What Is Address Validation

What is Address Validation?

Address Validation catches shipping address errors before orders are fulfilled. It reduces failed deliveries, lowers return rates, and cuts address-related support tickets.
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It works at Checkout, on the Thank You Page, and on the Order Status Page, giving customers multiple chances to fix their address before the order ships.
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How it works

Address Validation uses two complementary systems:

Validation rules run first to catch formatting issues (free). Once those are resolved, verifiers check the address against postal data to confirm it's deliverable (paid). Together, they give your customers real-time feedback without slowing down checkout.
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Why not just use Google or Shopify's built-in validation?

Most merchants assume address autocomplete or Shopify's default checks are enough. They're not, and here's why.
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Google Address Autocomplete

Google autocomplete suggests addresses as a customer types, pulling from Google Maps data. It helps customers fill in their address faster, but it doesn't verify whether the address is actually deliverable.
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A customer can select a Google suggestion and still have an undeliverable address. Google doesn't check against postal databases, doesn't catch apartment or unit numbers that are missing, and doesn't confirm the address meets carrier requirements. It's a convenience tool, not a verification tool.
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Google autocomplete also has no post-purchase correction. Once the customer leaves checkout, there's no way to suggest a fix.
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Shopify's built-in address handling

Shopify validates address formatting (correct number of fields, valid country/province combinations) and offers basic autocomplete suggestions on some plans. But it doesn't verify whether the specific address exists in postal databases or is deliverable by carriers.
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Shopify's validation also only runs at checkout. If a customer submits a bad address, there's no built-in way to catch it after purchase.
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What Order Editing does differently

💡 Tip: You can use Google autocomplete alongside Order Editing's Address Validation. Google helps customers fill in their address faster, then Order Editing verifies it's actually deliverable. They complement each other.

Where Address Validation runs

Address Validation can run at three points in the customer journey:

🔒 Shopify Plus: Checkout validation (where customers see suggestions before they pay) requires Shopify Plus with checkout extensibility. Post-purchase validation on the Thank You page and Order Status page works on all Shopify plans.

What your customers see

When a customer enters their shipping address, Address Validation responds with one of four results:

Customers can always override suggestions and proceed with their original address. Verification never blocks checkout unless you configure a validation rule to do so. If the service times out or fails, checkout continues normally.
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Key features

• Global coverage. Verifiers validate addresses in 195+ countries and territories via Experian. US addresses are checked against official USPS data.
• Instant format checks. Validation rules run entirely in the browser with zero network requests. Customers see feedback immediately as they type.
• Post-purchase correction. Catch bad addresses after checkout on the Thank You page and Order Status page. Customers accept fixes with one click, no support ticket needed.
• Smart caching. If a customer enters the same address twice in a session, you're only charged once. Previously validated addresses use a cache.
• Fail-safe design. Verification never interrupts purchases. If anything goes wrong, checkout proceeds normally and the status is recorded for your review.
• Complete whitelabel. No third-party logos or attribution. Customise every customer-facing message in your own brand voice, with automatic translation at checkout.
• Cost control. Set a monthly spending cap, limit API calls per checkout, and use conditions to skip verification for trusted customer segments.
• Enterprise scale. Built to handle 100,000+ validations per second for high-volume merchants.
• SOC 2 certified. Order Editing and its data partners are SOC 2 compliant. Security practices are audited annually by independent firms.
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Pricing

Validation rules are completely free. Verifiers are billed per validation based on the destination country:

Charges appear on your Shopify bill. Shopify bills you when you reach $200 in usage.

You can set a monthly spending cap to control costs, and Address Validation will recommend a budget based on your actual order volume from the last month.

For full billing details, see Billing and subscriptions.
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Ready to set it up? See Getting Started with Address Validation for the full setup walkthrough.