---
title: "Set up payment"
description: "Choose how customers pay for preorders and when the remaining balance is collected."
url: https://help.stoqapp.com/preorders/set-up-payment-for-preorders/
product: "Preorders"
section: "Payment and discounts"
last_updated: 2026-10-30
---

# Set up payment

> Choose how customers pay for preorders and when the remaining balance is collected.

Use this guide to choose how customers pay for a preorder, in full or as a deposit, and when you collect the remaining balance. By the end, customers will see the payment terms you chose on the product page and at checkout.

[Video: Set up payment for preorders](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Owp4_60-yAc)

## Before you begin

- Partial payment (a deposit) requires **Shopify Payments** and the Shopify purchase option turned on, because STOQ charges the customer's saved card for the balance later. Without them, only full payment is available.
- Letting customers choose between full and partial payment, and collecting balances automatically, both require a **paid plan**.

## Choose your setup

STOQ offers three payment types for a preorder offer:

- **Full payment**: the customer pays the full price at checkout, like a normal order. This is the default and needs no extra setup.
- **Partial payment or deposit**: the customer pays a deposit now and the remaining balance later.
- **Full payment & partial payment**: the offer shows both options at checkout and the customer chooses. Requires a **paid plan**.

If you offer partial payment, also choose how the remaining balance gets collected:

- **Manually**: available on all plans. You charge customers yourself from **STOQ → Reports**, in bulk or one at a time, whenever you're ready. The balance due date is only what the customer sees; it doesn't charge them on its own.
- **Automatically**: requires a **paid plan**. STOQ charges the customer's saved card for you, either on the scheduled balance due date or when the order ships. Each method makes a single charge attempt per line item, with no automatic retry.

## What customers will see

When **Show payment & discount savings** is enabled, the product page shows a payment-breakdown widget so customers see the terms before checkout.

| Where | What appears |
|---|---|
| Product page | The widget shows your option title and description with the deposit and remaining balance filled in |
| Product page (Full payment & partial payment) | Two selectable radio options, each with its own title, description, and optional discount badge |
| Checkout | Only the deposit is charged; the balance is not |
| After purchase | The order is created with an outstanding balance and the saved card on file, so STOQ can charge the rest later |

Exact placement and styling depend on your theme and where the app embed block sits.

## Set it up

On a phone, this menu is collapsed. In the **Shopify mobile app**, tap the **STOQ** logo at the top of the screen to open it, then choose the section named below. There is no hamburger icon. See [Finding the STOQ menu](https://help.stoqapp.com/general/getting-started-with-stoq/#finding-the-stoq-menu).

1. **Open the Payment section**

   1. In the left menu bar of the STOQ app, click **Preorders**.
   2. Click the **Offers** tab at the top.
   3. Click the offer you want to edit to open its **Overview** tab (this shows the **Customize** button, a live preview, and the offer's **Products** section).
   4. Click **Customize** to open the offer editor.
   5. In the editor's sidebar, click **Payment**.

   [Image: STOQ Preorders Offers tab with markers: 1 Preorders in the left menu, 2 the Offers tab, 3 the Preorder Winter offer row](https://help.stoqapp.com/images/general/set-up-payment-for-preorders-1.png)

   [Image: The Preorder Winter Overview tab with marker 1 on the Customize button](https://help.stoqapp.com/images/general/set-up-payment-for-preorders-2.png)

   [Image: The offer editor with marker 1 on the Payment item in the sidebar](https://help.stoqapp.com/images/general/set-up-payment-for-preorders-3.png)

2. **Choose the payment type**

   Select **Full payment**, **Partial payment or deposit**, or **Full payment & partial payment**. For full payment, save the offer here, you're done. The remaining steps apply to partial payment.

   > **Warning**
   >
   > The first time you select a partial-payment type in a browser session, STOQ shows a one-time reminder not to use Shopify's **Capture payments** bulk action to collect balances. Click **I understand** to dismiss it.

