A General Guide to App Charges and Refunds

Trevor
Shopify Staff (Retired)

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You may be charged for an app you’ve uninstalled, or see a pending charge for an app you’ve recently installed in your store. If that’s the case, then read on! In this post, we’ll explore how to view upcoming charges for apps, the apps billing cycle, and how you can request a refund for an app if you’ve been incorrectly charged. 

 

Upcoming Charges & App Billing Cycles

 

App billing cycles differ from the regular Shopify subscription cycle as they begin on the date the app becomes active on the store. App charges then become pending charges that accumulate until your next subscription billing date.

Note: If your pending app charges reach your billing threshold, then you will be billed immediately. 

 

In the Bills section, you will find upcoming charges, along with all invoices that have been issued under your account. To open your billing area:

US Merchants: 

 

  • Log in as the Store Owner
  • Go to Finances  
  • Click Billing

Non-US Merchants: 

 

  • Log in as the Store Owner
  • Go to Settings
  • Click Billing
  • Scroll down to the “Bills” section

All pending charges will appear under the “Upcoming Charges” section of the Billing area. Here you’ll see charges for apps, shipping labels, transaction fees, and the monthly subscription. App charges will appear here if the app's billing cycle begins in your current billing cycle. 

 

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Note: Uninstalling an app does not remove the pending charge from the account as the charge is considered valid. See the “Refunds” section below for more information.

 

Note: If you deactivate your store, then any upcoming charges will be billed immediately. Stores can not be closed until all upcoming charges are paid in full. 

 

To view an app's billing cycle, you will need to click on one of your invoices that has an app charge. 

 

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In the screenshot, we can see that the app billing cycle and subscription billing cycle are different. The subscription billing cycle (as indicated by the date at the top of the invoice) is from July 13th to August 12th. Whereas the app's billing cycle is from July 21st to August 20th. You are charged for both your app fees and subscription fees at the end of your regular Shopify subscription billing cycle, even if the billing cycles don’t align.

If you see a charge for an app you’ve removed, or you believe you’ve been charged in error, then you may be able to request a refund for the app charge. 


Refund Requests 

 

You will be charged for an app once your Shopify subscription billing cycle rolls over. App charges are considered valid if the app remains active on the store for some or all of the duration of the billing cycle. For this reason, if you'd like to request a refund for an app, it's important to uninstall the app as soon as possible. Most app developers will only consider offering a refund after the app is uninstalled. 

 

Refund process for upcoming & unpaid  charges: 

 

Upcoming charges: Typically, upcoming charges will not require the approval of the app developer, as no charge has taken place. If you have uninstalled an app, but have an upcoming charge for the app, then we may be able to remove the charge. To request a charge removal, contact Shopify Support so we can review the case and escalate to our Billing team if necessary. 

 

Unpaid charges: Unpaid charges occur when we’ve unsuccessfully tried to collect the funds for all upcoming charges (i.e the credit card rejected the charge). Unpaid charges are moved into a pending state until the invoice is paid. All charges on an unpaid invoice are considered valid. For this reason,you will require the app developers approval before an app charge can be removed. 

 

If you have a pending invoice, then app charges can be removed before the invoice is paid in full. See Refund process for paid charges for more information. With the approval of the app developer, you can then contact Shopify Support for further assistance. 

 

Refund process for paid charges: 

 

If you have been charged for an app and would like a refund, then you will first need to uninstall the app. From there, you need to gain the approval of the app developer. You can contact the app developer directly by using the email listed on their Shopify app store app page. The app developer will review the request. If they approve of the request, then they can follow our guide on how to process a refund. 

 

If you’re unsure of how to contact the app developer, or if you haven’t heard back from the app developer about your request, then please contact Shopify Support. We can assist you with contacting the app developer to gain approval for the refund. 

 

Note: If the app was developed by Shopify, then please contact Shopify Support directly as we would review refund requests for Shopify developed apps. 


There you have it! This article has helped you understand how apps are charged and how you can request a refund. We have further information on app charges and the billing section in our Help Center here. Feel free to leave a comment below if you have any questions. You can also contact Shopify Support at any time should you need account specific assistance.

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