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How to Create a Subscription Plan in the Bankful Dashboard (Step by Step)
If you sell on Shopify and you need a real subscription setup — one that auto-charges your customers and doesn't rely on a dozen bolted-on apps — Bankful is one of the cleanest ways to do it. Here's the exact process inside the Bankful dashboard... the one that actually works, without the guru fluff.
What's in this post
- Why I use Bankful for subscriptions (and who shouldn't)
- Before you touch the dashboard — the 3 things to check
- Part 1: Set up subscription variants in Shopify
- Install the Fraud Shield app (this is non-negotiable)
- Part 2: Sync your products into the Bankful dashboard
- Create your Rule Sets (this is where the magic happens)
- What to watch for after you go live
- FAQ
Why I use Bankful for subscriptions (and who shouldn't)
Let me cut through the noise here. Most of my clients come to me already burned by three different subscription apps, each charging them a monthly fee plus a percentage of revenue. That's the definition of a shiny object problem.
Bankful is a payment gateway that's now officially certified for Shopify subscriptions. That matters because it means your recurring charges run through a native, approved pipeline... not some workaround that breaks every time Shopify pushes an update.
Here's who Bankful is built for:
- Merchants in regulated or high-risk categories (CBD, supplements, adult, nutraceuticals) who keep getting shut down by Shopify Payments
- Sellers with a credit history that scares off standard processors
- Stores that want recurring revenue without stacking three apps on top of each other
And here's who should skip this post entirely... if you're a straightforward apparel store with no approval issues and Shopify Payments works fine, you don't need Bankful. Shopify's native subscriptions or a simple app like Seal will do the job. Use the right tool for the job, not the shiny one.
Before you touch the dashboard — the 3 things to check
I can't tell you how many merchants skip these three settings and then wonder why their subscriptions mysteriously fail to recur. Don't be that merchant. Fix this first.
1. Customer emails must be required at checkout.
Go to Shopify → Settings → Checkout and accounts → Customer contact method and select Email only. Phone-only checkout will break subscription functionality.
2. Customer's first and last name must be required.
Shopify → Settings → Checkout and accounts → Customer information → Full name → Require first and last.
3. You need an approved Bankful merchant account.
If you haven't signed up yet, apply first at paybybankful.com and wait for approval. Everything below assumes you're already in.
Part 1: Set up subscription variants in Shopify
Here's the thing most people get wrong. The subscription structure starts inside Shopify, not inside Bankful. You're creating product variants that represent each subscription frequency, and Bankful reads those variants. Get this wrong and nothing downstream works.
Open the product you want to offer as a subscription
Log in to Shopify. Click Products in the left sidebar, then click the product you want subscribers to be able to buy on recurring orders.
Scroll to the Options section and check the box
Inside the product page, scroll down to Options. Check the box to enable options on this product. This is what unlocks variants.
Name the option and list every frequency as a value
For the Option name, use something clear... Plan, Subscription, or Frequency. For Option values, list every subscription interval you offer (Weekly, Monthly, Bi-Monthly, and so on). Critical... you must include One Time Purchase as one of the option values. Skip that, and you'll have no way for non-subscribers to buy the product. Click Done.
AND save!!!
Price each variant (this is where you build in the subscribe-and-save)
Shopify will now show you the variants you just created. Edit the price for each one. Your monthly or weekly variant should be priced lower than the one-time-purchase variant — that's your subscribe-and-save discount, and it's one of the biggest levers for converting first-time buyers into recurring revenue.
Add Images To Variants
Add images to your variants - these will be in your image file if you have added the images to the product template.
Click Save. Don't skip this.
I've watched more merchants than I'd like lose an hour of work because they forgot this step. Click Save at the top right of the product page. If you don't save, none of the variants you just created will stick.
Install the Fraud Shield app (this is non-negotiable)
Before you can sync products to Bankful, you need Bankful's Fraud Shield app installed on your Shopify store. Without it, the Sync Products From Shopping Cart button in the Bankful dashboard literally won't show up. I've had panicked calls about this exact issue... save yourself the ticket.
Go to Shopify → Apps → Customize your store
From your Shopify admin, click Apps, then click Customize your store to open the Shopify App Store.
Search "Bankful" and install Fraud Shield
Type Bankful into the search and hit Enter. Click the Fraud Shield app in the results. Click Add app, then Install app. Follow the prompts inside Shopify until installation completes.
Log in with your existing Bankful credentials
When Fraud Shield asks about your account, click Already Have Bankful Merchant Account. Use the same username and password you set up for paybybankful.com. Once you see the Fraud Shield confirmation page, you're done — you can close the tab or return to Shopify.
Part 2: Sync your products into the Bankful dashboard
Now we move into the Bankful dashboard itself. This is Part 2 of the official setup, and it has two phases — importing your products, and building Rule Sets to control how they recur.
Log in at paybybankful.com
Head to paybybankful.com and log in with your merchant credentials. Your dashboard opens with a left-side navigation menu.
Click Subscription Billing → Products
From the left menu, click Subscription Billing to expand it, then choose Products from the dropdown. This is where everything syncs.
Click Sync Products From Shopping Cart
You'll see a button that says Sync Products From Shopping Cart. Click it. If you don't see this button, stop — you haven't finished installing the Fraud Shield app. Go back and finish that first.
Expand each product and select the subscription variants
Your Shopify products now show up in a list. Click the + button next to each one to expand and see all the variants you created earlier. Check the boxes next to the variants you want to offer as subscriptions (not the one-time-purchase variant). Do this for every product you're setting up.
