How to Remove Shop Pay from Shopify: A Merchant's Guide

According to a McKinsey survey, more than 90% of customers now use digital payment methods. Shopify's Shop Pay is a popular choice known for its speed and efficiency.

However, in some cases, removing Shop Pay can be a smart move.

To remove Shop Pay from Shopify, go to Settings > Payments > Shopify Payments > Manage, then uncheck the Shop Pay box and click Save. The process takes under two minutes, but you should check for active Shop Pay Installments subscriptions first, since deactivating Shop Pay causes those recurring payments to fail.

What you'll need for this guide:

• Shopify admin access with owner or staff permissions for payment settings

• A list of active subscription orders (if you use Shop Pay Installments)

• An alternative payment gateway ready to activate (PayPal, Stripe, or similar)

• Time estimate: 5-10 minutes

• Skill level: Beginner-friendly

Quick summary of the process:

1. Check for active subscriptions — Verify no customers have open Shop Pay Installments before you disable anything.

2. Open your payment settings — Navigate to the Shopify Payments management panel in your admin.

3. Disable Shop Pay — Uncheck the Shop Pay checkbox under accelerated checkouts.

4. Save and verify — Confirm the change saved and test your checkout page.

5. Set up an alternative payment method — Activate a replacement gateway so customers still have fast checkout options.

What Is Shop Pay and Why Do Merchants Remove It?

Shop Pay is Shopify's accelerated checkout option that stores customer shipping addresses, billing details, and credit card information for one-click purchases. It also offers a buy now, pay later (BNPL) installment feature.

According to Red Stag Fulfillment, approximately 90% of eligible Shopify merchants have activated Shopify Payments as of late 2024. But that doesn't mean it works for everyone.

Here are the most common reasons merchants disable Shop Pay:

• International audience: Shop Pay was historically limited to US billing addresses. If most of your buyers are outside the US, it adds confusion at checkout.

• Branding control: The Shop Pay button and branding can't be customized to match your store's design. Some merchants find the purple button clashes with their brand identity.

• Customer preferences: Your buyers may prefer PayPal, Apple Pay, or direct credit card entry. Analyzing Shopify abandoned checkout data can reveal which payment methods your customers actually want.

• Subscription conflicts: If you're migrating to a third-party subscription billing platform, Shop Pay Installments can create duplicate payment workflows.

• A/B testing: Temporarily disabling Shop Pay lets you measure whether it's actually helping or hurting your conversion rate.

What to Know Before You Disable Shop Pay

Don't skip this section. Disabling Shop Pay has consequences that go beyond removing a button.

According to Shopify's Help Center, deactivating Shop Pay causes subscription payments made through Shop Pay to fail. After multiple failed billing attempts, those subscriptions get cancelled automatically.

Before you proceed, check these items:

• Open installment plans: Go to Orders > All orders and filter by payment method. If any customers have active Shop Pay Installments, contact them before disabling.

• Other accelerated checkouts: Disabling Shopify Payments entirely (not just Shop Pay) also removes Apple Pay and Google Pay. You can disable Shop Pay alone without affecting those.

• Shop Cash rewards: Customers who earned Shop Cash on your store won't be able to redeem it after you disable Shop Pay.

Step 1: Open Your Shopify Payment Settings

This step gets you to the right place in your Shopify admin where all payment gateway controls live.

1. Log into your Shopify admin at your-store.myshopify.com/admin

2. Click Settings in the bottom-left corner of the sidebar

3. Select Payments from the settings menu

4. Find the Shopify Payments section at the top of the page

5. Click the Manage button next to Shopify Payments

You'll know it's working when: You see a panel showing your current Shopify Payments configuration, including credit card rates, accelerated checkout options, and payout schedule details.

Watch out for:

• Missing "Manage" button: If you don't see a Manage button, Shopify Payments may not be active on your store. This happens with stores in unsupported countries, stores selling restricted products, or demo/development stores. You'll need to check your eligibility at Settings > Payments first.

• Insufficient permissions: Only the store owner or staff members with "Manage settings" permission can access payment configuration. If you see a grayed-out panel, ask your store owner to either make the change or update your permissions under Settings > Users and permissions.

Step 2: Disable the Shop Pay Checkbox

This is the step where you actually turn off Shop Pay. It's a single checkbox, but it's easy to miss among the other accelerated checkout options.

1. Scroll down within the Shopify Payments management panel to the Accelerated checkouts section

2. You'll see checkboxes for Shop Pay, Apple Pay, and Google Pay

3. Uncheck the Shop Pay box

4. Leave Apple Pay and Google Pay checked if you still want those options available

If you also want to remove Shop Pay Installments (the BNPL feature), look for a separate checkbox labeled "Shop Pay Installments" below the main Shop Pay toggle. Uncheck that too.

