How to Cancel Shopify, Pause Your Store or Change Your Plan

How to cancel Shopify, pause it, change your plan or create a second store: there are lots of questions around the Shopify account, and the settings aren't always easy to find. Here you'll learn how billing works, what happens to data, domain and apps when you cancel, and how to manage several stores cleanly. You'll find the full overview of costs, setup and launch in the hub Starting a Shopify store.

Paying for Shopify: is it possible without a credit card?

Yes. Beginners in Germany ask this especially often, and the answer is better than its reputation. According to the Shopify pricing page, you don't need a payment method at all for the trial. Only when you choose a paid plan do you have to add one. According to the Shopify Help Center, Shopify accepts the following for its bill:

A plain girocard (the classic German Sparkasse or bank card without Visa or Mastercard functionality) isn't on the list. If that's the only card you have, use PayPal or SEPA direct debit. Shopify doesn't explicitly mention prepaid credit cards. Whether they work is therefore uncertain, and monthly charges fail when the balance is empty. We're not aware of a Schufa credit check for the Shopify bill; that question is more relevant to the bank that issues your card.

By the way, the official address is shopify.com. Country sites like shopify.ca also belong to Shopify, but you don't need them. Your account works the same worldwide; what matters is the country you enter as your business location in the store.

Changing your plan: upgrade, downgrade, annual billing

You manage your plan in the admin under Settings > Plan. There you choose a different plan and confirm the change. You'll see how Shopify settles the current period before you confirm; according to its Terms of Service, Shopify generally doesn't refund fees already paid.

• Basic, Grow, Advanced: payable monthly or annually. Annual billing is cheaper per month, but due for the whole year in advance. What the plans currently cost is covered in Shopify cost in Germany 2026.
• Starter: According to Shopify, only merchants who already use this plan can keep it. If you switch away, you can't come back.
• Plus: Individual contracts apply here, often with a fixed term. When you can cancel is stated in your Plus contract; cancellation goes through Plus support.

Pausing your store with "Pause and Build"

Want to take a seasonal break or rebuild your store in peace? Then don't cancel, pause. According to the Shopify Help Center, you pay a reduced subscription fee on the "Pause and Build" plan. Shopify shows you the exact amount when you switch.

What works during the pause and what doesn't

How to pause

1. Log in as the store owner and open Settings > Plan.
2. Click Cancel plan and enter your password.
3. Select Cancel plan again, then choose Pause and build and confirm the switch.

Requirements: the trial is over, you're on a paid plan and you're not on Plus. The switch only takes effect at the end of the current billing period. Until then, customers can order as usual. If you want to prevent that, set the store to private beforehand (password page).

How to cancel Shopify: step by step

At Shopify, canceling means deactivating the store. According to Shopify, you can cancel at any time, and the subscription ends at the end of the current billing period. Only the store owner can do this, and support can't do it for you. On Plus, cancellation goes through Plus support.

1. In the admin, open Settings > Plan.
2. Click Cancel plan (during the trial, you'll see the option to cancel the trial there instead).
3. Shopify offers you a downgrade or a pause. If you really want to close, skip this.
4. Review domains and outstanding charges, then confirm the cancellation including uninstalling all apps.
5. Give a reason, optionally save your payment details for faster reopening, enter your password, done.

When you deactivate, all apps are uninstalled automatically and outstanding charges (app usage, transaction fees, shipping labels) are billed immediately. So you'll get a final bill if anything is still open. "Just disappearing without a final bill" doesn't work: outstanding amounts remain owed. According to Shopify, pending Shopify Payments payouts continue to be processed, but you no longer have admin access to resolve problems. How payouts work is explained in Shopify payouts: when does your money arrive.

Canceling during the trial

If you haven't selected a paid plan during the trial, you don't need to do anything: the store simply expires. If you have already chosen a plan, however, it will be charged after the trial until you actively cancel. There's no money back for periods under the introductory offer either.

Reopening your store

According to Shopify, your store data is kept for 2 years. During that time you can log in as the owner, book a plan via the reopen option and enter your payment details. After that, the data is deleted and the store can no longer be reactivated.

Before canceling: back up data, domain, apps

Most annoyances after canceling come from three things nobody thinks of.

