Managing Customer Store Credit (Limited Access) – SHOPLINE Help Center

Store credit is a stored-value balance that belongs to a customer and is tracked separately for each currency. You can add or deduct store credit directly from a customer's details page and review all balance changes. For example, you can issue a refund as store credit when a customer returns an item or add store credit as compensation for a shipping delay. When the Store credit feature in the Customer account module is enabled, customers can also use store credit to pay for orders at checkout.

This guide explains the currency rules for store credit, how to add and deduct store credit, configure email notifications for balance changes, view balance details and transaction history, and understand store credit expiration rules.

Notes:

The Store credit feature is currently available only to selected merchants. To enable it, contact SHOPLINE Customer Support.
To allow customers to use store credit at checkout and view their store credit information in their customer accounts, you must enable the relevant permissions. For detailed instructions, see "Enabling Store Credit Payments and Balance Display in Customer Accounts (Limited Access)."

Understanding Store Credit Currency Rules

Store credit is recorded separately for each currency. For example, the same customer can have both a US$100.00 balance and a JP¥2,333 balance.

Store credit follows these rules:

Calculated separately by currency: Each currency's balance is calculated independently. Balances are never automatically converted between currencies.
New currencies are added automatically: The first time you add store credit to a customer in a currency, a balance for that currency is created automatically. No advance setup is needed.
Balances are never deleted: Once a currency balance is created, it stays on the customer details page, even if the balance is 0 or the related market or currency has been deactivated.

Adding Store Credit to a Customer

To add store credit to a customer:

In your SHOPLINE Admin, go to Customers and click the customer you want to edit to open the customer details page.
In the Store credit card on the right side of the page, click + Edit balance. If the customer already has store credit, click the pencil icon in the upper-right corner of the card instead.
In the Edit balance pop-up, fill in the following:
- Event: Select Add. If the customer doesn't have any store credit yet, this field isn't shown and Add is applied by default.
- Currency: Select the currency to add. You can choose from the settlement currencies of your store's active markets. If the customer has a balance in only one currency, that currency is selected by default. If the customer has balances in multiple currencies, the currency of your primary market is selected by default.
- Amount to add: Enter the amount to add. The amount must be greater than 0, and its decimal places must match the format of the selected currency. Each customer account has a store credit balance limit for each currency, calculated based on the equivalent of USD 15,000. The balance after adding store credit cannot exceed this limit.
Review the balance preview and check that Current balance, Added, and New balance are correct.

In the Expiration date section, set how long this balance stays valid:

To keep the balance from expiring, leave No expiration date selected (default).
To set an expiration date, clear No expiration date and select a date. The balance expires at the end of the selected day, based on the time zone shown next to Expiration date.

Important: Once set, an expiration date can't be changed or removed. Expiration requirements for stored-value balances vary by country and region, so make sure your settings comply with local regulations before you set one.

To notify the customer, select Notify customer in the Email notification section. Once the store credit is added, a balance increase notification email will be sent to the customer.
1. This option is deselected by default.
2. If the customer doesn't have an email address, this option won't appear.
3. To customize the email content, click Edit email template. For detailed instructions, see "Setting Up Store Credit Notification Email Templates (Limited Access)."
Click Done, then click Confirm in the confirmation message.

Once the balance is added, the balance for that currency appears in the Store credit card.

Deducting Store Credit from a Customer

To deduct an amount from a customer's store credit:

On the customer details page, click the pencil icon in the upper-right corner of the Store credit card.
In the Edit balance pop-up, fill in the following:
- Event: Select Deduct.
- Currency: Select the currency to deduct from.
- Amount to deduct: Enter the amount to deduct. The amount must be greater than 0 and can't exceed the current balance in that currency.
Review the balance preview and check that the balance after the deduction is correct.
To notify the customer, select Notify customer in the Email notification section. Once the store credit is deducted, a balance decrease notification email will be sent to the customer.
- This option is deselected by default.
- If the customer doesn't have an email address, this option won't appear.
- To customize the email content, click Edit email template. For detailed instructions, see "Setting Up Store Credit Notification Email Templates (Limited Access)."
Click Done, then click Confirm in the confirmation message.

Note: You can deduct store credit only from customers who already have store credit.

Understanding the Store Credit Deduction Order

When a customer's balance is made up of multiple additions, the amount is deducted in the following order:

Balances with an expiration date are deducted first, starting with the one that expires soonest.
After all balances with an expiration date are used up, balances that never expire are deducted, starting with the earliest added.

Example: A customer's USD balance is made up of two additions: A is US$50.00 and expires on September 1, and B is US$100.00 and expires on December 1. When you deduct US$70.00, the full US$50.00 is deducted from A first, and then US$20.00 is deducted from B, leaving US$80.00 in B.

Viewing a Customer's Store Credit Details and Transaction History

To view the store credit details for a currency:

In the Store credit card on the customer details page, click the currency balance you want to view (for example, US$100.00) to open the Store credit details pop-up.
Check the following amounts at the top of the pop-up:
- Balance: The current store credit balance in this currency.
- Expirable amounts: The total amount in this currency that has an expiration date and hasn't been used or expired yet.
Use the filter in the upper-left corner to choose which records to show:
- All transactions: Shows all transactions in this currency.
- Expirable amounts: Shows only additions that have an expiration date.

