Shop Promise: Eligibility, Returns and Delivery Rules

Check whether your store can join first. Then review each item’s delivery and return benefits. Your store can have Shop Promise active while some items show no badge. Match what the badge says to your written terms and the order records your team uses.

Program guidance checked November 5, 2026. This guide covers U.S. domestic orders.

What Does Shop Promise Mean for Your Store?

Shop Promise displays qualifying benefits at key shopping points, including product pages, checkout and the Shop app. Use it to show shoppers what an item offers before they buy. Shopify’s program overview describes a free U.S. program with product-specific benefits.

Turning it on does not give every item free returns. Read what the badge says for that item. Your team still needs clear terms, prompt shipping and a way to check claims.

Shop’s customer-facing explanation describes those benefits. A displayed arrival date is an estimate, not a separate benefit.

Which Shop Promise Eligibility Requirements Apply?

Your store must meet all five activation requirements:

• Have an active Shopify plan.
• Have an active U.S. location that fulfills orders to U.S. destinations.
• Activate Shop Pay in your payment settings.
• Include tracking information on at least 90% of eligible orders.
• Keep your account in good standing.

Shopify checks your store each day. Delivery speed is not a rule for joining. It affects which product categories can show Trusted delivery.

Can You Use Shop Promise Without Offering Returns?

Yes. Shopify’s activation instructions say return rules are optional when you turn the program on. You do not need to promise returns just to activate Shop Promise.

Final-sale items show no returns benefit. An item that meets no benefit’s rules shows no badge. Check the live product page. Do not assume the badge will show across your whole store.

Check the return-rule settings before you accept them. If you change the rules, make your written policy match. Shopify’s return-rule guidance distinguishes return windows, shipping costs, restocking fees and final-sale exceptions. Rule changes apply to future orders. Keep the terms that were in force when each order was placed.

A final-sale label does not answer a claim that goods are missing. Check what went wrong with that order. For the dispute side, see no-refund policies and chargebacks.

How Do You Activate Shop Promise?

1. Open Settings > Shipping and delivery in Shopify admin.
2. Find the Shop Promise card and select Manage Shop Promise.
3. Review your eligibility status and the available examples.
4. Select Turn on. Review the optional delivery-date and return-rule settings in the dialog.
5. Confirm activation, then check which benefits appear on your products.

You can turn it on before any item qualifies for a benefit. Shopify may also turn it on for some stores that meet its rules. If it was already on, the program update alone does not mean you must join again. Check your status in admin.

Which Orders Are Excluded From Shop Promise?

Your store can join while some order types stay excluded. Use Shopify’s order-type rules when reviewing your catalog and fulfillment setup.

Does Shop Promise Still Include a Late-Delivery Guarantee?

The updated program no longer has the old limited delivery guarantee. Some orders placed before your store moved to it remain covered. Check that order’s terms. Do not assume every late parcel earns a credit.

Shop’s earlier-order claim guidance explains the claim route. Shop Cash is a program benefit. It does not show that your store issued a refund. Track the refund, return or payment dispute on its own.

What Should You Check When a Badge Is Missing?

Check your store status, then the item and order type. A missing returns benefit does not mean your store has lost access. An item may show Trusted delivery with no returns benefit. Another may show a returns benefit with no Trusted delivery.

For delivery, check the date settings and the category’s handoff target. Printing a label is not the same as the carrier’s first scan. Shopify’s shipping performance report can help you find delays before carrier handoff. It is rolling out in stages. Your store may not have it yet.

If you have the report, compare order-to-fulfillment time with order-to-shipping time. This helps you tell a packing delay from a wait for a carrier scan. Each may need a different fix and owner.

Paused, Turned Off or Missing on One Product?

Check the store status before changing product settings. The same missing badge can have different causes. Shopify's current status rules lead to these checks:

These cases follow Shopify's store and product status guide and reactivation guidance. Keep a record of the status and settings you checked. Verify the product again after the relevant store or benefit requirements are met.

Keep a Purchase-Time Record for Delivery and Return Complaints

A badge tells shoppers about a benefit. It does not show what happened to one order. Keep these records together so your team can check a claim:

• Order ID, purchased variants, quantities and paid amount.
• The displayed delivery estimate and benefits at purchase, when available.
• The written return policy and product-specific rules in force then.
• Packing and dispatch records tied to each parcel.
• Carrier scan history, customer messages and any completed refund.

For an item missing from a delivered parcel, use the packing-evidence guide. For a payment-risk warning before shipment, use Shopify fraud analysis. Those tasks require different records from checking badge eligibility.

Measure the Result Without Assuming a Conversion Lift

Test what changes when you turn it on. Do not assume sales will rise. Track which items show a benefit, then review page visits, sales, returns and delivery claims. Note sales offers, price changes and stock gaps in the same period.

A before-and-after view can reflect those other changes. Use a controlled test if you can. With few orders, report the counts and state that the result is still unclear. Check whether the badge helps shoppers grasp your offer before you change your return terms to earn a benefit.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is Shop Promise the Same as Automated Delivery Dates?

No. You set delivery dates on their own. Automated dates help items that qualify show Trusted delivery. Dates can show without Shop Promise. They can also stay when an item loses that benefit.

Can You Pause or Turn Off Shop Promise?

You can turn it off through the Shop Promise card in shipping and delivery settings. This removes the badge but does not turn off automated delivery dates. Manage those settings separately.

Can a Subscription Renewal Display Shop Promise?

No. Shopify excludes repeat orders in a subscription. Only the first order can qualify, if it meets the other rules. Check the order before you carry that first badge into a renewal message.

Keep the Badge and Dispute Workflows Connected

Name an owner for policy changes and one for active cases, if your team needs that split. Give both the same purchase-time records. Fix a packing or shipping error when the facts show one. If a dispute arrives, follow the case instructions.

Explore Chargeflow Automation for supported dispute-evidence and response workflows. Check which records your connection supplies. Name who will add any missing packing or policy history.