How remaining balances are charged on preorder deposits
When a customer preorders with a deposit through EZ Preorder & Back In Stock, Shopify saves their payment method and records the remaining balance and its due date on the order. EZ Preorder charges that balance to the saved payment method automatically after it falls due, within a day of the due date. EZ Preorder makes one attempt: if the charge fails it does not retry and does not notify you, so check deposit orders after their due date and collect any unpaid balance from the order in your Shopify admin.
Available on: Professional and Scale plans, which are the plans that can take deposits. Balances on orders placed while you were on those plans are still collected if you later change plan.
Where to find it: Shopify admin → Orders → the order. There are no balance settings in EZ PreOrder beyond the completion date in Configuration → Partial Payments → Configure.
When the remaining balance falls due
The due date of a preorder balance comes from the Payment completion date you set for partial payments when the order was placed:
- Number of days after checkout: the balance falls due that many days after the order was placed.
- On a specific date: the balance falls due at 00:00 UTC on that date.
Each order keeps the due date it was placed with. Changing the completion date in EZ Preorder later only affects new orders. Changing the payment terms on an order in your Shopify admin does not change when EZ Preorder charges it either, because EZ Preorder uses the due date recorded when the order was placed.
Shopify does not send payment reminders for preorder orders, and EZ Preorder does not email customers before charging them. If you want customers warned before the charge, contact them yourself.
How EZ Preorder collects the balance
EZ Preorder collects remaining balances in the 24 hours after they fall due.
- Shortly after a deposit order is placed, EZ Preorder records the order and its balance due date.
- Once the due date has passed, within a day, EZ Preorder asks Shopify to charge the order's unpaid balance to the customer's saved payment method. The payment is captured straight away.
- When the charge succeeds, the balance is paid and Shopify updates the order's payment status.
EZ Preorder collects the balance on every deposit order it recorded. It does not check whether you have since turned partial payments off or changed plan.
A balance whose due date is already more than a day in the past when the order is placed is never collected automatically. This happens when the On a specific date date passes while partial payments are still on. Before that date arrives, move it later or switch to Number of days after checkout in Configuration → Partial Payments → Configure.
What you see on the order in Shopify admin
A deposit order shows the following in your Shopify admin:
- The line item carries the purchase option payment: deposit and the line item property
type: preorder. - The order is tagged
preorder. See How to find and manage preorder orders. - Until the balance is collected, the order's payment status is Partially paid and the order has a Partially paid section with a Collect payment button.
To list orders that still owe money, open Orders in your Shopify admin and filter by payment status Partially paid. EZ Preorder itself has no list of upcoming balances.
If the balance charge fails
A balance charge can fail when the card is declined or expired, or when the order has no saved payment method. When that happens:
- EZ Preorder does not try again.
- EZ Preorder does not email you or the customer.
- The order keeps its unpaid balance in Shopify.
To collect it, use Shopify's tools:
- Ask the customer to update their card if needed. In your Shopify admin, go to Customers, click the customer, and in Payment methods click More actions → Send link to update card.
- Open the order in Orders. In the Partially paid section, click Collect payment and charge the saved card, or choose Send invoice to email the customer a payment link.
Some banks ask the customer to approve a later charge. In that case Shopify emails the customer a link to confirm the payment on your store. See Shopify's Managing pre-orders for details.
How to collect a balance early
To charge a balance before its due date, for example because stock arrived early, open the order in your Shopify admin, click Collect payment in the Partially paid section, and charge the saved card. Shopify recommends telling the customer first, because an unexpected charge can lead to a chargeback.
Refunds and cancellations
You refund and cancel deposit orders in your Shopify admin the same way as other orders. Shopify lets you cancel a partially paid preorder that has not been fulfilled. Once an order is fulfilled you can refund it but not cancel it.
EZ Preorder does not track cancellations. If you cancel a deposit order before its due date, EZ Preorder still sends its collection request for that order when the balance falls due. Check the order after the due date and refund anything that was charged.
If the preorder confirmation email is turned on, customers can also cancel the whole order from its cancel button, which cancels and refunds it in Shopify. See How to send preorder confirmation emails to customers.
Limitations
- One attempt. A failed charge is not retried and nobody is notified.
- Saved payment method needed. The automatic charge uses the payment method Shopify saved at checkout. Deposits need Shopify Payments or PayPal Express.
- No reminders. Neither EZ Preorder nor Shopify reminds the customer before the balance is charged.
- No balance list in the app. Use the Partially paid filter in Shopify Orders.
- Due dates are fixed per order. Changing settings in EZ Preorder or payment terms in Shopify does not move the date EZ Preorder charges an existing order.
Troubleshooting
The balance was not charged on the due date. Allow up to a day after the due time; with On a specific date, the due time is 00:00 UTC. If the order is still Partially paid after that, the charge failed or the order has no saved payment method. Collect it from the order with Collect payment.
A balance was never charged and the due date was before the order was placed. The specific completion date had already passed when the customer ordered, so the balance was not collected automatically. Collect it from the order, and set a later date or switch to Number of days after checkout.
I downgraded or turned off partial payments, but balances are still being charged. This is expected. Turning partial payments off only stops new deposits. Balances customers already owe are still collected.
A customer was charged after their order was cancelled. EZ Preorder does not track cancellations. Refund the charge from the order in your Shopify admin.
Frequently asked questions
When exactly is the remaining balance charged?
Within a day after the balance falls due. With On a specific date, it falls due at 00:00 UTC on that date. With Number of days after checkout, it falls due that many days after the order was placed.
Does the customer get a reminder before the balance is charged?
No. EZ Preorder sends no reminder, and Shopify does not send payment reminders for preorder orders. Contact customers yourself if you want to warn them.
What happens if the customer's card is declined?
EZ Preorder does not retry the charge or notify anyone, and the order stays Partially paid. Ask the customer to update their card, then use Collect payment on the order in your Shopify admin.
Can I change when the balance is charged for one order?
Not in EZ Preorder. Each order keeps the due date it was placed with, and editing the order's payment terms in Shopify does not change it. To charge earlier, use Collect payment on the order.
Are balances still charged if I turn off partial payments or downgrade?
Yes. Balances on orders already placed are still collected on their due dates. Only new orders stop getting the deposit option.
Where can I see which customers still owe a balance?
In your Shopify admin, go to Orders and filter by payment status Partially paid. EZ Preorder does not show balances in the app.
Related articles
- How to take deposits and partial payments on preorders: set the deposit and the balance due date.
- How to find and manage preorder orders: find preorder orders by tag and line item property.
- How to send preorder confirmation emails to customers: the extra email with the cancel order button.
- How preorders work in EZ Preorder: the full preorder lifecycle.
- Plans and pricing: which plans include partial payments.