• Export data: Download products, customers and orders as CSV. In Germany you have to keep orders and invoices for a long time anyway, so don't just leave them in the Shopify admin. More on this in Invoices & accounting in your Shopify store.
• Back up your theme: A purchased theme is licensed to the store you bought it in. Download a copy. If you want to transfer the license to another store, ask Shopify support or the theme developer before canceling.
• Sort out the domain: Domains bought from Shopify are not automatically canceled with the store and may keep renewing. Turn off auto-renewal or transfer the domain to another provider. You disconnect an externally purchased domain, for example from IONOS or Strato, at the provider. What the connection looks like technically is covered in Connecting a domain to Shopify.
• External subscriptions: Apps you pay for directly with the provider (e.g. a legal-text service or email tool) keep running independently of Shopify. Cancel those there.

Multiple stores with one account

According to Shopify's Terms of Service, each store has exactly one owner, but one owner can have several stores. So you don't need a new email address for every store. What matters: every store has its own subscription and is billed separately. Two stores on the Basic plan means paying for Basic twice.

You can group several stores in an organization. Then you switch between them via the store selector in the admin. Under Settings > General, you can assign a store to an organization or transfer it to a new owner.

Second store or just collections?

If your products "have nothing to do with each other", a second store often isn't necessary. Think it through soberly:

A single backend for several separate stores, as known from "multistore" systems, exists only to a limited extent at Shopify: each store has its own admin; organizations only make switching and managing easier.

Suspended, frozen, login not working

Store "frozen"

If a Shopify bill isn't paid, for example because the card has expired, Shopify freezes the store. You then add a working payment method, pay the outstanding bill and reactivate the store under Settings > Plan.

Account suspended

In its Terms of Service, Shopify reserves the right to suspend accounts, even without giving reasons. Typical triggers are products that violate the policies, inconsistent details during verification or suspicious payments. In that case, contact support via the Help Center and have your trade registration (Gewerbeanmeldung), ID and supplier documents ready. Which products are problematic is covered in Prohibited & regulated products.

Login on the laptop doesn't work

Logged in on your phone but not on your laptop? It's usually due to two-factor authentication or a different login method (e.g. Google login on the phone, email and password on the laptop). Use the same sign-in method on your computer and have your authenticator app ready. What else works on mobile and what doesn't is covered in The Shopify app on your phone.

Accidentally created several stores

No big deal. Unpaid trial stores expire after the trial if you don't select a plan. Decide on one store, keep working there and let the others expire. The questions during setup, such as whether you want to do dropshipping, only serve to show you relevant tips. They don't lock anything in permanently.

FAQ

Do I get money back when I cancel?

Usually not. Shopify states in its Terms of Service that fees are not refunded, not even pro rata. The subscription continues until the end of the paid period, after which the store is deactivated. With annual billing, that means: if you cancel after four months, the rest of the year is still paid for. That's why annual billing only pays off once you're sure you'll stick with it.

What happens to my data when I cancel Shopify?

Shopify keeps the data of a deactivated store for 2 years. During that time, you can reopen the store by logging in as the owner and booking a plan. After that, the data is deleted. Still, export products, customers and orders as CSV before canceling, because in Germany you have to keep business records yourself.

Can I pay for Shopify with my Sparkasse card?

Only if the card has Visa or Mastercard functionality, i.e. carries the logo of a card brand. Shopify doesn't accept a plain girocard. For stores in Germany, though, there are two alternatives without a credit card: SEPA direct debit straight from your current account, and PayPal, where you set your bank account as the funding source.

Do I need a new Shopify account for every store?

No. According to Shopify, one owner can have several stores, and with an organization you can switch between them easily. Each store needs its own plan, though, and is billed separately. Check beforehand whether a second store is really necessary or whether collections or Shopify Markets achieve your goal more cheaply.

Can I transfer my store to someone else?

Yes. Under Settings > General there's a section for transferring the store to a new owner, including someone outside your organization. That's the way to go if you sell a store or if a service provider built the store for you. Make sure that you yourself end up registered as the owner.

Will I still be charged for apps while paused?

Yes, that's a common cost trap. On the "Pause and Build" plan, all apps stay active and keep billing. Uninstall paid apps you don't need during the pause one by one. Only a real cancellation removes all apps automatically. Apps you pay for directly with the provider must always be canceled there.

Is my domain canceled along with the store?

No. A domain bought from Shopify keeps renewing unless you turn off auto-renewal. You can also transfer it to another provider and keep using it there. An externally purchased domain stays with your provider anyway. After deactivation, it's disconnected from the store and has to be reconnected if you reactivate.

Last updated: October 2026. Menu paths and billing rules according to the Shopify Help Center and Shopify Terms of Service; Shopify occasionally changes labels in the admin.