Shopify POS store credit: how to apply it to an order, in store and online

Shopify POS store credit works once you switch it on as a payment method. Then a staff member applies it from the cart in two taps, and online customers apply it themselves at checkout after signing in. This guide covers spending, checking and editing credit, in store and online. To issue credit in the first place, start with our guide on how to give store credit on Shopify.

Before you start: what has to be on

Most "store credit isn't showing" problems at the till are a setting, not a bug. Check these four first.

Both POS permissions have three options: Allowed, Approval required (a manager approves) or Denied. If your newer staff keep calling a manager over, that's usually why.

Turn on store credit in Shopify POS

From Shopify's POS payments guide:

1. In the Shopify admin, go to Sales channels > Point of Sale.
2. In the Customize the in-store experience section, click Edit for POS app.
3. Click Checkout.
4. Click the view icon next to Store credit.
5. Click Save.

That sets the default for all devices. To change one device, open the menu in the POS app, go to Settings > Checkout > Payments and tap Store credit.

In Shopify POS, how do I apply store credit to an order?

There are two ways, and they end in the same place. Use whichever matches how your staff work.

From the cart (fastest when the customer is at the counter):

1. Add the products and the customer to the cart.
2. In the customer details section, tap Apply store credit.

From the customer profile (handy when you want to see the balance first):

1. Add the products to the cart.
2. Tap Customers, find the customer and tap their name.
3. Tap + Add to cart to add their profile to the cart.
4. In the Wallets section, tap Store credit.
5. Tap + Apply to cart.

The order total drops by the credit. Tap Checkout and take any remainder with another payment method as usual.

What POS won't let you do

Shopify's redeem page lists three limits:

• No partial amounts. "You can't redeem custom partial amounts of store credit to the order." The full balance is applied, up to the order total. With 30 USD in the cart and 50 USD of credit, 30 USD is used and the rest stays on the account.
• No gift cards in the cart. "Store credit can't be applied to a cart that contains a gift card product." Ring the gift card up as a separate sale.
• No offline mode. Store credit can't be applied when Shopify POS is offline. If the shop Wi-Fi drops, you can't use it until POS reconnects.

How to see a customer's store credit balance

The balance shows in three places.

In POS. Add the customer to the cart and the available amount appears in the customer details section. Or open the customer from Customers and look at the Wallets section. Tap Store credit to see expiry dates and the transaction history.

In the admin. Open the customer and click the balance in the Store credit section. All transactions shows the full history and Expirable amounts shows what expires and when. Staff need the Store credit and View store credit transactions permissions.

For the customer. A signed-in customer sees their balance in their account details, and again at checkout.

If you issued credit in more than one currency, remember the customer only sees the balance that matches the checkout currency.

How to edit or remove store credit in POS and the admin

Credit goes up and down on its own. A refund to store credit adds it, and a sale paid with it removes it. You only edit by hand for goodwill, service problems or mistakes.

In Shopify POS (manage balances):

1. Tap the customer icon, find the customer and tap their name.
2. In the Wallets section, tap Store credit.
3. In the Balance section, tap Edit.
4. In the Edit store credit balance dialog, tap Add or Remove and enter the amount. New balance shows the result.
5. Optional: tap Add expiry date, pick the month and day, and tap OK.
6. Tap Add to balance or Remove from balance.

POS has no reason field here, so go back to the customer profile and write one in the Note section.

In the admin (store credit page), open the customer, click Edit in the Store credit section, choose Credit to add or Debit to remove, pick the currency if you sell in more than one, enter the amount, click Review changes and confirm. Both actions need the Store credit and Edit store credit permissions. The admin is also where you choose Notify customer, which emails them about new credit.

Shopify POS refund to store credit and exchanges

Refunding in-person returns to store credit is the most common way credit gets created in a shop. First turn on Allow orders to be refunded to store credit in the Point of Sale sales channel settings. The order must have a customer profile (POS asks you to create one if it doesn't), and staff need the Refund orders permission (listed in POS roles as Return and exchange orders).

