Activation & Requirements
Make sure your store is set up correctly to sell subscriptions - payment gateways, permissions, and theme compatibility.
Payment Gateway Requirements
Important: Subscriptions only work with specific payment gateways that support recurring billing.
Supported Payment Gateways
Shopify Payments | Recommended - built into Shopify |
Stripe | Available in most countries |
PayPal Express | Requires PayPal business account |
Authorize.net | US-based payment processor |
Not Supported: Manual payment methods, cash on delivery, bank transfers, and most regional payment gateways.
How to Check Your Payment Gateway
Go to Shopify Admin → Settings → Payments
Look at your active payment provider
If using an unsupported gateway, switch to one of the supported options
Sales Channel Requirements
Subscriptions are only available on:
Online Store - Your main Shopify storefront
Custom Storefront - Headless commerce using Storefront API
Not Supported: POS (for initial subscription purchase), Facebook Shop, Instagram Shopping, Amazon, eBay.
Note: Once a subscription is created, you CAN use POS to look up customers and apply their benefits.
Theme Compatibility
Subscribfy works with all Shopify 2.0 themes. The subscription widget automatically appears on product pages.
Shopify 2.0 Themes
Works automatically - no code changes needed.
Vintage (1.0) Themes
May require manual code changes. Contact support for help.
How to Check Your Theme Version
Go to Online Store → Themes
Click Customize
If you see "App embeds" in the sidebar, you have a 2.0 theme
App Permissions
When you install Subscribfy, it requests these permissions:
Products | To add subscription options to your products |
Customers | To track subscribers and their subscriptions |
Orders | To create recurring orders and track payments |
Discounts | To apply subscriber discounts and store credits |
Checkout | To show subscription options at checkout (Shopify Plus) |
All permissions are required for the app to function properly.
Initial Sync
After installation, Subscribfy syncs with your store:
Products sync - Imports your product catalog
Collections sync - Imports your collections
Customers sync - Imports existing customers
This may take a few minutes depending on your store size. You'll see a banner: "The application is synchronizing with your shop in the background."
Wait for sync to complete before creating subscriptions.
Shopify Plus Features
Some features require Shopify Plus:
Checkout Extensibility | OTP verification, countdown timer, loyalty at checkout |
Checkout UI Extensions | Custom subscription widgets in checkout |
Functions | Advanced discount logic |
These features are optional. Core subscription functionality works on all Shopify plans.
Activation Checklist
Before going live, verify:
Payment gateway is Shopify Payments, Stripe, PayPal Express, or Authorize.net
Theme is Shopify 2.0 compatible
Initial sync is complete
At least one subscription plan is created
Subscription widget appears on product pages
Test checkout works successfully
Troubleshooting Activation
"Your store is NOT configured properly to sell subscriptions"
Your payment gateway doesn't support recurring billing. Switch to Shopify Payments, Stripe, PayPal Express, or Authorize.net.
Subscription widget not showing on products?
Make sure you've created a subscription plan and assigned products to it. Check that your theme supports app blocks.
Sync taking too long?
Large stores with many products may take up to 30 minutes. If stuck longer, contact support.
Test checkout failing?
Verify your payment gateway is in test mode. Check that you're using a test card number.
