Shopify Headless and custom Payment Gateway

Retired Boards Appdev Custom Storefronts

Topic summary

A development team is exploring using Shopify as a headless (API-only) solution with the Shopify Checkout API and Curbstone as a custom payment gateway. The gateway would handle customer credit card information via an external website or iframe.

Key Questions:

  • Are there legal or technical limitations for this setup in the USA as of May 2023?
  • Which Shopify paid plan is required for this configuration?
  • Can Curbstone be used if it’s not listed in Shopify’s approved payment gateway directory?

Concerns Raised:

  • Shopify’s terms appear to require using Shopify Checkout for payments unless explicit permission is granted, potentially prohibiting redirects to other checkout or payment processing systems.
  • The custom payment gateway is already in use on the client’s existing website.

Status:
The discussion remains unresolved. A second user later inquired whether the original poster found a solution, as they face a similar need for a B2B store serving a client using Curbstone for wholesale orders.

Summarized with AI on November 12. AI used: claude-sonnet-4-5-20250929.
1

Hello! :waving_hand:

We are Developers and plan to use Shopify as a headless solution (API-only) for our self-made e-commerce web-shop. We whant to use Shopify Checkout API and Curbstone as a custom Payment Gateway (external website\iframe, it will store a Customer credit card info).

By the May 2023 - is there any legal\tech limitations for us to do it? (USA) And what paid plan we must use for this?

Can’t find Cursbtone in a aproved payments apps list. Also this answer rising some questions.

Our custom PG is already in use on old website. Thnx in advance.

“Use Shopify Checkout for payments and don’t divert to any other web checkout or payment processing (unless you have our permission)” - Shopify API License and Terms of Use - Shopify

1 Like
2

Hi @JetDev - Did you ever solve for this? We are building a B2B store for a client who uses Curbstone for their current wholesale orders. Thanks!