You'll know it's working when: The Shop Pay checkbox is unchecked and the section shows Apple Pay and Google Pay as the only remaining accelerated checkout options (if you kept those enabled).

Watch out for:

• Unchecking the wrong box: Some merchants accidentally uncheck Apple Pay or Google Pay instead of Shop Pay. The checkboxes are close together. Double-check you're deselecting the one labeled "Shop Pay" specifically.

• Shop Pay Installments vs. Shop Pay: These are two separate toggles. Disabling Shop Pay (the accelerated checkout) doesn't automatically disable Shop Pay Installments (the BNPL feature). If you want both gone, uncheck both.

Pro tip: If you're disabling Shop Pay for A/B testing purposes, write down today's date and your current conversion rate before you save. I've seen merchants forget their baseline numbers, making it impossible to measure the actual impact two weeks later. Track this in a spreadsheet alongside your Shopify conversion rate metrics.

Step 3: Save Your Changes and Verify

Saving sounds obvious, but Shopify doesn't auto-save payment changes. If you navigate away without clicking Save, nothing changes.

1. Scroll to the bottom of the Shopify Payments management panel

2. Click the Save button

3. Wait for the green confirmation banner that says "Shopify Payments settings were updated"

4. Open your live store in a new browser tab (incognito mode works best)

5. Add a product to cart and proceed to checkout

6. Confirm the Shop Pay button no longer appears on the checkout page

You'll know it's working when: Your checkout page shows standard credit card fields and any remaining accelerated checkout buttons (Apple Pay, Google Pay) but no purple Shop Pay button.

Watch out for:

• Browser cache showing old checkout: If you still see the Shop Pay button after saving, clear your browser cache or test in incognito/private mode. Shopify caches checkout pages aggressively, and cached versions can persist for 10-15 minutes.

• Theme-level Shop Pay buttons: Some Shopify themes add a "Buy with Shop Pay" button directly on product pages through theme code. The admin toggle removes it from checkout, but the product page button may need a separate theme edit. Check your product pages after disabling.

Pro tip: Test on both desktop and mobile. I've seen cases where Shop Pay disappeared from desktop checkout but the product-page "Buy with Shop Pay" bar still showed on mobile due to a theme-specific dynamic checkout button. Navigate to Online Store > Themes > Customize > Product pages and check if "Show dynamic checkout buttons" is enabled.

Step 4: Set Up an Alternative Payment Gateway

Removing Shop Pay without adding a replacement leaves your checkout with fewer payment options. That's a conversion risk.

According to Red Stag Fulfillment, Shopify Payments processes 62% of all gross merchandise volume on the platform. If you're keeping Shopify Payments active (just disabling Shop Pay), your credit card processing stays intact. But you should still consider adding alternative checkout options.

Here are the most popular alternatives:

To add a new payment provider in Shopify:

1. Go to Settings > Payments

2. Scroll to Additional payment methods

3. Click Add payment methods

4. Search for your preferred gateway and follow the activation steps

You'll know it's working when: The new payment option appears on your checkout page alongside standard credit card fields. Test a small purchase to verify the full flow works.

Watch out for:

• Additional transaction fees: Shopify charges an extra 0.5%-2% per transaction for third-party gateways (on top of the gateway's own fees) unless you're on Shopify Payments. Review Shopify's transaction fee structure before switching.

• Gateway region restrictions: Not all gateways support all countries. Amazon Pay, for example, is available in limited markets. Verify your gateway supports your primary customer regions.

Step 5: Optimize Your Checkout After the Switch

Removing Shop Pay changes your checkout flow. You need to fill the gap or risk losing the speed advantage it provided.

1. Enable guest checkout if it's not already active. Go to Settings > Checkout > Customer accounts and select the option that doesn't require account creation.

2. Reduce form fields. Remove optional fields like "Company name" or "Apartment" if most of your orders don't need them. Fewer fields mean faster checkout.

3. Add trust signals near the payment form. Display security badges, return policy links, and accepted payment icons above the "Pay now" button.

4. Set up checkout optimization for mobile. Over half of Shopify traffic comes from phones, and a clunky mobile checkout after removing Shop Pay's one-tap flow will cost you sales.

5. Implement abandoned cart recovery. Use abandoned cart emails or exit-intent popups to recapture buyers who drop off at the new checkout flow.

You'll know it's working when: Your checkout completion rate stays stable (or improves) in the two weeks after removing Shop Pay. Monitor this in Analytics > Reports > Checkout funnel.

