17 Oct 2026 · Giraffe

Selling subscriptions on Shopify in Singapore

Information checked as of 17 October 2026

Subscriptions suit products people buy again and again: coffee, pet food, skincare, supplements, flowers. They give you predictable revenue, but they also mean charging a customer's card repeatedly without them checking out each time. This guide covers the apps, which payment methods can renew in Singapore, the customer portal, and the consumer, GST and PDPA points to get right.

This is general information, not legal or tax advice. It summarises Shopify, IRAS, CCCS and legislation sources as of the date above.

The Shopify Subscriptions app

Shopify Subscriptions is Shopify's own app. Its Help Center page says you can:

Create auto-billed subscriptions that renew weekly, monthly or yearly.
Apply percentage, fixed-amount or buy X get Y discounts to subscription products.
Show a subscription widget on product pages and subscription details in the cart and on the thank-you page.
Modify, skip, pause and cancel subscriptions, and send email notifications.
Sell subscriptions in store with Shopify POS.

In the app settings you choose how many times to retry a failed payment, the days between retries, and whether to skip, pause or cancel when retries fail.

Other subscription apps

Apps with live Shopify App Store listings include Recharge, Appstle, Seal and Loop. They add features such as subscription boxes, bundles, memberships and more customer portal options. According to Shopify's developer documentation, subscription apps use Shopify's selling plan, subscription contract and stored payment method APIs, so checkout stays on Shopify. Check each listing for supported payment methods before you choose. For our wider view on keeping apps minimal, see Shopify apps a new Singapore store actually needs.

Which payment methods can renew

Shopify's eligibility page says your store must use one of these gateways for Shopify Subscriptions: Shopify Payments, PayPal Express, Authorize.net, Adyen or Stripe. Customers need a payment method that can be billed again, and Shopify warns that local, manual or non-card methods might not be available.

Cards through Shopify Payments: the main option. Shopify says automatic card updates reduce failures when customers get new cards.
Wallets: Shop Pay, Apple Pay, Google Pay or PayPal can be used where supported. Apple Pay subscriptions are limited to Visa and Mastercard.
PayNow: it's a payment the customer pushes from their banking app each time, and PayNow gateways aren't on Shopify's subscription gateway list. Treat it as unavailable for automatic renewals. You can still sell prepaid bundles or one-off orders with PayNow; see our PayNow and GrabPay guide.

Renewal payments through Shopify Payments follow your normal payout schedule.

The customer portal

Shopify says customers can sign in to their customer account to view and manage subscriptions: resume, skip or cancel, and update their payment method and shipping address. If you use legacy customer accounts, you can share a subscription management link instead. Link the portal from your emails, footer and FAQ so customers can find it without contacting you.

Consent and cancellation: the CPFTA angle

Singapore doesn't have a subscription-specific auto-renewal law. But section 4 of the CPFTA says it's an unfair practice to do or say anything, or omit to do or say anything, that could reasonably deceive or mislead a consumer. The CCCS administers the Act. Hiding that a purchase renews, burying the renewal price, or making cancellation hard to find all risk falling foul of it. Good practice:

Show the billing frequency, renewal price and any discount period on the product page and in checkout.
Say clearly how to cancel, and whether there's a minimum term.
Send a reminder before an annual renewal or the end of a discounted period.
Add a subscription cancellation policy in your Shopify policies.

Clear terms also help with disputes: Shopify's chargeback guidance lists your subscription policy, and where the customer agreed to it, as evidence to submit. Our fraud and chargebacks guide covers this in more detail.

GST timing on recurring payments

If you're GST-registered, IRAS's guide on when to report supplies says the time of supply is generally the earlier of when you issue an invoice or receive payment. For a monthly subscription charged on each renewal, that usually means GST in the period of each charge. If customers prepay for several months, GST is generally due when you receive the payment, not as each box ships. This is the same principle as for pre-orders.

PDPA

Subscriptions mean keeping customer details and a stored payment method for longer. Under the PDPA, use the data only for the purposes you've told customers about, protect it, and don't keep it longer than you need after a subscription ends. Card details are stored by Shopify, not by you. Mention your subscription app in your privacy policy, and keep renewal notices separate from marketing messages.

Frequently asked questions

Can customers pay for a Shopify subscription with PayNow?

Generally not for auto-renewals. Shopify says subscriptions need a supported gateway (Shopify Payments, PayPal Express, Authorize.net, Adyen or Stripe) and a payment method that can be billed again, and that local, manual or non-card methods might not be available. Plan on cards and supported wallets for recurring billing.

What does the Shopify Subscriptions app do?

It's Shopify's own app. Shopify's Help Center says it creates auto-billed subscriptions that renew weekly, monthly or yearly, supports subscription discounts, adds a widget to product pages, sends email notifications, and lets customers skip, pause, resume or cancel from their customer account.

Do I have to let customers cancel easily?

Singapore has no subscription-specific cancellation law, but the CPFTA prohibits deceptive or misleading conduct and omitting material facts. Hiding that a purchase renews automatically, or making cancellation unclear, risks being an unfair practice. Show the renewal terms and price before checkout and give customers a simple way to cancel.

When is GST due on subscription payments?

If you're GST-registered, IRAS treats the time of supply as the earlier of issuing an invoice or receiving payment. For most subscriptions, that means GST is accounted for in the period each renewal is charged.

Which apps can I use besides Shopify Subscriptions?

Popular options with Shopify App Store listings include Recharge, Appstle, Seal and Loop. Compare their payment support, customer portal and migration tools, and check that they use Shopify's native checkout.

Thinking about a subscribe-and-save plan? A Shopify trial lets you install Shopify Subscriptions and test sign-up, renewals and cancellation before launch.

Start a Shopify trial →

References

Rules, features and fees change, so check the live page before you act on anything here.

Shopify Subscriptions, Shopify App Store. Accessed 17 October 2026.
Shopify Subscriptions, Shopify Help Center. Accessed 17 October 2026.
Shopify Subscriptions app eligibility considerations, Shopify Help Center. Accessed 17 October 2026.
Managing Shopify Subscriptions app settings, Shopify Help Center. Accessed 17 October 2026.
About subscriptions, Shopify.dev. Accessed 17 October 2026.
Recharge Subscriptions, Shopify App Store. Accessed 17 October 2026.
Appstle Subscriptions, Shopify App Store. Accessed 17 October 2026.
Seal Subscriptions, Shopify App Store. Accessed 17 October 2026.
Loop Subscriptions, Shopify App Store. Accessed 17 October 2026.
Consumer Protection (Fair Trading) Act 2003, section 4, Singapore Statutes Online. Accessed 17 October 2026.
Consumer protection FAQs, Competition and Consumer Commission of Singapore. Accessed 17 October 2026.
When to report supplies in GST returns, Inland Revenue Authority of Singapore. Accessed 17 October 2026.
PDPA overview, Personal Data Protection Commission. Accessed 17 October 2026.
Responding to chargebacks and inquiries, Shopify Help Center. Accessed 17 October 2026.