Shopify B2B Credit Card Vaulting Setup and Management

Introduction

Shopify B2B credit card vaulting allows wholesale customers to store their payment details securely for future orders. This feature reduces friction for repeat buyers and gives merchants a more reliable way to collect payments on orders with net terms or deposits. When high-volume buyers do not have to re-enter credit card details for every purchase, conversion rates typically improve.

Setting up this functionality requires specific configurations within the Shopify admin, particularly for stores using Shopify Plus. While the native platform handles the secure storage of data, merchants often need more control over when and how these payment options appear. We built HidePay to help merchants manage these complexities by creating rules that show or hide payment methods based on specific B2B criteria — you can install HidePay on the Shopify App Store to get started.

This guide covers the technical setup for credit card vaulting, how to manage stored cards at the company location level, and how to optimize the checkout experience for your wholesale clients.

Requirements for B2B Credit Card Vaulting

Before beginning the setup, you must confirm your store meets the technical requirements. Vaulting is not available on basic Shopify plans and requires a specific infrastructure to function securely.

Shopify Plus and Shopify Payments

Vaulting is currently a feature exclusive to Shopify Plus merchants. Your store must also use Shopify Payments as the primary gateway. While Shopify supports over 100 third-party providers, the native vaulting functionality for B2B company locations is built specifically to work within the Shopify Payments ecosystem.

Company and Location Configuration

B2B in Shopify operates through Companies and Company Locations rather than individual customer profiles alone. A "Company" represents the business entity, while "Locations" represent the specific branches or offices buying from you. Credit card vaulting is tied to the Company Location. This means if a buyer belongs to "Branch A," they can only see and use cards vaulted specifically for that branch.

Customer Account Versions

Vaulting requires New Customer Accounts. If your store still uses Classic Customer Accounts, you must switch to the new version in your checkout settings. Classic accounts do not support the secure authenticated environment needed for buyers to manage their own vaulted payment methods.

Configuring the B2B Checkout Flow

The way your customers interact with vaulting depends on how you configure your order submission settings. You can choose to collect payments immediately or allow customers to submit orders for review.

Setting Orders to Submit as Drafts

Many B2B merchants prefer to review wholesale orders before finalizing them. This is common when stock levels are volatile or when custom shipping quotes are required.

1. In your Shopify admin, navigate to Customers and select Companies.
2. Choose the company you want to modify.
3. Select the specific Location.
4. In the Checkout section, click the edit icon.
5. Under Order submission, select Submit all orders as drafts for review.
6. Save your changes.

When this is active, the buyer sees a notice at checkout stating that payment is due once the order is confirmed. They can still choose to vault a card at this stage, giving you the ability to charge that card later once you approve the draft.

Automatic Order Submission

If you sell standardized products that do not require manual review, you can set orders to submit automatically. In this scenario, the buyer completes the checkout like a standard retail customer. If they have a vaulted card, they can select it and finish the transaction in seconds. This is the most efficient path for high-frequency replenishment orders.

How to Set Up Credit Card Vaulting

The setup process involves both merchant-side configuration and customer-side actions. You cannot manually enter a customer's credit card details into the vault yourself due to PCI compliance standards; the customer must initiate the vaulting.

Enabling the Vaulting Option for Buyers

Once you are on Shopify Plus and using Shopify Payments, the option to save a card for future use appears automatically for B2B customers at checkout.

To ensure it is functioning:

• Verify that "Purchase Options" are enabled in your payment settings.
• Check that the customer is logged in using their B2B-associated email.
• Ensure the checkout is not using an incompatible payment method like Shop Pay or Apple Pay for that specific B2B transaction, as these can sometimes bypass the standard vaulting logic.

Customer-Led Vaulting

A B2B customer vaults their card in two ways:

1. At Checkout: During a purchase, they select "Save my information for a faster checkout" or a similar prompt provided by Shopify Payments.
2. In Customer Accounts: The buyer can log into their account, navigate to the "Payment methods" section, and add a new card directly to their location profile.

