Recharge is one of the most popular subscription platforms on Shopify, and many of the merchants we work with run both subscriptions and one-off purchases through the same store. Order Editing integrates with Recharge, but the way it works depends on how your Recharge setup is configured and what level of subscription editing you want to offer to customers.
Two main ways to work with Recharge
1. Without the Recharge integration enabled
If you do not enable the Recharge integration inside Order Editing, here is what happens:
- Orders created by Recharge appear in Shopify like any other order.
- When a customer edits their order through Order Editing, the changes affect only that single order.
- The subscription contract in Recharge stays exactly the same — future subscription orders are not affected.
- This setup is popular with merchants who want to keep all subscription changes centralised inside Recharge’s own customer portal, but still allow post-purchase edits for the current order.
Pros:
- Keeps subscription rules and logic entirely inside Recharge.
- Avoids accidental changes to future subscription orders.
Cons:
- If the customer wanted the same change to apply to future subscription orders, they would need to update it separately inside Recharge.
2. With the Recharge integration enabled
When you enable the integration between Order Editing and Recharge, you unlock direct editing of the subscription contract. This means customers can make changes that affect both the current order and all future subscription orders in that contract.
With the integration switched on, customers can:
- Reschedule their subscription
- Cancel their subscription
- Reactivate a cancelled subscription
Important to note:
- Recharge’s API does not allow us to “pick and mix” subscription actions. If the integration is enabled, all three options above must be available.
- This is why some merchants choose to keep the integration off — they may not want to offer self-service cancellations alongside reschedules.
The old vs new Recharge order creation methods
Recharge has changed the way it creates orders in Shopify over time, and this affects how editing works.
- Old method: Recharge captured payment immediately when creating the order in Shopify. If your workflow relies on delayed payment capture to keep an order editable, these orders would be locked right away.
- New method: Recharge creates the order without capturing payment. This allows you to hold the order, keep it editable, and capture payment when ready.
Some merchants see a mix of both methods, for example, one we worked with had about 70% of subscription orders come through using the new method and 30% using the old one. That means 30% of their subscription orders were not editable if they relied solely on delayed payment capture.
Recommendations for merchants using Recharge with Order Editing
Decide whether you want subscription contract changes or just single-order edits If you want customers to be able to reschedule, cancel, or reactivate subscriptions from Order Editing, enable the integration.
If you only want to let them edit the current order, leave the integration disabled.
Consider the customer experience Remember that enabling the integration will give customers cancellation options. Make sure this fits your retention strategy.
Check your Recharge order creation method If you are relying on delayed payment capture to keep orders editable, check how many of your subscription orders are created using the old method. If it is a high percentage, you may need to adapt your workflow.
Communicate clearly to customers Let them know whether changes apply just to this order or to their whole subscription.
Example merchant scenarios
Scenario 1: Coffee subscription brand wants to allow one-off swaps of flavours before shipping but keep all subscription changes in Recharge’s portal.
- Integration off
- Customers use Order Editing to change the coffee type in their next delivery only.
Scenario 2: Vitamin subscription brand wants full flexibility for customers to reschedule, cancel, or reactivate through Order Editing.
- Integration on
- All subscription contract changes sync directly back to Recharge.
