Shopify Protect for Shop Pay
Shopify Protect offers chargeback protection from fraud. You can use Shopify Protect for free, and protect eligible orders against fraudulent and unrecognized chargebacks. Eligible orders are those processed through Shop Pay, including orders that use Shop Pay for transactions on other platforms, such as Facebook, Instagram, or Google.
If an eligible and protected order receives a fraudulent chargeback, then you're reimbursed the chargeback amount and associated chargeback fee. The chargeback process is handled for you. Shopify Protect is activated by default for stores that are in the early access program.
Learn more about Preventing chargebacks and inquiries.
On this page
Considerations for using Shopify Protect
Review the following considerations for more information about which orders are protected by Shopify Protect:
- Shopify Protect only protects orders that contain physical items and that require shipping. Orders with digital products or orders that are bought online and picked up in store aren't protected.
- Shopify Protect only protects orders that have all non-refunded line items in a Fulfilled status.
- Shopify Protect is only available for orders that are processed through Shop Pay. This includes orders made through Shop Pay as an accelerated checkout.
- You must be located in the United States and have a United States Shopify Payments account to protect your orders with Shopify Protect.
- Orders must be fulfilled with valid tracking within 7 days of the order being placed and in transit to the customer within 10 days to be protected. Orders that have tracking added after the fulfillment deadline are not eligible for protection.
- If you change the shipping address on an order after checkout, then the Shopify Protect coverage is voided on that order.
- Only orders with a Shopify Protect status are eligible for protection.
- To be protected, an order must be fulfilled with a valid tracking number from a supported carrier, either directly or through Shopify Shipping. All items in the order must be fulfilled by supported carriers. If an order contains items that are fulfilled by an unsupported carrier, then the order can't be protected. The following carriers are supported by Shopify Protect:
- Shopify Fulfillment Network (SFN)
- USPS
- UPS
- Canada Post
- DHL Express
- FedEx
- TForce Final Mile
- Lone Star Overnight
- United Delivery Service
- CDL Last Mile
- Lasership
- GLS
- Ontrac
Filter orders by protection status
After an order is placed in your store, the order is reviewed to determine whether it's eligible for Shopify Protect. If an order is eligible, then a Shopify Protect section is available on the order page. This section indicates the status of the order.
- Shopify Protect - This status indicates that Shopify Protect is available for the order if you fulfill the order within 7 days of the order being placed, add tracking information, and have the order in the posession of the carrier within 10 days of the order being placed.
- Protected by Shopify Protect - This status indicates that the order was fulfilled within 7 days of the order being placed and transferred to the possession of a carrier within 10 days of the order being placed. This status appears if there is a chargeback on the order. Fraudulent and unrecognized chargebacks on the order are addressed with Shopify Protect.
- Not protected by Shopify Protect - This status indicates that the order was not fulfilled within 7 days of the order being placed or transferred to the possession of a carrier within 10 days of the order being placed, or that a chargeback has been filed on the order for a reason other than fraudulent or unrecognized. This status appears if there is a chargeback on the order. Chargebacks on the order are addressed by using the typical process.
If an order is placed that is ineligible for Shopify Protect, then risk analysis is displayed instead of a Shopify Protect status on the order's page. You can use filters on the Orders page to find orders according to their Shopify Protect status.
Steps:
- From your Shopify admin, go to Orders.
- Click Filter.
- Click Shopify Protect.
- Click the status that you want to filter by:
- Protection active - orders that are eligible for Shopify Protect
- Protected - orders that are protected by Shopify Protect
- Not protected - orders that are not protected by Shopify Protect
Protect an order with Shopify Protect
To protect your order with Shopify Protect, fulfill the order within 7 days of the order being placed, add tracking information, and deliver the order to a carrier within 10 days of the order being placed. Before protecting an order, make sure that Shop Pay is activated in your store and that you read and understand the Shopify Protect Terms of Service.
Steps:
- From your Shopify admin, go to Orders.
- Click the order number of an unfulfilled order that you want to protect.
- Fulfill the order.
- If you're using Shopify Shipping to buy a shipping label for your order, then select Create shipping label.
- If you're using a carrier other than Shopify Shipping, then click Fulfill item(s), and then enter the tracking number from your shipping provider. The tracking URL is shown in the customer's shipping confirmation and shipping update emails. Some services, such as SFN or a third-party app, might automatically supply a tracking number for the order page.
- Optional: To send a notification email to the customer as soon as the order is fulfilled, select Send shipment details to your customer now.
- Click Fulfill item(s). If you're using Shopify Shipping, then select a shipping service, and then click Buy shipping label.
Using Shopify Protect instead of Fraud Protect
Shopify Protect and Fraud Protect can't be used at the same time. If Fraud Protect is already activated for your store, then you can either continue to use Fraud Protect, or deactivate it and use Shopify Protect.
If you want to continue to use Fraud Protect, then you don't need to do anything. Your orders on Shopify Payments are protected from fraudulent chargebacks, with a fee applied to protected orders.
If you want to use Shopify Protect, then you need to deactivate Fraud Protect. After you deactivate Fraud Protect, your Shopify Payments are no longer protected. However, orders on Shop Pay are protected from fraudulent chargebacks for free. Before you deactivate Fraud Protect, verify the following:
- You understand that Fraud Protect can't be reactivated after it's removed from your store.
- Shop Pay is activated for your store.
Steps:
- From your Shopify admin, click Settings.
- Click Payment providers.
- Next to Fraud Protect for Shopify Payments, click Deactivate Fraud Protect.
- Click Confirm deactivation.
Addressing chargebacks
If you receive a chargeback, then the process to respond to the chargeback varies depending on whether the order was protected by Shopify Protect and the reason for the chargeback.
Fraudulent or unrecognized chargebacks on protected orders
A chargeback is marked as fraudulent
if the cardholder didn’t authorize the charge. This is the most common reason for a chargeback and can happen if the card was stolen. An unrecognized
chargeback occurs when a customer doesn’t recognize the merchant name or location on their credit card statement.
If a fraudulent or unrecognized chargeback is made on a protected order, then you don't need to do anything. The following occurs in your account:
- The disputed amount and the chargeback fee are debited from your account.
- The disputed amount and the chargeback fee are immediately reimbursed to you in the form of a credit.
- If the cardholder's bank resolves the chargeback in your favor, then the disputed amount and fee is returned to you, and Shopify reverses the credit from Shopify Protect.
Debits and credits can be reviewed by going in your Shopify admin to the Payouts page and then clicking Transactions.
Fraudulent or unrecognized chargebacks on unprotected orders
If a fraudulent chargeback is made on an order that isn't protected, then the process to resolve a chargeback is the same as the typical process. The disputed amount and the chargeback fee aren't reimbursed to you unless the credit card company resolves the dispute in your favor.
Learn more about managing chargebacks and inquiries for chargebacks on unprotected orders.
Other types of chargebacks on protected or unprotected orders
Although fraudulent and unrecognized chargebacks are the most common types of chargeback, customers can also dispute a payment on their credit card if they claim they didn’t receive the product, or if they believe the product was defective, damaged, or not as described. Shopify Protect doesn't protect against these types of chargebacks.
Learn more about managing chargebacks and inquiries for other types of chargebacks.