---
title: "How are pre-order balances charged, and what if a charge fails?"
description: "When the remaining pre-order balance is charged, how failed charges are retried, what the customer gets, and how to collect or move a balance by hand."
url: "https://smart-preorder.com/help/preorders/how-balance-charges-work"
updated: "2026-11-02"
product: "SMART Preorder & Back in stock"
section: "Help center / Pre-orders"
---


# How are pre-order balances charged, and what if a charge fails?

Every 15 minutes the app looks for balances that are due and asks Shopify to charge the customer's saved payment method for whatever the order still owes. A failed charge is tried again (3 attempts in total, 3 days apart, by default). When every attempt fails, the customer gets a Payment failed email with Shopify's payment link, or the order is cancelled and refunded, as you choose in **Settings > Deposits and cancellations**.

## What happens at each charge

1. Every 15 minutes the app picks up balances whose due date has passed. A balance due on a set date is due at 12:00 PM store time that day; one due on fulfillment is charged within seconds of the whole order becoming Fulfilled.
2. It reads the order in Shopify first. A cancelled or fully refunded order is never charged. If Shopify says nothing is owed (the customer paid through a payment link, or you used Collect payment or Mark as paid in Shopify), the balance is marked Paid and the app releases its fulfillment holds. Mark as paid takes no money.
3. If you moved the due date later in Shopify (Edit payment terms on the order) and that date is still ahead, the app waits for it: no attempt is used and the reminder is sent again before the new date. An earlier date set in Shopify is ignored.
4. It charges the payment method Shopify saved at checkout. The app sends no amount: Shopify charges what the order still owes, so any shipping Shopify moved to the balance is included. If the order has more than one saved payment method, retries rotate through them.
5. The order shows **Charging** until Shopify confirms the payment, then **Paid**, and the app releases any hold it placed on the order.

## Retry settings

Open **Settings** in the app, then **Deposits and cancellations**. The **Balance collection** card applies to every deposit campaign:

| Setting | Range | Default |
| --- | --- | --- |
| **Charge attempts** | 1 to 10, including the first charge (1 = no retry) | 3 |
| **Days between attempts** | 1 to 30 days | 3 days |
| **When all attempts fail** | **Email the customer a payment link**, or **Cancel the order and refund the deposit (only if nothing has shipped)** | Email the customer a payment link |

- Declines, payment errors and 3D Secure challenges each use an attempt. A background charge can't complete 3D Secure, so those balances end in the payment link, where the customer can.
- If Shopify doesn't answer, no attempt is used; the next 15-minute check tries again.
- The customer gets no email between attempts. Between retries the order shows **Balance due**; after the last one, **Payment failed**.

## When every attempt fails

### Email the customer a payment link (default)

- The order stays open with **Payment failed**.
- The customer gets the **Payment failed** email (subject "Complete your payment for order #1001") with a **Complete payment** button that opens Shopify's own payment page for the order, plus a cancel link if customers may cancel.
- For 30 days the app checks the order daily. Once the customer pays through the link, the order flips to **Paid** and its holds are released.

### Cancel the order and refund the deposit

- Shopify cancels the whole order, including any in-stock items in it, refunds what was paid to the original payment method, restocks the items and emails the customer.
- This only runs while nothing in the order has shipped. If something shipped, the app can't confirm it, or Shopify refuses to cancel, the customer gets the payment link email instead.

Either way, you get an email at your store's email address in Shopify saying what happened (once per order, again after a new balance date), and Shopify Flow gets the **Pre-order balance charge failed** trigger. An order with no saved payment method fails at once, without retries and never with the cancel action: the customer gets the payment link if Shopify provides one, and you're told.

## Charge or move a balance yourself

- **Collect balance** charges the saved payment method now. It's the main button on the order page and a bulk action on the **Orders** tab. Tick **Email the customer a payment link if the charge fails** for that charge only. A manual charge counts as an attempt and follows your settings if it fails.
- **Change balance date** moves the due date of placed orders, on the order page or in bulk (up to 250 orders). Pick a day from tomorrow; the charge runs at 12:00 PM store time that day. It moves Shopify's payment terms too, so the customer's order page shows the new date, the reminder goes out again, and a failed balance gets a fresh set of attempts. It isn't available for full payment, on-fulfillment, cancelled or currently charging orders.
- Editing a campaign never moves placed orders: each keeps the due date set at checkout.

## Situations that stop or skip a charge

| Situation | What the app does |
| --- | --- |
| You cancel the order in Shopify | Sees it within seconds, or before charging, and charges nothing. A charge already running can still settle; you get an email to refund it in Shopify. |
| You refund the order in full | Treated as cancelled: no charge. |
| A refund raises what the order owes | Doesn't charge it automatically and emails you. Use **Collect balance** on the order page if it's intended. |
| Shopify's bulk **Capture payment** | Can mark deposit orders paid without charging the card. Use **Collect balance** instead. |
| Shopify never confirms a charge within 7 days | Not retried (a retry could charge twice). You get an email to check the order's payments before collecting again. |

## Reminder before the charge

The **Upcoming charge reminder** email is off by default. Turn it on in **Settings > Pre-order emails**; **Send before the charge** sets the lead time (1 to 30 days, default 3). Each order gets it once, and again after a balance date change. It isn't sent for balances collected on fulfillment. See [Pre-order emails](https://smart-preorder.com/help/preorders/preorder-emails).

> **Platform background** Pre-order balances use Shopify's deferred purchase options: Shopify stores a payment mandate at checkout, and the app is responsible for scheduling the charge and handling failures ([Shopify developer docs](https://shopify.dev/docs/apps/build/purchase-options/deferred)). Shopify's own payment reminders aren't sent for pre-orders ([Shopify Help Center](https://help.shopify.com/en/manual/fulfillment/managing-orders/payments/deferred-payments)), which is why the app sends its own emails.

**Balances that collect themselves** Automatic charges, retries, payment links and owner alerts for every deposit order. Free on the Shopify App Store. [Install SMART Preorder & Back in stock on the Shopify App Store](https://apps.shopify.com/smart-preorder-back-in-stock).

## Frequently asked questions

### I clicked Collect balance and Shopify shows the order paid, but the app still says Charging. Is it stuck?

No. Shopify confirms the payment at once; the app updates its status at its next check, within 15 minutes. A second click doesn't charge again while a charge is running.

### Is the customer emailed after each failed attempt?

No. Retries are silent. The customer only gets the Payment failed email after the last attempt, and only when When all attempts fail is set to Email the customer a payment link.

### Why was the balance higher than the remaining amount on the product page?

The product page shows the item price only. When a cart holds only pre-order items, Shopify charges shipping with the balance, and the app charges whatever Shopify says the order still owes.

### Can I test a failed balance charge?

Not with Shopify Payments test mode: Shopify checks the card at checkout, so a test card that declines is refused there. You can test a successful charge with Collect balance. See [Test a pre-order](https://smart-preorder.com/help/preorders/test-a-preorder).