Managing Vaulted Cards in the Shopify Admin

Once a card is vaulted, you have several administrative capabilities. These tools are found within the Company profile in your admin.

Accessing Stored Methods

To see what cards are available for a client, go to Customers > Companies and select the location. The Payment Methods section lists the vaulted cards, showing the card type and the last four digits. You can see which card is set as the default for that location.

Charging a Vaulted Card for Pending Payments

If an order was placed with net terms (e.g., Net 30), or if it was a draft order that you have now finalized, you can manually trigger a charge.

• Open the specific order.
• Click Collect Payment.
• Select the vaulted card from the list.
• Confirm the charge.

This is particularly useful for "Pay on Fulfillment" terms. You can pack the order, calculate final shipping, and then charge the stored card before the pallet leaves your warehouse.

Deleting or Updating Cards

If a customer’s card expires or they want to switch providers, you can remove the old card from the admin. However, removing a card does not cancel existing orders. If an order was already placed using that card, the transaction may still attempt to process unless the order itself is cancelled or the payment method is changed.

Optimizing the B2B Payment Experience

A standard checkout shows every enabled payment method to every customer. For B2B, this often leads to confusion. You may want your wholesale customers to use vaulted cards or bank transfers, while your retail customers use credit cards or "Buy Now, Pay Later" (BNPL) options.

Filtering Options by Customer Tag

In a blended store (selling to both D2C and B2B), you should refine which options appear. You might want to hide PayPal or certain credit card gateways for B2B customers to encourage them toward vaulted methods or ACH transfers which have lower fees. Using a tool to hide payment methods allows you to create a cleaner interface; see the HidePay guide on how to hide payment options by customer tag for step-by-step instructions.

Sorting for Preference

The order in which payment methods appear impacts what the customer chooses. You should place "Vaulted Card" or "Account Balance" at the top of the list for B2B users. This reinforces the ease of using their stored details. Our app supports reordering — learn how to sort payment methods with the same name so vaulted or preferred methods appear first.

Key Action Steps for Optimization:

• Identify which payment methods carry the highest fees and hide them for large B2B orders.
• Ensure vaulted options are the first thing a logged-in B2B user sees.
• Use clear naming conventions (e.g., "Use Stored Company Card") to reduce checkout friction.

Bank Account Vaulting for B2B

In addition to credit cards, Shopify supports bank account vaulting (ACH) for B2B customers in the United States. This is often preferred for very large transactions where credit card processing fees would significantly impact margins.

Setup Requirements for ACH Vaulting

• The merchant must be based in the United States.
• The customer must have a US-based bank account.
• Shopify Payments must be active.

The workflow is similar to credit card vaulting. The customer must authorize the connection through a secure portal (often via a service like Plaid, integrated into Shopify). Once authorized, the bank account is vaulted to the Company Location. You can then debit the account for future invoices or at the end of payment terms.

Using Rules to Control Vaulting Availability

Not every B2B customer should have the same checkout experience. You may have new wholesale clients who haven't earned your trust yet, or international clients where vaulting is more complex.

Geography-Based Rules

Credit card vaulting might not be the best option for every region. If you find that certain countries have higher rates of B2B chargebacks, you can use rules to hide credit card options entirely for those locations, forcing them to use wire transfers or other non-reversible methods. See the HidePay tutorial on how to hide payment methods for specific cities and countries for concrete examples.

Cart Total Thresholds

For massive wholesale orders—perhaps those over $10,000—you might want to disable credit card vaulting to avoid high processing fees. You can set a rule that hides the credit card gateway when the cart total exceeds a specific amount, surfacing only "Bank Transfer" or "Manual Payment" options.

Leveraging Shopify Functions

HidePay is built on native Shopify Functions. This is a technical framework that allows us to modify the checkout logic directly within Shopify's infrastructure. Because it is native, there is no delay in loading the checkout, and it remains compatible with Shopify's security protocols. This ensures that your payment rules—like hiding a vaulted card option for a specific customer segment—apply instantly and reliably. Read more about HidePay and the motivation behind its development on our blog: Introducing HidePay for Shopify.