Viewing All Store Credit Transactions

When you select All transactions, the transaction list includes the following columns:

Column	Description
Date	The date and time of the transaction.
Balance	The store credit balance after the transaction.
Expiration date	The expiration date of the added balance. Shows No expiration date if no expiration date was set.
Add	The amount added.
Deduct	The amount deducted.
Expired	The amount that became unavailable because it expired.
Event	The reason for the transaction, such as: Manual adjustment: Store credit was added or deducted manually in the admin. Expiration: The balance expired automatically. Order payment: The customer used store credit to pay for an order at checkout. The order number is shown after the event. Click it to view the order. Return refund: The refund amount was returned or added to the customer's store credit when a return and refund was processed.
Source	Who made the transaction: For actions in the admin, the admin's name is shown. If no name is set, the admin's email address is shown, or their phone number if there's no email address. For actions by a third-party app, the app name is shown. When a customer pays with store credit at checkout, the order's sales channel is shown, such as Online store. For expired balances, System is shown.

Viewing Expirable Store Credit Details

When you select Expirable amounts, the list includes the following columns:

Column	Description
Date	The date and time the balance was added.
Expiration date	The expiration date of the balance.
Original amount	The amount originally added.
Remaining	The part of the balance that hasn't been used or expired yet.
Event	The reason the balance was added, such as Manual adjustment.
Source	The party that added the store credit, displayed according to the same rules as the Source column under All transactions.

Understanding Store Credit Expiration Rules

Each addition of store credit can have its own expiration date, so a single currency balance can include amounts with different expiration dates. For example, one part of a customer's USD balance might expire in one month, while another part expires in one year.

When a balance expires, the following happens automatically:

The unused amount is deducted: Any unused part of that addition is automatically deducted from the balance.
An expiration record is added: A new expiration record appears in the transaction history. The Expired column shows the expired amount, and the Source column shows System.
Fully used balances aren't affected: If the addition was fully used before its expiration date, nothing is deducted when it expires.

Example: You add US$100.00 to a customer's balance with an expiration date of December 31, 2026. Before that date, US$70.00 is deducted from the balance. At the end of December 31, the remaining US$30.00 expires automatically, and the customer's USD balance decreases by US$30.00.

Frequently Asked Questions About Store Credit

Q1: What's the difference between store credit and Member System store credits?

Store credit is a built-in customer feature in your SHOPLINE Admin. You manage it directly on the customer details page, the balance is recorded under the customer by currency, and no card number is needed. Member System store credits are provided by the Member System app and are set up and managed in Member System.

Store credit and Member System store credits are two separate features. The main differences are:

Item	Store credit	Member System store credits
Where to manage	In the Store credit card on the customer details page.	Set up and managed on the Store credits page of the Member System app. For details, see "Setting Up and Managing Store Credits."
How it's issued	Added manually by you in the admin, or added or deducted through order refunds.	Issued automatically based on the rules you set (for example, after a customer's first order or successful sign-up), or used to refund a customer from the order details page.
Balance format	Recorded directly under the customer, separately for each currency.	Provided to the customer as an account number. At checkout, the customer copies the number and enters it in the gift card or discount code field.
Expiration	Set separately each time you add a balance.	Set globally in Expiry date settings, or separately for each issuing rule.

Because the two features are separate, adding or deducting store credit doesn't affect a customer's Member System store credits, and vice versa. A customer's existing Member System store credits are also not transferred to store credit automatically.

Q2: Can I change or remove an expiration date after setting it?

No. Once set, a balance's expiration date can't be changed or removed. Make sure the expiration date is correct before you click Done.

Q3: Can I convert a customer's balance in one currency to another currency?

No. Balances in different currencies are calculated separately and aren't converted automatically. If needed, you can deduct the balance from the original currency and then add the corresponding amount in the other currency.

Q4: Is a customer's store credit still shown on the customer details page when the balance is 0?

Yes. Once a currency balance is created, it stays in the Store credit card even when the balance is 0.

Q5: Why can't I merge or delete a customer?

A store credit account is created for a customer the first time store credit is added in any currency. Even if the current balance is 0, the customer can't be merged with other customers or deleted. The rules are as follows:

Merging customers: If any of the customers being merged has a store credit account, the message "Customer has store credit and can't be merged" appears.
Deleting customers: If the customer has a store credit account, the message "This customer can't be deleted because they have a store credit account" appears.
Deleting personal data: You can still delete these customers' personal data, but their complete store credit records are kept.

Q6: Is store credit a discount?

No. Store credit is a stored-value balance that belongs to the customer. It can be used to pay for orders at checkout and isn't considered a discount or promotion.

Q7: What happens to customers' existing store credit balances if I turn off the Store credit feature in Customer account?

When the Store credit feature in Customer account is turned off, customers' existing balances and transaction history are retained. However, customers can no longer use store credit at checkout or view their balances in their customer accounts.

You can still add or deduct store credit from a customer's details page and refund amounts originally paid with store credit back to the customer's store credit balance.