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Navigating Shopify billing extensions and payment policies

Shopify doesn't grant extensions or grace periods for bill payments. Ensure that your billing information and payment methods are up-to-date to avoid service disruptions.

Refer to the Shopify Terms of Service for more details on payment of fees and taxes.

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Manage your billing if you can't pay on the due date

Shopify doesn't manually change a subscription invoice due date or grant billing extensions to change when your payment is due. If a subscription payment fails, then Shopify retries the charge periodically. Your store remains fully active and continues accepting orders during this time. If the invoice is still unpaid after 28 days from the first failed attempt, then your store becomes frozen.

When a store is frozen for non-payment, you can't access the Shopify admin and customers can't view your store until the pending invoice is paid. Learn more about reactivating a frozen store, including what charges are required before reactivation.

Options to reduce or manage billing charges

If you need to reduce costs or temporarily stop charges before your store becomes frozen, then review the options available and choose the one that matches your goal.

Keep selling and accepting orders

To continue selling products and accepting customer orders, your store must remain on an active subscription plan with checkout activated (for example, Basic, Grow, or Advanced).

If your store has high transaction volumes or expensive apps, then consider downgrading to a lower-tier subscription plan or uninstalling apps you don't need to reduce your monthly bill while keeping checkout active.

Temporarily stop selling but keep working on your store

If you want to pause sales temporarily while you work on your store, then you can switch to the Pause and Build plan. The Pause and Build plan costs less per month and deactivates checkout. This means that customers can view your products but can't buy them.

Stop all Shopify subscription charges

If you no longer want to use Shopify, then you can cancel your subscription and deactivate your store. Your store automatically deactivates at the end of your current billing cycle after payment is successfully received for any outstanding amounts.

Reduce or stop third-party app charges

Third-party app subscriptions (for example, apps like YouTube, DSers, or other third-party tools) are billed separately from your Shopify subscription. Shopify Support can't change or cancel third-party app subscription tiers.

To reduce or stop third-party app charges, choose one of the following options:

  • Open the app and manage your subscription tier within the app's billing settings
  • Uninstall the app to stop future recurring charges (depending on the app's billing terms)
  • Contact the app developer for help with canceling or changing your app subscription

For more information, refer to App charges on your Shopify bills.

Shopify doesn't extend or reset free trials or promotional pricing. When you use Shopify during a free trial or promotional pricing period, fees for any added apps still apply.

After your trial or promotional period ends, you need to choose a paid plan to continue using Shopify's services. If you decide not to continue with your store, then make sure to cancel your subscription and any app-related charges before the next billing cycle to avoid unexpected charges.

If you need more time before deciding, then review your options if you're not ready to launch or build before your promotional period ends.

Handling of payment failures on Shopify accounts

For details on how Shopify retries failed payments, when your store becomes frozen, and what to do if you can't pay, refer to Manage your billing if you can't pay on the due date.

Preventing disruptions due to payment method failures

It's important to keep your payment methods up-to-date and ensure sufficient funds are available. Additionally, monitoring your billing date and setting reminders can help prevent unexpected disruptions.

Addressing discrepancies in billed fees

After receiving an invoice, review it and raise any issues regarding the billed subscription fees. Contact Shopify Support immediately if you notice discrepancies or have any billing concerns.

Refund eligibility in the event of a billing discrepancy

Shopify's Terms of Service don't allow for refunds. However, if there is a proven error, then you can discuss this with Shopify Support immediately to review and address the specific issue with your bill.

Consequences of not resolving outstanding fees

You can't access your account or storefront during the period of suspension caused by unpaid fees. If outstanding fees remain unpaid for 60 days following the date of suspension, then Shopify reserves the right to terminate your account as per the Shopify's Terms of Service. Learn more about handling your Shopify store termination.

Troubleshooting billing issues after payment

If you've paid your bill but are still experiencing issues with your online store, then consider the following information:

  • Payment processing delay: It might take some time for payments to process and for your store to reactivate.
  • Local troubleshooting: The issue might be local to your device or connection. Check your browser settings, internet connection, or try accessing your store from a different device. Refer to the local troubleshooting steps for guidance.

For detailed payment method troubleshooting, refer to Available payment methods for your Shopify bills.

Reactivate your frozen store

After you resolve billing issues, you can reactivate your Shopify store. For step-by-step instructions, refer to Reactivating your frozen Shopify store.

Before you contact Shopify Support about billing payment issues

Before reaching out to Shopify Support about billing payment issues, gather the following information to help resolve your issue faster:

  • Your store URL and account email address
  • The invoice number(s) for any outstanding or disputed bills
  • Your current payment method (card type, last 4 digits) and any error messages received when trying to pay
  • The date payment was attempted and whether it succeeded or failed
  • Screenshots of any error messages or payment failure notifications that are displayed
  • The option you're trying to use (such as Pause and Build, plan downgrade, or store deactivation)
  • Steps you've already tried, including whether you've attempted to update your payment method

Having this information ready helps Shopify Support assist you more efficiently.