Payment Holds

I’ve been on a payment hold since Oct 12. Since then There has been zero communication with the team despite sending multiple emails expressing my concerns and how this is negatively affecting my business. Chat support seems to be all AI and zero help and often giving inaccurate or dead end vague information. This is severely breaking my trust and confidence in this platform to be able to provide business support when we need it most. Anyone else experience similar issues? This is killing my small business in the busy season.

Hi @sonorasilver,

I completely understand how stressful that situation feels — especially during a high-sales period. Payment holds can really disrupt operations when there’s no clear update or communication.

Shopify typically places payment holds for reasons like verification checks, unusual account activity, or missing documentation. Even though it’s automated for security reasons, the lack of direct feedback can definitely be frustrating.

Here are a few steps that usually help move things forward faster:

  1. Reply directly to any existing ticket (instead of opening new ones) — this keeps your case in the same support thread and prevents delays.

  2. Check your email spam/junk folder — sometimes Shopify’s finance or risk team responses end up there.

  3. Use the “Contact Support” form through your admin rather than live chat — it routes your message to the account-specific risk team instead of general support.

  4. If your documents or ID were requested, re-upload them under Settings → Payments → View documents to make sure everything’s verified.

Unfortunately, only Shopify’s internal team can remove a hold, but persistent, clear communication on one thread helps ensure it’s reviewed quickly.

I’ve seen merchants regain access after providing additional verification or clarifying recent transaction spikes, so it’s definitely resolvable once the right team sees your message.

Hang in there — I know how tough this can be when cash flow is tight. Hopefully you’ll get a direct update soon.