How to Automate Store Credit With Shopify Flow

Shopify Flow is Shopify's automation app: a trigger, such as an order being paid, starts a workflow that runs actions without anyone touching the admin. Store credit is Shopify's native customer balance, spent at checkout like a payment method. Put the two together and you can issue credit, remind customers before it expires and bring back customers who forgot their balance, automatically.

There is one catch most guides skip: Flow has no simple "issue store credit" button.

Can Shopify Flow issue store credit?

Not with a dedicated built-in action, according to Shopify Community members. Merchants use Flow's "Send Admin API request" action to call Shopify's storeCreditAccountCredit mutation, or install an app that adds its own store credit action to Flow. Both issue native Shopify store credit that customers see at checkout.

In a Shopify Community thread on this exact question, members explain that Flow now uses a version of the Admin API that includes the store credit mutations, which makes the API request route possible. Shopify's storeCreditAccountCredit documentation confirms the mutation creates a store credit account if the customer doesn't have one, and can attach an expiration date to each credit.

Which store credit automations are worth setting up?

Four workflows cover most needs:

1. Credit on purchase. Trigger: order paid. Action: calculate a percentage of the order and issue it as store credit. The Community thread above describes this setup with 1% of the order value.

2. Expiry reminder. Build a customer segment of shoppers whose store credit expires soon, then use the "Customer joined segment" trigger to send an email before the credit is lost.

3. Dormant balance nudge. Same pattern with a segment of customers who hold credit but haven't ordered in a while.

4. Credit for actions. Many review and loyalty apps expose Flow triggers, so a verified review or a referral can issue credit automatically.

Workflow 2 matters most if your credit expires: a reminder gives the customer a reason to come back before the balance is lost.

What should you check before automating store credit?

Check expiry, account type and fees before your first workflow goes live. Expiry is set per credit, customers need new customer accounts or Shop Pay to spend credit, and stores created after May 12, 2025 pay transaction fees on orders paid with store credit.

Two behaviors from Shopify's store credit documentation matter for automations. When a customer has several credits with different expiry dates, the balance is debited from the soonest expiring credit first. And when a credit expires, Shopify records an expiration transaction automatically, so your reports show what was lost. Test every workflow on a development store before it touches real balances.

When is Shopify Flow not enough?

Flow handles one-off rules well. It gets fragile when credit is tied to a recurring payment, because you need billing, renewals, failed payments and cancellations to stay in sync with the balance. That is a membership, not a workflow.

Subscribfy's paid membership converts each membership charge into store credit automatically, on Shopify's native checkout. At Pair Eyewear, members have used 55% of their usable store credit (Pair Eyewear case study). We compare credit and points in store credit vs points.

Running store credit through Flow workflows and want it to bring in recurring revenue? Bring your current workflows and monthly credit issued to a 30-minute call. We'll show you how a membership like Riversol's, where members redeemed 58% of their credit, would replace the patchwork. Book a call with Subscribfy.

Frequently asked questions

Can Shopify Flow set an expiration date on store credit?

Yes, through the API request. The storeCreditAccountCredit mutation accepts an expiration date for each credit it issues.

Which credit is used first when a customer has several?

The one that expires soonest. Shopify debits the balance from the earliest expiring credit first.

Do I need an app to automate store credit?

Not for simple rules: Flow's API request action is enough if someone on your team can set it up. An app saves that work and adds its own triggers and actions.

Want a second look at your store credit setup? Book a 30-minute strategy call and bring your current workflows.