   [Image: The Payment panel with the Payment type dropdown open, showing Full payment, Partial payment or deposit, and Full payment and partial payment](https://help.stoqapp.com/images/general/set-up-payment-for-preorders-4.png)

   [Image: The Important reminder dialog warning not to use Shopify's Capture payments bulk action for balances, with marker 1 on the I understand button](https://help.stoqapp.com/images/general/set-up-payment-for-preorders-5.png)

3. **Set the deposit**

   Under **Customers pay now**, choose **No upfront payment**, or enter a percentage or fixed amount to charge at checkout, for example 10%.

   [Image: The Payment panel for Partial payment or deposit with the Customers pay now options highlighted (No upfront payment selected, Percentage, Amount)](https://help.stoqapp.com/images/general/set-up-payment-for-preorders-6.png)

4. **Choose how to collect the balance**

   1. Select **I'll collect it manually** or **Collect it automatically**.
   2. Then pick **On the scheduled date** or **When the order ships**.

   See Choose your setup above for how these differ.

   [Image: The Payment panel with marker 1 on the Collect remaining payment options (I'll collect it manually selected, Collect it automatically)](https://help.stoqapp.com/images/general/set-up-payment-for-preorders-7.png)

5. **Set the balance due date**

   Under **Balance due date**, choose **A specific date** or **Days after checkout**, for example 7. This is required for partial payments and is shown to the customer at checkout.

   [Image: The Payment panel Balance due date options highlighted (A specific date, Days after checkout selected with 7 days)](https://help.stoqapp.com/images/general/set-up-payment-for-preorders-8.png)

6. **(Optional) Show the breakdown**

   Under **Display**, enable **Show payment & discount savings** so customers see the deposit, the remaining balance, and any discount on the product page.

   [Image: The Payment panel Display section with marker 1 on the Show payment and discount savings checkbox](https://help.stoqapp.com/images/general/set-up-payment-for-preorders-9.png)

7. **Save changes**

   Click **Save changes** at the top right of the editor. Changes apply to orders placed after you save; existing orders keep their original terms.

   [Image: The Payment panel with marker 1 on the Save button at the top right](https://help.stoqapp.com/images/general/set-up-payment-for-preorders-10.png)

### Customize the payment widget

The default copy works out of the box, but you can adjust it from the Payment section:

#### Turning the widget on or off

**Show payment & discount savings** (under **Display**) controls whether the payment-breakdown block appears. It turns on automatically when you choose **Partial payment or deposit** or **Full payment & partial payment**. For a pure full-payment offer it defaults to off, and you can enable it yourself.

#### Title and description (single-option offers)

For **Full payment** or **Partial payment or deposit**, click **Customize** next to the Payment type selector to edit one title and one description.

1. **Default title:** "Full payment", or "Reserve now, pay later" for a deposit.
2. **Default description:** "Pay the full price now", or "Pay {{ payment }} now and the remaining will be charged when your product is shipped."
3. **Insertable variables:** `{{ payment }}` (deposit paid now) and `{{ remaining }}` (balance due later).

#### Two-radio layout (Full payment & partial payment)

The widget renders two options side by side. Each option has its own title, description, and discount, set in the **Full payment** and **Partial payment** sections. Under **Display**, **Show partial payment option first** controls which radio is pre-selected when a customer lands on the page.

#### Discount badge text

When you add a percentage or fixed-amount discount to a payment option, a **Customize** link appears next to the Discount heading. It reveals a **Badge** field (one per option in the two-option layout) that supports the `{{ discount }}` variable, for example "Save {{ discount }}" becomes "Save 10%".

