In this guide · 7 sections
Short answer
Use Shopify Payments (or another supported gateway) with the free Shopify Subscriptions app for simple repeat products, or a third-party app for build-your-own boxes. Customers pay by card or wallet, not PayNow, and should be able to skip, pause and cancel themselves.
How subscriptions work on Shopify
Shopify does not sell subscriptions on its own; it needs a subscription app. Shopify's free first-party app, Shopify Subscriptions, lets you create auto-billed plans that renew weekly, monthly or yearly, apply subscription discounts, show a subscription option on product pages, and manage contracts from the admin.
Before choosing an app, check two platform limits from Shopify's eligibility considerations:
- Supported gateways only: Shopify Payments, PayPal Express, Authorize.net, Adyen or Stripe, depending on region and the gateway's terms. Gateways outside the list cannot auto-charge subscriptions.
- No bundles in Shopify's app: Shopify says bundles are not compatible with the Shopify Subscriptions app. A fixed single product (one bag of coffee a month) works; a pick-your-own box usually needs a third-party app.
Shopify also notes that customers are billed the day after the subscription is due, at 10:00 in your store's local time, and that subscription orders can use shipping, local delivery or pickup.
Shopify Subscriptions app vs third-party apps
For a first subscription product, start with the free app and move only if you hit its limits.
Shopify Subscriptions app suits you if
- You sell one product or a fixed set of variants on repeat
- You want a free app maintained by Shopify
- Simple discounts (for example 10% off when subscribing) are enough
- You want customers to manage everything in Shopify customer accounts
A third-party app suits you if
- Customers build their own box each month
- You need bundles, prepaid multi-month plans or gifting flows
- You want advanced retention offers at cancellation
- You need detailed churn and cohort reports
Third-party apps run on the same gateway rules, so they cannot get around the payment limits below. Read each app's pricing carefully; many charge a monthly fee plus a percentage of subscription revenue.
Payments: why PayNow cannot auto-renew
Recurring billing needs a payment method the gateway can charge again without the customer being present, which in practice means saved cards and some wallets. Shopify says customers generally need a supported method that can be billed for recurring payments, and that local, manual or non-card methods might not be available for subscriptions. PayNow transfers are approved by the payer each time in their banking app, so they do not fit auto-billing.
| Payment method | Auto-billed subscription on Shopify? |
|---|---|
| Cards via Shopify Payments | Yes |
| Shop Pay, Apple Pay, Google Pay via Shopify Payments | Yes; Apple Pay limited to Visa and Mastercard for subscriptions |
| PayPal Express | Yes, after PayPal approval |
| PayNow, bank transfer, cash on delivery | No |
| HitPay as the store's gateway | Not on Shopify's supported subscription gateway list |
As of October 2026, Shopify's Singapore pricing page lists online card rates on Shopify Payments of 3.2% + S$0.50, and a 2% third-party transaction fee on the entry plan if you use another gateway. If many of your customers prefer PayNow, consider offering prepaid three- or six-month plans as one-off purchases. Our Shopify Payments vs HitPay guide compares the gateways; for subscriptions outside Shopify, see subscription billing with Stripe.
The numbers per box: shipping, fees and margin
Subscription boxes live or die on per-box margin, because every box ships separately. Work out the full cost of one box before setting a price.
- Products in the boxInclude breakage and spoilage for foodYour cost
- Packaging and insertsBox, filler, card, stickersYour cost
- Shipping and handlingSee our shipping costs guideCourier rate per parcel
- Card fee (Shopify Payments, online)As of October 20263.2% + S$0.50
- Subscription app feeShopify Subscriptions is free; others varyS$0 to app's rate
- GST, if registeredPrices to consumers must include GST9% included in price
Margin per boxPrice minus all of the above
Fill in your own figures. Card rate from Shopify's Singapore pricing page, checked 18 October 2026.
For courier rates, see our e-commerce shipping costs guide.
Fair skip, pause and cancellation terms
Singapore's Consumer Protection (Fair Trading) Act prohibits unfair practices, and the Competition and Consumer Commission's enhanced e-commerce guidelines announcement names subscription traps as a concern: pre-ticked sign-up boxes, or making it easy to start a subscription but difficult or confusing to cancel. Our guide to the enhanced e-commerce guidelines covers the rest.
Shopify's customer experience page says customers must agree to your cancellation policy at checkout, and with customer accounts they can skip upcoming orders, pause, resume or cancel themselves. Set it up so the honest path is the easy one:
Subscription set-up checklist
Do it yourself or get help?
A single subscription product with the free Shopify app is a manageable DIY set-up if Shopify Payments is active on your store. Build-your-own boxes, prepaid plans, migrations from another platform or a mix of Shopify and Stripe billing are where help saves time.
We build stores as a Shopify Store package (S$1,890), and set up recurring billing, retry rules and self-service cancellation as Subscriptions & Recurring Billing (S$490). For the full cost of running a store, see our Shopify store cost guide.
Frequently asked questions
Yes. Install a subscription app, such as Shopify's free Shopify Subscriptions app, and use a supported payment gateway. Shopify lists Shopify Payments, PayPal Express, Authorize.net, Adyen and Stripe, subject to region and gateway terms. Customers then pay by card or supported wallets, and orders renew automatically.
Generally no. Auto-billed subscriptions need a payment method the gateway can charge again without the customer, such as a saved card. Shopify says local, manual or non-card methods might not be available for subscriptions. A common workaround is selling prepaid multi-month boxes as one-off purchases that customers can pay by PayNow.
It supports recurring products and variants, with discounts and customer self-service. Shopify says bundles are not compatible with the Shopify Subscriptions app, so a box where customers choose different items each month usually needs a third-party subscription app that supports bundles or build-a-box flows.
Singapore's consumer protection law prohibits unfair practices, and the competition and consumer regulator has named subscription traps, such as difficult or confusing cancellation, as a concern. Letting customers cancel, pause or skip from their account, with a clear policy at checkout, is the safest and fairest approach.
HitPay is not on Shopify's list of payment gateways supported for subscriptions, which are Shopify Payments, PayPal Express, Authorize.net, Adyen and Stripe. If your store uses HitPay, you can still take one-off and prepaid orders, but auto-renewing subscriptions need a supported gateway or a separate billing system.