- Short answer
- Yes: eligible US and Puerto Rico merchants can add a Balance card to Apple Pay or Google Pay via the Shopify app, Balance app or card numbers
- Balance app
- Not for tablets: the help center says it isn't compatible with tablet devices
- Not checkout Apple Pay
- Linking the card doesn't turn on Apple Pay for your customers; that's a separate checkout setting
- Renewal
- Card number stays the same; expiry date and security code change
- Wallet after a change
- The Balance pages we read don't say what renewal or replacement does to the wallet copy
Which of the three ways should you use?
Shopify's card help page describes three ways to link a virtual or physical card:
- Shopify app: open the card under Finance; the help center labels the button Add to Apple Wallet on iPhone, Add to Google Wallet on Android.
- Shopify Balance app: not for tablets; on Android the help center labels its button Add to Google Pay.
- Card numbers: Show numbers under Finance > My cards, then type them into the wallet.
On a tablet, skip the Balance app: the help center says it isn't compatible with tablet devices.
Card still in the mail? The virtual card is activated automatically at account setup and pays once linked. The physical card needs activating first; the pages we read don't say whether it can enter a wallet before that.
What happens when your Balance card changes?
The Balance pages we read don't say what a renewal, replacement or fraud-alert reissue does to the wallet copy. Check that it still pays; if not, link the current card again.
On renewal, the card number stays the same but the expiry date and security code change. A virtual card is replaced automatically 45 days before its expiration date; an expiring physical card works until the new one is activated or it expires.
A replacement physical card cancels the current one. A NO to a fraud alert cancels the card, and only a virtual card is then reissued automatically. For a lost or stolen card, Shopify's card security page says to lock it, and its disputes page says to cancel it and request a replacement immediately.
What a wallet card doesn't change
It doesn't turn on Apple Pay for your customers: Activating Apple Pay is a separate checkout setting (how checkout wallets compare).
And it stays a commercial card for business purposes only, for US and Puerto Rico merchants; more on the card itself.
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