How to get approval to charge merchants outside of the Shopify Billing API?

Shopify App Store
1

Hi everyone,

We are building a Shopify public app that connects merchants to our existing SaaS platform.

In the app pricing settings, I see an option that says:

“I have approval to charge merchants outside of the Shopify Billing API.”

I understand that Shopify generally requires public apps to use Shopify Billing API or Shopify App Pricing when charging merchants. However, our product is an existing SaaS platform, and some customers may already have contracts or billing relationships with us outside of Shopify.

My questions are:

  1. How do we request approval from Shopify to charge merchants outside of the Shopify Billing API?
  2. Is there a specific form, Partner Support category, or App Review process for this?

Any guidance from developers who have gone through this process would be appreciated.

Thanks!

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2

Hey @Ce_Cui,

Similar question here: Clarification on Billing Requirements — App Using Stripe for Subscription & One-Time Charges - #2 by KyleG-Shopify

If Shopify Billing is absolutely not going to work and you need to seek an exemption, the path for that is to include your request and the reasoning on why it’s needed in your app review notes. Your app reviewer will review that during the review to determine if an exemption can be applied.

To set expectations though, exemptions are rare, and your scenario above would likely not be granted an exemption. It is expected for there to be a path for new merchants to install your app and be able to pay through Shopify billing but, you don’t need to change anything for your current clients.