Click Import Selected, then Re-Sync
Click Import Selected to bring your chosen variants into Bankful. Then click Re-Sync to make sure your product data is pulling the latest information from Shopify. Finally, click Cancel at the bottom to return to the main Bankful dashboard view.
Create your Rule Sets (this is where the magic happens)
Here's the part that actually makes your subscriptions recur. A Rule Set tells Bankful how often to charge each customer, and for how long. Without Rule Sets, you've just imported products that sit there doing nothing. Don't stop here.
Go to Subscription Billing → Rule Set
Back in the Bankful dashboard, click Subscription Billing in the left menu, then choose Rule Set from the dropdown. You'll land on an empty Rule Sets page.
Click New Subscription Rule
Click the New Subscription Rule button. A form pops up with a few fields... this is where you define one subscription frequency.
Fill in the rule — name, products, schedule, limit
Four fields to complete:
- Subscription Rule Name — name it after the frequency (Monthly, Bi-Monthly, Weekly). Keep it clean so you can find it later.
- Products — assign every product variant that should recur on this frequency. For your Monthly rule, add all monthly variants.
- Order Schedule Every — this is the interval. Set it to 1 Month for monthly, 2 Months for bi-monthly, 1 Week for weekly, and so on.
- Charge "X" Number of Times — leave this blank unless you want the subscription to auto-expire after a set number of renewals. Most merchants leave it blank so subscriptions continue indefinitely.
Click Submit. Your new rule shows up in a green confirmation box.
Repeat for every frequency you offer
Click New Subscription Rule again and build out your next frequency (Bi-Monthly, Quarterly, whatever you offer). Repeat until every subscription frequency in your Shopify catalog has a matching Rule Set in Bankful. When you're done, you'll see all your Rule Sets listed — and each one can be edited later to add more products.
That's it. Your subscriptions are live. The moment a customer checks out and picks a subscription variant, Bankful will auto-charge them on the schedule you just set.
What to watch for after you go live
This is the part nobody warns you about. Subscriptions aren't a set-it-and-forget-it situation. Three things will trip you up if you're not paying attention:
⚠️ Change a product variant in Shopify? You have to re-sync Bankful.
If you update pricing, rename a variant, or tweak any variant detail in Shopify, Bankful won't know about it automatically. You have to go back to Subscription Billing → Products and run the sync again. This includes price changes. Miss this and your customers will keep getting charged the old price while your Shopify catalog shows something different... reconciliation nightmare.
⚠️ Delete a variant in Shopify? Existing subscriptions stop recurring.
This is the big one. If you delete a variant that active subscribers are tied to, their subscriptions will no longer recur. Dead revenue. Before you delete anything, check who's subscribed to it and migrate them to a new variant first.
⚠️ Fraud Shield is not a silver bullet.
Bankful's Fraud Shield helps, but it doesn't guarantee protection against fraudulent transactions or chargebacks. You still need to review risky orders, set velocity limits, and stay on top of your dispute queue. Treat it like a layer, not a magic wand.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I need Shopify Payments to use Bankful for subscriptions?
No — in fact, Bankful is often the alternative to Shopify Payments. Bankful is now a certified Shopify subscriptions gateway, so it handles the recurring charges on its own. This is especially useful if you're in a high-risk or regulated category where Shopify Payments won't approve you, like CBD, supplements, or peptides.
What happens if I change a product's price in Shopify after it's already live in Bankful?
Bankful doesn't auto-update. You have to manually re-sync by going to Subscription Billing → Products in the Bankful dashboard and running the sync process again. Until you do that, Bankful will keep charging the old price. This is one of the most common mistakes I see merchants make, so set a reminder in your ops workflow.
Can I offer multiple subscription frequencies for the same product (weekly, monthly, quarterly)?
Yes. That's exactly what the variants-plus-rule-sets structure is built for. You create one variant per frequency inside Shopify (Weekly, Monthly, Bi-Monthly, Quarterly), import them into Bankful, then create a matching Rule Set for each frequency. Customers pick the frequency they want at checkout, and Bankful charges them on that schedule.
Should I include a one-time purchase option alongside the subscription?
Yes, and Bankful actually requires it. When you set up your product options in Shopify, you must list "One Time Purchase" as one of the option values alongside your subscription frequencies. This gives non-subscribers a way to buy the product without committing to recurring charges, and it keeps the variant structure clean for Bankful to read.
Can I limit how many times a subscription will recur before expiring?
Yes. When you create a Rule Set, one of the fields is "Charge X Number of Times." You can enter a specific number (for example, 6 if you want a six-month subscription that auto-ends). Most merchants leave this blank so subscriptions continue indefinitely until the customer cancels, but it's useful for things like structured coaching programs or limited-run product series.
What happens if I delete a product variant in Shopify that has active subscribers?
Their subscriptions will stop recurring. This is the one thing you cannot undo easily. Before deleting any variant, check whether any active subscribers are attached to it in Bankful. If they are, migrate them to a different variant first or give them a heads-up so they can re-subscribe to a current variant. Deleting without checking is how you lose recurring revenue overnight.
Ready to stop patchworking your stack and actually run your store?
If payment gateways, subscriptions, and recurring revenue feel like a maze, book a 1:1 strategy call. I'll map your exact setup in 60 minutes... no fluff, no upsell dance, just the clearest path from where you are to recurring revenue that runs while you sleep.
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