I’m currently on the basic plan billed yearly. I don’t see the option to switch to “Pause and Build” when I click cancel plan twice… it just asks me why I want to cancel. Change plans doesn’t show me that option and switching from the app to desktop didn’t change anything.
Can someone perhaps shed some light?
@PoW8 Shopifys help page has a section for exactly this, and the list is only three things long. Since youre on Basic and past trial, and Basic obviously isnt Plus, that leaves one.
Check youre logged in as the store owner, not as staff. Thats the requirement people miss, because a staff account with plan permissions can change plans normally, it just wont be offered Pause and Build. If someone else set the store up originally, or you have two logins, thats almost certainly it.
If you are the owner and it still doesnt show, that same page says to contact support, and it lists what to have ready so you dont go back and forth.
One thing worth knowing before you find the button, since youre billed yearly. The switch is scheduled for the end of your current billing cycle, not immediate. Your store carries on normally and keeps taking orders until that date, which on an annual plan could be months away. If you need selling to stop now, turn on private mode under Online Store, Preferences, and switch back to public once the plan change lands.
Also worth planning for. When you unpause, your old plan is gone and you pick a new one. So your current annual arrangement doesnt come back automatically, you would be starting a fresh cycle.
Thanks I’ll double check that I am logged in as the owner
Hey @PoW8 ,
One thing worth checking is whether you’re logged in as the store owner and if there are any outstanding invoices on the account.
Being on an annual basic plan shouldn’t normally prevent the Pause and Build option from showing. If the store meets the eligibility requirements and the option is still missing on both desktop and mobile, Shopify Support would probably be the next step.
You can also check Settings → Plan to make sure the current plan and billing cycle are showing correctly.
Thank You!
Hi @PoW8 Welcome To Shopify Community So The Pause and Build has specific eligibility requirements, and if any aren’t met, the option simply won’t appear (no error message, it just doesn’t show up), which matches what you’re describing. Worth checking these:
You need to have been on a paid plan for at least 60 days, if the store is newer than that, Pause and Build won’t be offered yet regardless of plan type. Also confirm the store owner account (not a staff account) is the one attempting this, plan changes including Pause and Build are typically restricted to the owner login. If you have active Shopify Capital, that can also block the option from appearing until it’s resolved.
One thing specific to your setup: being on an annual billing cycle doesn’t block Pause and Build itself, but note that switching from annual to Pause and Build doesn’t refund your prepaid annual balance proportionally the way monthly billing does, it converts you to the $9/month rate going forward without crediting unused annual time, worth knowing before you commit if that matters to your decision.
If you’ve checked all of the above and the store genuinely meets every requirement but the option still isn’t showing, that’s specifically flagged in Shopify’s own documentation as a “contact Support directly” case, this isn’t a self-serve fixable setting issue at that point.
I’m the only one authorized account to edit anything as the owner and I don’t owe anything. I suppose I’ll have try and contact customer support.
Are there any unpaid invoices or failed payments on the account? Shopify will sometimes hide plan changes until the billing issue gets cleared, if so.
I don’t. I spoke to customer service and they couldn’t figure out the reason the option wouldn’t appear so they’re gonna manually switch it on their end.
Hello @PoW8, Mustafa_Ali’s checklist above is the right one to work through, and good that Support is manually flipping it since that’s exactly the “contact Support” case they described. One more thing worth knowing for anyone else hitting this: Pause and Build also won’t show up if the store used it within the last 12 months, so if this happens again down the line, that’s worth ruling out before opening another ticket. Thanks
Hi there @PoW8
Pause and Build availability may vary depending on the store’s billing cycle and eligibility, and thus it might not be available in the normal cancellation flow. As you’re on an annual Basic subscription, go to Settings > Plan and look at the available plans there instead of continuing through cancellation. If Pause and Build is still not appearing your current sub might just not be eligible for the option. You can be able to check your billling cycle and renewal date as well from the same section if you decide to make any changes.
