# Moving to Shopify Plus: what changes

Level: Advanced. About 60 minutes. Plans: Shopify Plus. Checked against Shopify's documentation on 2026-10-08.

**Short answer:** Shopify Plus is not a self-serve plan switch: you contact the Shopify Plus team, agree to the Shopify Plus Terms, and Shopify upgrades the store within 24 business hours [1][2]. The Help Center lists $2,500 USD a month on a 1-year term and $2,300 USD a month on a 3-year term, with a possible variable platform fee [1]. After the upgrade you manage expansion stores from **Settings** > **Organization**, and you can add apps to every checkout step and use Plus-only B2B features [3][4][5].

## Before you start

Shopify Plus is Shopify's plan for high-volume businesses. It adds admin, API, growth and support features on top of the standard plans [1].

Cost, as published by Shopify on 2026-10-08:

- **Help Center (USD):** $2,500 a month on a 1-year term, or $2,300 a month on a 3-year term. Prices also vary by billing currency and are subject to change [1].
- **Variable platform fee:** more complex, higher-volume businesses may pay one on top of the plan [1][2].
- **Term:** Plus is a 1-year or 3-year subscription, billed monthly [2][6].

Who can sign: the person who upgrades must be the signing authority, the person whose name is on the credit card on file. The business needs a legal name, such as one ending in Inc., LLC or Ltd. Sole proprietors can use a format like "Name, a Sole Proprietor" [2].

What changes on Plus, compared with Basic, Grow and Advanced [1][6]:

- Checkout customization goes from limited to full.
- B2B catalogs go from up to 3 to unlimited.
- Up to 9 free expansion stores.
- Unlimited staff accounts and custom user groups.
- Up to 200 locations, up to 100 themes and unlimited staging stores.
- Shopify Functions, enhanced discounting, Launchpad for scheduled promotions, and bot protection.
- Priority 24/7 support by phone and chat.

As a worked example, picture a candle shop selling in the US and Canada that wants a separate wholesale store and checkout upsells on the shipping step.

## Steps

1. **List what you would use.** Compare your needs with the Plus feature list on the Help Center and on Shopify's pricing page. If you only need one of the features above, check first whether your current plan already covers it [1][6].
2. **Get in touch with the Plus team.** On Shopify's upgrade page, choose **Get in touch** to reach a Shopify Plus sales rep about pricing, variable fees and timing [2].
3. **Sign the Shopify Plus Terms.** The signing authority agrees to the terms. Shopify upgrades the existing store within 24 business hours and emails you to confirm [2].
4. **Claim your annual-plan credit.** If you had already paid for a year of your current plan, contact support through your admin after the upgrade. Shopify applies a credit toward your Plus fees [2].
5. **Open your organization settings.** From your Shopify admin, go to **Settings** > **Organization**. Plus stores have organization features by default; this is where you manage stores, users and billing [7][8].
6. **Prepare the main store for expansion stores.** Add a payment method under **Settings** > **Billing** and a full address under **Settings** > **General** > **Store Details** > **Store address**. The billing currency must be USD or INR [3].
7. **Create an expansion store.** In **Settings** > **Organization**, click **Create store**. Under **Store type**, choose **Staging** or **Production**, enter a name and store URL in **Profile**, and click **Create Store**. To copy themes, products, collections or files, use **Import data from an existing store**, which only works at creation [3].
8. **Move your checkout apps to every step.** On Plus, apps can go on the information, shipping and payment pages, not only the Thank you and Order status pages. Add them in **Settings** > **Checkout** with **Edit** on a draft configuration [4][9]. You can also keep up to 99 draft configurations instead of 20 [10].
9. **Switch on Plus-only B2B features.** Assign catalogs directly to company locations, create unlimited catalogs, and require deposits or partial payments [5].
10. **Review your automations.** Shopify Flow is free on every plan, but tasks from custom partner apps need Plus [11]. Custom apps built with Shopify Functions also need Plus [9].

## Check your work

- You have Shopify's email confirming the upgrade and the introduction email with onboarding and Priority Support details [2].
- Your first Plus bill should come 30 days after you agreed to the Shopify Plus Terms, charged to your current payment method [2].
- In the checkout and accounts editor, the **Apps** sidebar now lets you add blocks to the information, shipping and payment pages [4][9].
- Each new expansion store appears under **Settings** > **Organization** in the **Stores** section [8].

## Common problems

- **"I want an existing store as an expansion store, not a new one."** That is a manual request. Check the store meets the rules, contact Shopify Plus Support, and get confirmation from both store owners [3].
- **"Shopify says my second brand doesn't qualify."** An expansion store must extend the main brand, match its name and branding, and sell the same types of goods. A different brand may need a multi-brand agreement with its own Plus subscription [3].
- **"Creating a store made a trial store."** You went past the stores in your contract (one main store and nine expansion stores). Approve the extra fee and Shopify upgrades the store within a few days [3].
- **"My apps and theme cost more now."** Apps are billed per store, and each live expansion store needs its own theme license [3][1].
- **"I can't see a store a colleague created."** Owners and administrators don't get access to stores others create. Log in to a store you can access, go to **Settings** > **Organization**, and click the new store in the **Stores** section [8].
- **"Shopify won't let me create an expansion store because of my billing currency."** Expansion stores need USD or INR billing. Go to **Settings** > **Billing**, click **Billing currency**, then **Change billing currency**, choose USD or INR, and click **Confirm**. Pending charges are billed right away [3].

## Further reading

- Shopify Plus plan [1]
- Expansion stores for Shopify Plus organizations [3]

## Sources

1. [Shopify Plus plan](https://help.shopify.com/en/manual/intro-to-shopify/pricing-plans/plans-features/shopify-plus-plan), Shopify Help Center, accessed 2026-10-08
2. [Upgrading to Shopify Plus](https://www.shopify.com/plus/upgrade), Shopify, accessed 2026-10-08
3. [Expansion stores for Shopify Plus organizations](https://help.shopify.com/en/manual/organization-settings/expansion-stores), Shopify Help Center, accessed 2026-10-08
4. [Customizing checkout and accounts pages](https://help.shopify.com/en/manual/checkout-settings/customize-checkout-configurations), Shopify Help Center, accessed 2026-10-08
5. [Shopify B2B features by plan](https://help.shopify.com/en/manual/b2b/getting-started/plan-features), Shopify Help Center, accessed 2026-10-08
6. [Pricing](https://www.shopify.com/pricing), Shopify, accessed 2026-10-08
7. [Organization settings](https://help.shopify.com/en/manual/organization-settings), Shopify Help Center, accessed 2026-10-08
8. [Creating stores in your organization](https://help.shopify.com/en/manual/organization-settings/stores/create-store), Shopify Help Center, accessed 2026-10-08
9. [Customizing your checkout and customer accounts with apps](https://help.shopify.com/en/manual/checkout-settings/customize-checkout-configurations/checkout-apps), Shopify Help Center, accessed 2026-10-08
10. [Managing your active and draft checkout configurations](https://help.shopify.com/en/manual/checkout-settings/customize-checkout-configurations/active-and-draft-checkouts), Shopify Help Center, accessed 2026-10-08
11. [Shopify Flow](https://help.shopify.com/en/manual/shopify-flow), Shopify Help Center, accessed 2026-10-08

Source page: https://webmerchants.net/guides/moving-to-shopify-plus