Common B2B Payment Scenarios

Using vaulting effectively requires understanding how it interacts with other Shopify B2B features.

Scenario: Deposits for Custom Orders

A merchant selling custom-manufactured furniture requires a 50% deposit.

1. The customer submits the order as a draft.
2. The merchant updates the draft to include a partial payment.
3. The merchant charges the 50% deposit to the vaulted card.
4. Once the furniture is ready, the merchant charges the remaining 50% to the same card.

Scenario: Net Terms Enforcement

A merchant offers Net 30 terms but wants to ensure they can collect if the customer forgets to pay.

1. The customer places an order with Net 30 terms.
2. The customer vaults their card during the first transaction.
3. On day 31, if the invoice is still unpaid, the merchant uses the admin to manually charge the vaulted card for the outstanding balance.

Troubleshooting Your Setup

If vaulting is not appearing as an option, check these common points of failure:

• Incompatible Apps: Some older "Wholesale" apps that use draft order workarounds can interfere with native B2B vaulting. It is best to use Shopify’s native B2B features.
• Draft Order Status: If an order is in "Draft" status, you cannot charge a card until the order is officially "Created" or "Confirmed."
• Staff Permissions: Ensure your staff members have the "Charge vaulted credit cards" permission enabled in their user settings. Without this, they will see the vaulted cards but won't be able to trigger a payment.
• Currency Matching: Vaulted cards are often tied to the currency they were first used with. If you change the currency of a company location, the vaulted card may no longer be available for use.

If you need guided setup or troubleshooting for HidePay itself, check the official HidePay Help Docs for step-by-step troubleshooting and debug instructions. Visit the main HidePay Help Docs index for a full list of articles.

Summary of Best Practices

Effective B2B vaulting is about balancing convenience for the buyer with financial security for the merchant.

• Prioritize Security: Never ask a customer to email or phone in their credit card details. Always direct them to the secure customer account portal or the checkout page.
• Simplify the View: Use HidePay to remove irrelevant payment methods for B2B users. A cleaner checkout leads to fewer questions and faster payments.
• Communicate Terms: If you plan to charge vaulted cards for overdue invoices, ensure this is clearly stated in your B2B Terms and Conditions.
• Monitor Expirations: While Shopify helps manage card data, keeping an eye on failed payments due to expired cards allows your sales team to proactively reach out to clients for updates.

By following these steps, you can move away from manual invoicing and toward an automated, self-service B2B payment model. This transition saves administrative time and improves the professional experience for your wholesale partners.

If you are ready to take full control over your B2B checkout experience, get HidePay for your store on the Shopify App Store. Our tool provides the flexibility needed to manage complex payment rules, ensuring your vaulted options are always shown to the right customers at the right time.

FAQ

Can I manually add a customer's credit card to the vault?

No, for security and compliance reasons, merchants cannot manually enter credit card numbers into the Shopify vault. The customer must enter the details themselves through the online checkout or their secure customer account page. This ensures the data is encrypted and handled according to PCI standards.

Does vaulting work for B2B customers not on Shopify Plus?

Currently, B2B features, including the ability to vault cards to a company location, are exclusive to Shopify Plus. While retail customers can save cards via Shop Pay on other plans, the specific B2B workflow that connects a card to a business entity and its locations requires a Plus subscription.

Can one vaulted card be used for multiple company locations?

In the current Shopify B2B structure, vaulted cards are associated with a specific company location. If a customer buys for "North Branch" and "South Branch," they would typically need to vault the card for each location separately. This prevents unauthorized spending across different branches of the same company.

What happens if a vaulted card is declined?

If a manual charge to a vaulted card is declined, the order remains in its current payment status (usually "Pending"). You will see an error message in the order timeline. You can then either attempt the charge again later, try a different vaulted card, or send a "Pay Now" link to the customer so they can provide a new payment method. For app-specific debugging and logs, consult the HidePay Help Docs index or the HidePay blog post on checkout optimization for more context.