From the returns and exchanges page:

1. Tap the order icon and open the order.
2. Tap Return and set the quantity with + and -.
3. Optional: turn off restocking and tap Don't restock.
4. Tap Next, tap Select reason and pick a reason, then tap Next.
5. Optional: tap Refund tips or Refund shipping.
6. In the Options section, tap Refund to store credit, then tap Refund.
7. Offer a receipt and tap Done.

One small surprise is that credit issued through a POS refund sends the customer an Order refund email, not a Store credit issued email.

Exchanges with store credit are only for locations on the Shopify POS Pro subscription. Tap Return or exchange, pick the returned and new items, then on the last screen either tap Apply store credit and Collect (the customer owes you) or Refund to store credit and Refund (you owe them).

The rules for online refunds, and when the law says the money must go back to the card, are in our guide to refunding to store credit on Shopify.

How to use store credit on Shopify online

Online, the customer does it, not you. From the store credit page:

1. The customer signs in to their customer account, or uses Shop Pay.
2. In the Payments section of checkout, a Store credit section shows the available balance.
3. They choose Apply store credit.

The same rule as POS applies: "Only the full store credit amount can be applied as a payment method", up to the order total. A guest checkout shows nothing, which is the first thing to check when a customer says the credit is missing.

How to apply store credit to an online order you create

You can't apply store credit to a draft order or an edited order from the admin. If a customer phones in an order and wants to pay with credit, send them a checkout link:

1. Create a draft order and add the customer's details.
2. Click Send invoice.
3. Change the recipient, subject and message if you need to.
4. Click Review invoice, check the details and click Send invoice.

The customer opens the link, signs in or uses Shop Pay, and applies their credit at checkout.

Limits and gotchas, online and in POS

A few more rules from the store credit page that apply everywhere:

• Channels. Store credit works in the online store, POS and the Shop app. Other sales channels don't accept it.
• Expiry. Each credit has its own expiry date (or none). It ends at the end of the day in your store's timezone, and the credit that expires first is used first. Check the law before you set one; see our guide to store credit expiration laws.
• Cap. You can issue less than 15,000 USD of credit on one customer account.
• Subscriptions. Credit pays for the first subscription purchase, not the renewals.
• B2B. Credit on a customer profile only works in your direct-to-consumer store. B2B credit goes on company locations.
• Fees. For stores created on or after 12 May 2025, orders paid with store credit are charged third-party transaction fees on the amount paid with credit.

If you're deciding between credit and gift cards for returns, our comparison of Shopify gift cards vs store credit sets out who can spend each and how they're taxed.

Where an app fits

Shopify's native tools cover everything above: issue, apply, edit, refund and report. You don't need an app to use store credit at the till.

What the admin doesn't do well is tell the customer why they got credit. The POS refund sends an Order refund email, and adjustments in POS have no reason field. That's the gap we built Giftmint for. It sends native Shopify store credit by email with an expiry date and a reason on record, and on the Business plan you can issue it in bulk from a spreadsheet. On Pro it also sells gift cards at the POS counter and checks their balances. Giftmint is in final development and not on the Shopify App Store yet, so the link goes to the launch list.

GiftmintGift cards with emails that carry your logo, delivery on the day the buyer picks and a balance check in your store.See how it works

Quick checklist for your shop

• Customer accounts upgraded from legacy.
• Store credit added to the POS payment methods and on for each device.
• Staff roles set for Redeem store credit and Manage store credit.
• Allow orders to be refunded to store credit turned on if you refund returns to credit.
• Staff know to add the customer to the cart before checkout.
• Gift cards rung up separately from purchases paid with credit.
• A note written on the customer profile for every manual adjustment.

With those in place, applying store credit in Shopify POS is two taps, and online it's one click for a signed-in customer.

Frequently asked questions