I am bringing this up again because it has been three years, and Shopify has still not provided a solution for using Indian credit cards for Shopify Ads.
Some people suggest using foreign credit cards as a workaround, but this is simply not a viable or affordable solution for us. If I run ads for just $100 a month, I am forced to pay an additional $20 to $35 in commissions, forex markups, and fees. If I could use my local Indian credit card, I wouldn’t have to bear these exorbitant extra costs.
How are small businesses from India supposed to progress and scale when we lose such a massive chunk of our ad budget just to process a payment? We desperately need a native solution for our country’s cards, not an expensive workaround.
Can the Shopify team please provide a transparent update on when Indian credit cards will finally be supported for ad billing?
Hi @myappsmarket, this is Vineet from Identixweb, a Shopify Development Agency.
Yes, this is a real limitation right now, and it’s not just a normal card issue.
Shopify’s App Store Ads billing documentation says App Store Ads are billed in USD and require a valid Visa, Mastercard, or American Express credit card in the Partner Dashboard.
But Shopify’s India billing support for UPI/Razorpay/INR payments applies to regular Shopify store bills, not necessarily Partner App Store Ads billing.
There’s also a Shopify Developer Community reply I do not remember where Shopify staff said that if your business address and banking information are registered in India, you currently wouldn’t be able to purchase App Store Ads, and there is no set timeline for a fix yet.
The only workaround mentioned was using a credit card without an India-based billing address, which clearly isn’t ideal for Indian partners.
So I agree this needs a proper native solution from Shopify, especially since Indian app partners are already building for the Shopify ecosystem. At minimum, Shopify should either support Indian cards/UPI for App Store Ads or make this restriction clearly visible in the App Store Ads billing documentation before partners invest in app launch plans.
For now, I’d suggest opening a Partner Support ticket and asking them to attach your account to the existing India App Store Ads billing limitation/feature request. I’d also avoid using fake billing details or risky workarounds, since that can create account or tax issues later.
Thank you so much for validating this issue and providing such a clear explanation. It is really helpful to hear from another Indian partner who understands the exact pain points we are facing.
I completely agree with your advice. Resorting to foreign credit cards or fake billing addresses is not a safe or viable option, as it can lead to severe account, legal, and tax complications down the line. As I mentioned earlier, paying an extra $20 to $35 in commissions and forex markups on a small $100 ad budget is financially crippling for small developers and agencies here.
It is incredibly disappointing that Shopify encourages Indian developers to build apps for their ecosystem but restricts us from marketing them using our own local banking systems. Your point about updating the App Store Ads documentation is spot on—Shopify must make this restriction clearly visible so partners don’t invest time and money blindly.
I will definitely open a Partner Support ticket to add my account to this feature request, as you suggested. But after 3 years of waiting, Shopify really needs to prioritize a native solution for India instead of just noting it as a limitation.
Thanks again for your support and for speaking up on this!
Rules are tighter for Indian users on both ends, whether you are paying or receiving. RBI regulations and strict cross-border movement policies make things genuinely painful, mostly because of the guardrails put in place to prevent money laundering.
