Shopify Subscriptions considerations and payment gateways

On this page you can find details on theme compatibility, payment gateway options, subscription considerations, staff permissions, and card auto updater features.

Theme compatibility

To display subscription products on your store, your theme must be Online Store 2.0 compatible and have sections and blocks.

The following free Shopify themes are supported:

Any Online Store 2.0 theme by Shopify
Debut on version 15.0 or later
Brooklyn on version 17.0 or later

Learn more about theme versions.

Staff permissions

Store owners can grant access to the Shopify Subscriptions app for their staff by managing staff permissions.

Subscription considerations

Automatic discounts created in the Discounts section of the Shopify admin can be applied to subscription orders, ensuring that each order receives the specified discount.
Billing takes place the day after the subscription is due at 10 am in your store's local time.
Gift cards used to pay for subscriptions apply to the first payment only.
Scripts that discount subscription price or shipping rates apply to the first payment only.
Subscription products are only supported on the Online Store and Custom Storefront sales channels.
The order edits API doesn't support subscriptions.
You can use shipping and delivery options to deliver subscription orders, including local delivery and local pickup.
You must use one of the supported payment gateways for subscriptions.

Purchase option considerations

Buy X get Y discounts aren't supported for purchase options.
Customers can't use local payment methods such as Klarna, mollie iDEAL, and Sofort, to purchase subscriptions.
Purchase options can't be used on draft orders.
You can't use purchase options through Shopify POS.

Supported payment gateways for Shopify Subscriptions

To use Shopify Subscriptions, your store must use one of the following payment gateways:

Payment gateway availability varies by region and terms of service. Consider the following benefits and limitations of each payment gateway that integrates with Shopify Subscriptions.

Shopify Payments

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 only use Shop Pay on some stores.
Apple Pay support for subscriptions is limited to the United States, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand for Visa and Mastercard.

PayPal Express

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

Customers will have PayPal as the only wallet option.
Google Pay and Apple Pay aren't supported.

Stripe

Only available 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.