Watch out for:

• Mobile checkout regression: Shop Pay was a one-tap solution on mobile. Without it, mobile users face more form fields. If your mobile conversion rate drops more than 10% in the first week, add PayPal Express or Apple Pay as a fast mobile alternative.

• Ignoring checkout analytics: Many merchants remove Shop Pay and never check the data afterward. Set a calendar reminder for 7 and 14 days post-change to review your checkout funnel metrics.

How to Opt Out of Shop Pay as a Customer

This section is for shoppers, not store owners. If you're a customer who wants to stop using Shop Pay for your personal purchases, the process is different from the merchant-side deactivation above.

According to the Shop app help center, opting out deletes your phone number and stored data from Shop. You lose access to accelerated checkout, order tracking through the Shop app, and any earned Shop Cash.

To opt out as a customer:

1. Visit the Shop Pay opt-out page

2. Enter the mobile phone number linked to your Shop Pay account

3. Tap Submit

4. Follow the verification steps sent to your phone

If you want to remove Shop Pay from a specific device rather than opting out entirely:

• On iPhone: Open Settings > Safari > AutoFill and clear saved payment data. Then clear your Safari cookies for sites that trigger Shop Pay.

• On Chrome: Go to chrome://settings/payments, find any Shop Pay entries, and remove them. Also clear cookies for shop.app and shopify.com domains.

Shop Pay Pros and Cons at a Glance

Not sure whether removing Shop Pay is the right call? Here's a balanced breakdown.

What Results to Expect After Removing Shop Pay

Here's what typically happens in the weeks after disabling Shop Pay, based on patterns across multiple Shopify stores.

Week 1: You may see a slight dip in checkout completion rate (2-8%) as returning customers adjust to the new flow. Mobile tends to be hit harder than desktop.

Week 2-3: Conversion rates stabilize as new customers (who never used Shop Pay) aren't affected. If you added a fast alternative like PayPal Express, the gap closes faster.

Month 1+: Your long-term metrics depend on what you replaced Shop Pay with. Stores that add at least one express checkout option typically see no lasting negative impact.

Track these metrics in your Shopify admin under Analytics:

• Checkout completion rate (the most direct indicator)

• Cart abandonment rate

• Average order value (BNPL removal can lower AOV for stores selling $200+ products)

• Payment method distribution

Conclusion

Removing Shop Pay from your Shopify store takes five minutes in your admin panel. The harder part is what comes after: making sure your checkout stays fast, your customers aren't confused, and your mobile conversion rates don't slide.

Start with Step 1 right now. Open Settings > Payments in your Shopify admin, check for active installment plans, and then flip the switch. If you want to go deeper on optimizing your post-removal checkout, our Shopify checkout optimization guide covers 20+ specific tactics.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do I opt out of using Shop Pay?

If you're a merchant, go to Settings > Payments > Shopify Payments > Manage and uncheck the Shop Pay box. If you're a customer, visit the Shop Pay opt-out page, enter your phone number, and submit the form. Both processes take under two minutes.

How do I turn off automatic payments on Shop Pay?

Shop Pay doesn't have a separate "automatic payments" toggle. The stored payment information is tied to your Shop Pay account. To stop it, you need to fully opt out through the Shop app or the opt-out form. Opting out deletes your stored phone number, payment details, and shipping addresses from Shop's servers.

Can I remove Shop Pay from specific products only?

No. Shopify's payment settings apply store-wide. You can't selectively hide Shop Pay on certain product pages while keeping it on others through the admin panel. If the Shop Pay button appears on product pages via "dynamic checkout buttons," you can disable those under Online Store > Themes > Customize > Product pages, but that removes all express checkout buttons from product pages, not just Shop Pay.

What are the best alternatives to Shop Pay for Shopify merchants?

The strongest alternatives depend on your audience. PayPal works globally and carries strong buyer trust. Stripe gives you full checkout customization. For BNPL replacement, Klarna and Afterpay both integrate with Shopify. If you sell both online and in physical stores, Square unifies both channels.

Will removing Shop Pay hurt my conversion rate?

It can, temporarily. Stores that relied heavily on Shop Pay's one-click checkout may see a 2-8% dip in the first week. The key is having an equally fast alternative ready. Merchants who added PayPal Express or kept Apple Pay active typically recovered within two to three weeks.

Should I notify customers before removing Shop Pay?

Yes, especially if you have customers with active Shop Pay Installments. Send a brief email explaining the change, when it takes effect, and what alternative payment options are available. Transparency prevents frustrated buyers from abandoning their carts when they can't find their usual payment method.