- Short answer
- Yes, in the US: add PayPal Express as a third-party gateway — Venmo shows to eligible buyers, and Shopify's third-party fee applies.
- Who can use it
- US-based merchants on an upgraded Shopify Checkout.
- Venmo settings on Express
- Not in your Shopify admin — contact PayPal to change Venmo availability.
- Third-party fee
- Charged; PayPal is excluded only when you have Shopify Payments activated.
- Buyers who see it
- US customers with the latest Venmo app, online purchases on, paying in its connected browser with cookies, no incognito.
Can a US store offer Venmo without Shopify Payments?
Yes — add PayPal Express Checkout as a third-party gateway. Shopify's PayPal providers page requires you to be based in the United States and use an "upgraded Shopify Checkout"; Venmo then "automatically displays" to "eligible customers".
If you want to offer Venmo to your customers as a payment method, but you don't want to use Shopify Payments, then you can offer the option to pay with Venmo by adding PayPal Express as a third party gateway.
Shopify's PayPal overview says Express "isn't available to merchants in France or the United States"; the setup page says Express "isn't available as a separate payment gateway" for US and French merchants who "use Shopify Payments".
No page we read on September 16, 2026 defines an "upgraded Shopify Checkout": the providers page links to an upgrade guide that returned a 404, and neither its sibling customization page nor Shopify's checkout product page gives a definition.
What changes compared with Venmo through Shopify Payments?
Control moves to PayPal. "You can't manage Venmo availability for PayPal Express Checkout from your Shopify admin," so you contact PayPal directly to change it. On PayPal Wallet with Shopify Payments active, Shopify Support deactivates Venmo instead.
Third-party transaction fees apply on all third-party gateways, and PayPal is excluded only "if you have Shopify Payments activated" — so Venmo orders through Express carry the fee (see how the third-party transaction fee works). PayPal also charges its own fee on Venmo payments.
Activating Shopify Payments doesn't clearly guarantee Venmo either: "automatically available" on the US PayPal Wallet page, "Select merchants" on the providers page.
Which customers won't see Venmo at checkout?
On either route, Shopify lists four conditions your customers must meet:
- Located in the United States.
- The latest Venmo app installed on their mobile device.
- Their connected browser in the Venmo app, with cookies accepted — Venmo doesn't support private browsing or incognito mode.
- The online purchases setting activated in their Venmo app.
This article was written entirely by AI under human editorial direction. The editor sets the topic and structure, runs multi-stage validation on facts, links, and interactive elements, and verifies the output is useful from a business perspective. All claims are checked against official Shopify sources. Details may change — always confirm critical data at shopify.com.
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