Store credit on a custom order

Suppose a customer has $380 in store credit after returning a floor lamp. Now they're ordering a $5,600 sectional and ask, “Can I put my credit toward the deposit?” In OrderPilot, yes: apply the existing credit before placing the order, then collect the rest through the supported payment route.

The distinction is the order's stage. Before placement, OrderPilot can use part of the credit through its own deposit-style flow. After placement, Shopify Plus supports partial application; without Plus, the credit must cover the entire remaining balance.

Use the customer's existing credit balance

Shopify store credit is money recorded on the customer's account for purchases with the store. It is different from an order discount: applying credit pays part of the sale rather than reducing the price of the sectional.

Issue and manage credit in Shopify. OrderPilot's action applies existing credit to the order; it is not a promise that your associate can create a new credit balance there. Shopify explains issuance, permissions, and expiry in its store-credit guide.

Match the customer and currency before applying the credit. A familiar surname is not enough to choose an account. The lamp may be gone, but its credit still needs to belong to the right person.

Apply a partial amount before placement

On the saved quote or draft, Apply store credit lets authorized staff use an amount within the customer's available credit and the order's remaining balance. OrderPilot handles this through its own separate-order route.

In the example, using $380 leaves $5,220 to collect. If the agreed initial payment is $2,800, the credit contributes $380 and a further $2,420 completes that initial amount through a supported collection route. The remaining sale balance is then $2,800.

These are illustrative amounts, not a recommended deposit policy. Use the deposit routes by plan to choose how the card portion will be collected. On a pre-placement draft, the credit route is for a partial amount; paying the whole balance with credit requires placing the order first.

Shopify's native checkout documentation describes different restrictions for draft orders and customer-selected credit amounts. The partial draft application here is OrderPilot's staff-operated path, not a description of Shopify's standard checkout controls.

Treat placed orders according to the Shopify plan

A placed order on Plus can take part of its balance from store credit. A placed order without Plus requires enough credit to cover the whole remaining balance.

If credit is insufficient on a placed non-Plus order, keep the balance accurate and use another supported payment route. For future sales, ask about credit while the quote is still being prepared so the team can apply it at the appropriate stage.

Keep the credit visible in payment history

OrderPilot records the application as Store credit in the Payments panel and notes it on the Shopify order. Read the updated Paid and Balance amounts before requesting another payment.

Resolve outstanding payable requests before changing the collection arrangement. The payment-history guide explains how to avoid asking for an amount already covered another way.

Read expiry from the credit that was issued

Shopify supports expiry dates on issued credit. Review the customer's actual balance and issuance details rather than assuming every credit lasts forever or follows the same date.

The store's expiry policy must also fit the law governing the credit. Explain the actual conditions when credit is issued, and avoid promising a date from memory at the sales floor. Staff should be able to show the customer the available amount before it becomes part of the payment plan.

Offer credit without replacing a required refund

Applying existing credit to a new purchase is different from issuing credit instead of a refund the customer is owed. The federal mail-order rule's refund definition excludes credit vouchers or scrip from required refunds. For covered late furniture deliveries, New York §396-u gives the customer the choice among the specified remedies, including refund or credit; the store does not make that election for them.

Use the custom-order cancellation guide and the FTC rule explainer for those separate decisions.

A clear sales-floor explanation is: “You have $380 in store credit. We can apply it to this quote before placing the order, then collect the agreed remainder.” Where a money refund is due, explain that remedy first and present any permitted alternative honestly.

Follow the balance through all its payments, and the credit remains a visible part of the sale when another associate picks it up.

Sources

1. 16 CFR §435.1, refund definitions — Federal Trade Commission regulation, Cornell Legal Information Institute.
2. New York General Business Law §396-u — New York Legislature.
3. Store credit — Shopify Help Center.