How to Set Up Store Credit for Shopify Returns

Store credit keeps the relationship (and often the revenue) inside your shop when a full cash refund is not the best outcome. On Shopify, credit still has to be issued through the returns / financial outcome flow—not a sticky note in your inbox.

Souvely exposes Store credit as a first-class portal resolution and processes it through Shopify’s suggested financial outcome when you complete the return.

When store credit is the right default

Good fits:

• Change-of-mind within policy
• Sale items you will not refund to original payment but will credit
• “Keep the customer shopping” incentives alongside exchanges

Poor fits (use refund or replacement instead):

• Confirmed defective goods where local rules expect a refund path
• Cases your published policy promises “full refund to original payment”

Align portal options with the policy page—do not surprise shoppers at submit time.

Step 1 — Enable store credit in eligibility rules

1. Open Souvely → Rules.
2. For the segments that should see credit, include Store credit in allowed resolutions.
3. Optionally prefer credit by not offering refund for those segments (where lawful and policy-aligned).
4. Keep a clear return window so late requests do not create credit disputes.

Default seeded rules commonly include store credit among available resolutions—verify rather than assuming every shop’s defaults match your policy.

Step 2 — Guide shoppers in the portal

1. Share /apps/returns in emails / theme.
2. Shoppers select items → reason → Store credit.
3. They receive a status link after submit; you see Requested in admin.

No special “credit mode” install step beyond rules + processing—credit is a resolution choice, not a separate app.

Step 3 — Approve and process through Shopify

1. Review the request (fraud, eligibility, photos if required).
2. Approve to create the Shopify return.
3. When goods are handled per your process, process financials in Souvely so Shopify’s suggested outcome can issue store credit.
4. When Shopify successfully issues credit, Souvely moves the request toward Store credit issued and can notify the customer (Pro branded email path when configured).

Amounts and gift-card / credit mechanics follow Shopify’s return processing—not a parallel wallet invented by Souvely. Bonus store-credit effects from rules (when configured) are also capped by Shopify’s maximum refundable amount.

When store credit cannot complete

If Shopify cannot produce a store-credit financial transfer, Souvely does not invent local credit. Processing fails with a clear error instead of marking the return as credited. Common situations in practice:

• Unpaid or test-gateway orders with no capturable parent transactions
• Orders already fully refunded
• Missing customer / payment context Shopify needs for store credit
• New customer accounts not enabled when Shopify requires that for credit issuance

What to do: fix the Shopify-side blocker (customer, payment, return state), retry process when eligible, or choose another allowed resolution (refund / exchange) that matches policy. Do not tell the shopper “credit is in your account” until the request status reflects Store credit issued.

Plan and volume notes

• Store credit processing is part of core returns on Free, Growth, and Pro.
• Free is capped at 5 new submitted requests per calendar month after the install trial.
• Growth $29/mo and Pro $79/mo remove the monthly request cap.
• First install: 30-day full-access trial with Pro features.

What not to promise

• Instant, no-review credit on every submit (merchant approve/process still applies)
• Automatic marketing-platform sync of credit events (integrations are roadmap—not shipped in primary)
• Credit for ineligible / final-sale items if rules block them
• Local “shadow credit” when Shopify’s financial outcome cannot complete

Hypothetical example

Example (illustrative): A home-goods brand offers refund or store credit for change-of-mind, but merchandising prefers credit. Rules keep both options visible; CS macros encourage credit; analytics later show credit and exchange volume versus pure refunds—using statuses after process, not estimates from the Requested queue.

Common mistakes

Mistake	Fix
Policy says credit-only; portal still shows refund	Update allowed resolutions
Issuing credit outside Shopify	Process via the return financial outcome
Assuming credit succeeded after approve alone	Approve creates the return; process issues credit when Shopify allows
No status communication	Use the portal status link; Pro can add branded emails
Ignoring tax/regional refund rules	Have counsel review credit-vs-refund policy by market

Related reads

Also useful: Returns product page · Pricing

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Offer store credit on Shopify returns with Souvely Returns & Exchanges. Explore the app—30-day full-access trial, then Free (5/month), Growth $29/mo, or Pro $79/mo.