order shipping method that was selected. For example, if your customer places an order on the first day of the month that includes a subscription that ships on the 15th day of every month, and selects an express 2-day shipping method, then the subscription ships on the 15th day of the month. The initial delivery ships with the express shipping method on the 15th, followed by recurring shipments with the default subscription shipping method.

Example of a checkout with subscriptions

For example, your store sells travel mugs and whole bean coffee by the pound. Your customers can purchase whole bean coffee by the pound as a one-time purchase, or as a subscription. You don't ship subscriptions on specific days of the week or month.

Your customer adds the following products to their cart:

a coffee mug
a pound of coffee to be delivered every 2 weeks

The customer proceeds to the checkout, which displays the following shipping methods in the First Shipment section:

an Express method with a 1–2 day delivery time for $20 USD
a Standard shipping method with a 5–8 day delivery time for $10 USD

The customer broke their favorite travel mug, and wants to get a replacement as soon as possible, so they choose Express shipping. They're charged $20 USD for the entire order.

In the Recurring Payments section, the customer can review the following shipping information for the pound of coffee in their order:

the Standard shipping method and 5 to 8 business days delivery time
that the cost of the initial delivery is Included, followed by a $10 USD charge every 2 weeks

The customer receives both the travel mug and a pound of coffee in 2 days, because the initial delivery shipping method was Express and your store doesn't ship subscriptions on a specific day of the month. Two weeks after placing their first order, they're charged $10 USD for the next pound of coffee, and then receive it after 5 days because the default least expensive shipping method was Standard.

Customer checkout experience

If an order includes subscriptions, then the following additional information displays on the checkout:

Delivery frequency displays under each subscription line item.
The Shipping method section displays a shipping selection for the initial delivery, as well as additional information for the recurring shipments of subscriptions.
The checkout displays a purchase option agreement. By proceeding to payment or reviewing their order, your customer confirms that they understand that they're purchasing a subscription.
If the Require a confirmation step setting is checked in Settings > Checkout, then the order review page displays a notice reminding the customer that their order contains recurring charges for their subscriptions.

Editing checkout wording for subscription purchases

Your online store checkout displays specific wording for orders that contain subscriptions or other purchase options. Review the following details about which wording you can edit, based on the Shopify plan that your store is on:

If your store is on the Shopify Plus plan, then you can edit all the wording in the following table.
If your store is on any other plan, then you can edit only the cancellation instructions wording, such as You may cancel anytime by going to your account or contacting the store. You can't edit or remove any other checkout subscriptions wording.

You can find the checkout subscriptions wording in the Checkout & system section of your theme content editor. The following table lists the different types of wording, and the Shopify plans where stores can edit the wording.

Details of checkout wording for subscription purchases and which plans have editing permissions.
Theme content editor label	Checkout wording	Editable by
Checkout payment > Purchase options subscription agreement label	Your cart contains an automatically renewing subscription. By clicking "`{{ button_label }}`," `{{ consent_text }}` `{{ cancellation_instructions }}`	Shopify Plus only
Checkout payment > Purchase options subscription consent text	you expressly and affirmatively agree that you will be automatically charged the recurring amount(s) shown in your cart (plus shipping and taxes) until the subscription(s) ends or you cancel.	Shopify Plus only
Checkout payment > Purchase options subscription cancellation instructions	`{{ cancel_text }}` Please see the `{{ cancellation_policy_label }}`.	All plans
Checkout payment > Purchase options subscription cancel text	You may cancel anytime by going to your account or contacting the store.	All plans
Checkout payment > Subscription agreement label	One or more items in your cart is a deferred or subscription purchase. By continuing with your payment, you agree that your payment method will automatically be charged at the price and frequency listed on this page until it ends or you cancel. All cancellations are subject to the `{{ cancelled }}`	Shopify Plus only
Checkout payment > Subscription agreement label html	I understand that I'm agreeing to a subscription. It will renew at the price and frequency listed until it ends or is `<a class="link--small" data-modal="true" data-title-text="{{ subscription_policy }}" href="{{ policy_href }}">cancelled</a>`	Shopify Plus only
Checkout payment > Subscription card update agreement label	Changing the payment method will update your subscription and future recurring payments	Shopify Plus only
Checkout payment > Purchase options card update agreement label html	By updating your payment method, you authorize payments for any recurring or deferred purchase according to this store's `<a class="link--small" data-modal="true" data-title-text="{{ cancellation_policy }}" href="{{ policy_href }}">cancellation policy</a>`	Shopify Plus only
Checkout payment > Purchase options agreement label	One or more items in your cart is a deferred or recurring purchase. By continuing with your payment, you agree that your payment method will automatically be charged at the price and frequency listed on this page until it ends or you cancel. All cancellations are subject to the `{{ cancellation_policy_label }}`	Shopify Plus only
Checkout payment > Purchase options agreement label html	I understand that one or more items in my cart is a deferred or recurring purchase. By continuing, I agree to the `<a class="link--small" data-modal="true" data-title-text="{{ subscription_policy }}" href="{{ policy_href }}">cancellation policy</a>` and authorize you to charge my payment method at the prices, frequency and dates listed on this page until my order is fulfilled or I cancel, if permitted	Shopify Plus only
Checkout payment > Purchase options agreement label wallets	By continuing with your payment, you agree to the future charges listed on this page and the cancellation policy	Shopify Plus only
Checkout payment > Purchase options and vaulting agreement label	One or more items in your cart is a deferred or subscription purchase. By continuing with your payment, you agree that your payment method will automatically be charged at the price and frequency listed on this page until it ends or you cancel. All cancellations are subject to the `{{ cancellation_policy_label }}`	Shopify Plus only
Checkout subscriptions recurring total intervals day/week/month/year > One	day/week/month/year	Shopify Plus only
Checkout subscriptions recurring total intervals day/week/month/year > Other	`{{ count }}` days/weeks/months/years	Shopify Plus only
Checkout subscriptions > Recurring totals	`{{ total_price }}` every `{{ interval }}`	Shopify Plus only
Checkout subscriptions > Recurring totals with initial order shipping discount	First payment `{{ total_price_with_discount }}`, then `{{ recurring_total }}`	Shopify Plus only
Checkout subscriptions recurring totals with policies first cycles > One	First payment `{{ total_price }}`	Shopify Plus only
Checkout subscriptions recurring totals with policies first cycles > Other	First `{{ count }}` payments `{{ total_price }}` each	Shopify Plus only
Checkout subscriptions recurring totals with policies > Following cycles	, then `{{ total_price }}` every `{{ interval }}`	Shopify Plus only
Checkout order summary > Recurring subtotal label	Recurring subtotal	Shopify Plus only
Checkout order summary > Recurring total label	Recurring total	Shopify Plus only
Checkout order summary > Recurring total multiple label	This order has a recurring charge for multiple items	Shopify Plus only

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