MerchantStandard AffiliateVIP PartnerOverview

Payments and billing

Compare free access and monthly or yearly merchant subscriptions, then understand Shopify billing and payout workflows across both sides of the app.

Last reviewed: Jul 29, 2026UI path: Merchant sidebar → Plans & billing, Payouts, or Settings → Payout Settings; Partner dashboard → Payout Settings

Go here if...

I am a merchant choosing or changing a planCompare free access and paid plans, choose monthly or yearly billing, and review limits, trial rules, and Shopify approval.I am a merchant configuring payout readinessOpen the merchant settings page for gateways, readiness, and default thresholds.I am a merchant reviewing requestsOpen the merchant payout operations page for queue review and payout records.I am a partner requesting payoutOpen the partner payout page for account linking, activation, threshold overrides, and request history.

When to use this page

You need to choose free access or a monthly or yearly merchant subscription and understand Shopify billing.
You need the shared payout explanation before opening role-specific payout pages.
You are trying to understand thresholds, request eligibility, readiness, or approval flow.

Before you start

Complete the payout setup that matches your role.

Top tasks

Subscription plans and billingCompare free access and monthly or yearly plans, then manage the live subscription through Shopify.Merchant payout settingsConnect gateways and verify automated payout readiness.Merchant payout operationsApprove or decline requests and review history.Partner payout settings and historyLink your own payout account and request payout when eligible.

Success looks like

A merchant can find the live plan, monthly and yearly pricing, limits, and subscription controls.
A merchant can tell whether setup belongs in Settings or the payout queue.
A partner can tell whether the blocker is account linking, active method, threshold, or pending status.

Where to find it

Merchant sidebar → Plans & billing, Payouts, or Settings → Payout Settings; Partner dashboard → Payout Settings

Steps

Merchants looking for Affilyn plan pricing or subscription controls should start with Subscription plans and billing. Paid plans offer a Monthly / Yearly choice: monthly renews every 30 days, while yearly is approved as one annual Shopify payment with a plan-specific discount. The payout steps below cover how merchants and partners move earned commissions; they are separate from the merchant's recurring Affilyn app subscription.

Merchant payout readiness settings — Merchant payout readinessMerchant payout settings show readiness, threshold controls, and the provider configuration available to the current shop.

Partner payout settings and request flow — Partner payout request flowPartner payout settings separate account linking, active-method selection, threshold information, and payout request eligibility.

Merchant payout request queue — Payout request queueThe request queue is where merchants review partner payout requests before approval or rejection.

Merchant payout history and manual payout form — Payout history and manual payoutPayout history and the manual payout form record completed and externally handled payments.

Merchants should confirm payout readiness in Settings → Payout Settings before handling requests.
Partners should open Payout Settings in the correct store, link the needed payout account, and only then choose the active payout method.
Partners can request payout only when the active method is automated, the linked account is verified, the threshold is met, and no earlier request is in flight.
Merchants review requests in Request Queue, approve or decline them, and use Payout History or Record Manual Payout as needed.
Both sides can review recent request and payout history afterward.

Settings explained

Merchant payout settings define store policy and method availability. Stripe Connect is the implemented live automated provider; PayPal Payouts cannot be enabled until platform OAuth and permissions are configured.
Partner payout settings separate account linking from active method selection. Completing Stripe onboarding or saving a PayPal email does not automatically change the active method or make an unavailable provider runnable.
Thresholds can come from the shop default or a creator override. The current override is stored on the creator profile and therefore applies across store contexts rather than being truly store-specific.
Manual / Other and None (disable payout requests) are valid partner states, but they do not allow automated payout-request submission.
Test mode notices appear only when the UI is running in test mode. In those screens, simulations use internal mock adapters instead of live payout calls.
Reservations are created transactionally when a request is submitted, tying the exact eligible commission rows to that request and preventing duplicate requests for the same balance.
Lifecycle normally progresses from pending to under review, approved, processing, and paid; it may instead become rejected, cancelled, failed, or reversed.

Example

A partner links Stripe in Account Linking, sets Stripe as the active method for one store, waits until the effective threshold is met, submits a payout request, and then watches it stay pending until the merchant approves it in Request Queue.

Tips and limits

Requesting payout too early will fail if account linking, verification, threshold, or pending-request rules are not satisfied.
Partners can cancel a pending or under-review request, which releases its reserved balance.
Merchant payout approval should always happen after gateway readiness and fraud checks.
If one store shows different payout options than another, trust the current store context first before assuming something is broken.
Merchant app charges and partner payouts are separate workflows. Use Plans & billing for the Affilyn subscription and the payout pages for commission payments.