[Image: The Payment panel with marker 1 on the Customize link next to the Payment type selector](https://help.stoqapp.com/images/general/set-up-payment-for-preorders-11.png)

[Image: The Payment type Customize fields highlighted: Title (Reserve now, pay later), a Description using the payment variable, and the available variables payment and remaining](https://help.stoqapp.com/images/general/set-up-payment-for-preorders-12.png)

## STOQ and Shopify's native preorders and deposits

Shopify has no built-in preorder switch or deposit setting. What it offers is selling plans (deferred purchase options), which an app has to create and manage. STOQ builds on them.

| | STOQ | What this means |
|---|---|---|
| Deposit at checkout | Yes, with the **Shopify purchase option** on | Needs **Shopify Payments**. Other gateways get full payment only. |
| Balance later | STOQ charges the customer's saved card | This is why the card has to be on Shopify Payments. |
| Online Store | Yes | |
| Shopify POS | Yes, with the **Add preorder to cart** tile | POS collects full payment. No deposit at POS. |
| B2B | Yes, per offer | Full payment only. |

If you read that "deposits only work with certain gateways" or "preorders aren't possible on POS", that describes Shopify's own limits for selling plans in general. See [Preorders on Shopify POS](https://help.stoqapp.com/preorders/preorders-on-shopify-pos/) and [Preorders on POS, B2B, and bundles](https://help.stoqapp.com/preorders/preorder-pos-b2b-bundles/).

## Check your setup

Open a preorder product on your live storefront, add it to cart, and go to checkout. With partial payment you should see the deposit charged now and the remaining balance with its due date. Place a test order (a 100% discount code or Shopify's Bogus Gateway avoids a real charge) and confirm it appears under **STOQ → Reports → Preorders** with the balance recorded.

## Troubleshooting

### Partial payment or deposit is unavailable

You need Shopify Payments and the Shopify purchase option turned on. Without them, only full payment works.

### An order shows as paid but the customer's card was never charged

Someone likely used Shopify's **Capture payments** bulk action to try to collect the balance. It marks the order paid without charging the card. Collect the balance from **STOQ -> Reports -> Preorders** instead. See [Collect remaining preorder payments](https://help.stoqapp.com/preorders/collect-remaining-preorder-payments/).

### An automatic balance charge fails (declined, expired, or insufficient funds)

STOQ leaves the balance outstanding, notifies you, and emails the customer a link to pay. It doesn't retry automatically. See [When payment collection fails](https://help.stoqapp.com/preorders/preorder-payment-collection-fails/).

### The payment breakdown widget isn't showing on the product page

Check that **Show payment & discount savings** is enabled under **Display**. It turns on automatically for partial payment offers, but defaults to off for a pure full-payment offer.

## Limitations

Customizing the title and description text for each option in **Full payment & partial payment** requires a paid plan. Without it, the default copy is used.

## FAQ

### What's the difference between a deposit and No upfront payment?

A deposit charges a percentage or fixed amount at checkout, with the rest due later. No upfront payment charges nothing at checkout: the full amount is collected on the due date.

### Does changing the payment type affect existing orders?

No. Changes apply only to orders placed after you save; orders already placed keep the payment terms they were created with.

### What do customers see at checkout with a partial payment?

Only the deposit is charged at checkout. The remaining balance isn't charged until you collect it manually or STOQ collects it automatically, depending on your setup.

### Can I change the balance due date after orders are placed?

Yes, reschedule it for one order or in bulk. See [Reschedule preorder payments](https://help.stoqapp.com/preorders/reschedule-preorder-payments/). If automatic collection is on, the charge moves to the new date.

### Can I switch from manual to automatic collection later?

Yes. Change it in the offer's Payment section; the new setting applies to orders placed after you save.

## Related guides

- [Set up preorder discounts](https://help.stoqapp.com/preorders/preorder-discounts/): Offer a percentage or fixed-amount discount on preorders.
- [Collect remaining preorder payments](https://help.stoqapp.com/preorders/collect-remaining-preorder-payments/): Charge balances and handle failed charges.
- [Choose a fulfillment setup](https://help.stoqapp.com/preorders/choose-preorder-fulfillment-setup/): Decide how preorder orders are held and shipped.
- [Which Shopify discounts work with preorders](https://help.stoqapp.com/preorders/which-shopify-discounts-work-with-preorders/): How discount codes interact with preorder pricing.