> ## Knowledge Base Index > Fetch the complete knowledge base index at: https://docs.downpay.app/sitemap.xml > Use this file to discover available pages before exploring further. > Pure-Markdown content can be obtained by appending a '.md' suffix to the content URLs listed in the sitemap (without the trailing slash). # Introduction to Downpay Purchase Options # Introduction to Downpay Purchase Options [Purchase options](https://help.shopify.com/en/manual/products/purchase-options) add new ways for your customers to pay for products beyond the standard option of "pay now". This guide will help you understand what a purchase option is and then create, edit, and delete a purchase option using Downpay's app interface. --- --- ###### On this page: [What is a Purchase Option?](#1-what-is-a-purchase-option) [Where Purchase Options appear](#2-where-purchase-options-appear) [Important notes about multiple Purchase Options](#2-important-notes-about-multiple-purchase-options) [Create a purchase option](#1-create-a-purchase-option) [Edit a purchase option](#1-edit-a-purchase-option) [Delete a purchase option](#1-delete-a-purchase-option) [Purchase option settings](#1-purchase-option-settings) * [Line item help text](#2-line-item-help-text) * [Product selection type](#2-product-selection-type) * [Deposit options](#2-deposit-options) * [Deposit option display](#2-deposit-option-display) * [Payment collection type](#2-payment-collection-type) * [Balance due date](#2-balance-due-date) --- --- # What is a Purchase Option? A **purchase option** is a set of rules that controls **how a product can be purchased**. In Downpay, a purchase option defines things like: * How much the customer pays today (the deposit) * When the remaining balance is due * Whether the product can still be purchased at full price upfront Once created, a purchase option is **assigned to one or more products or variants** in your store. Any product assigned to that purchase option will follow those rules at checkout. ### Example: Downpay Deposit Purchase Option A Downpay purchase option might look like this: * Pay 30% today * Remaining balance due on a specific date or on fulfillment * Customers can still choose to pay in full upfront This gives customers flexibility while keeping everything tracked as a standard Shopify order. ### How This Compares to Subscriptions Purchase Option Another common type of purchase option on Shopify is a **subscription**. Subscription apps define rules like: * How often the customer is charged * How often the product is delivered * Ongoing recurring pricing A product **can be sold both as a subscription and as a Downpay deposit**, but they work side by side. You cannot place a deposit on a subscription itself. --- [Jump to top](#6-on-this-page) ## Where Purchase Options Appear You can see purchase options in two places: * **Inside Downpay**, when creating and managing purchase options * **Inside the Shopify admin**, on each product page under the **Purchase options** section, or for variants, inside the Shopify variant details page under the **Purchase options** section. This makes it easy to understand which products are assigned and how they can be purchased. ## Important Notes About Multiple Purchase Options If you are using Downpay with a standard Shopify theme (no custom or headless development): If **multiple purchase options** are assigned to the same product **Only the first created purchase option will display** on the storefront. To display multiple purchase options on a single product, **custom theme development is required**. If this is something you need, contact us and we can walk through your options. --- [Jump to top](#6-on-this-page) # Create a purchase option || If you are just getting started with Downpay, we recommend assigning test products at first. Make sure relevant apps are also configured for those products, to confirm compatibility. 1. Click **Create purchase option** in the Downpay app. ![](https://storage.crisp.chat/users/helpdesk/website/81f235024a249800/monosnap-todds-magic-playgroun_13utxun.png) 2. Add a name to the **"Purchase option name"** field. * This field will also be used as an order tag on your Shopify orders index page ![](https://storage.crisp.chat/users/helpdesk/website/81f235024a249800/image_15bt297.png =910x200) 3. Update any other [purchase option settings](#1-purchase-option-settings). 4. Click **Save** to create the purchase option | The purchase option will become active once you save. || You must [add Downpay to your theme](https://docs.downpay.app/en/article/add-downpay-in-your-theme-lxmp4h/) for purchase options to be visible to visitors. --- --- [Jump to top](#6-on-this-page) # Edit a purchase option 1. Click on the purchase option you wish to edit. ![](https://storage.crisp.chat/users/helpdesk/website/81f235024a249800/monosnap-todds-magic-playgroun_k0268a.png) 2. Update any [purchase option settings](#1-purchase-option-settings). * The date type in "Deferred payment due date" cannot be edited after creation. 4. Click **Save** to create the purchase option | Changing a purchase option does not affect orders that have already been placed. --- --- [Jump to top](#6-on-this-page) # Delete a purchase option Delete a purchase option using the **Delete** button located beside the respective option in the Downpay app. ![](https://storage.crisp.chat/users/helpdesk/website/81f235024a249800/monosnap-todds-magic-playgroun_1jzzzoo.png) | Deleting a purchase option does not affect orders that have already been placed. --- --- [Jump to top](#6-on-this-page) # Purchase option settings ## Line item help text This text will be shown in the cart and checkout for any line item using this purchase option. This helps to differentiate which line items have a purchase option, and can help inform the customer of what to expect. ![](https://storage.crisp.chat/users/helpdesk/website/81f235024a249800/image_5tvgwc.png =510x200) ![](https://storage.crisp.chat/users/helpdesk/website/81f235024a249800/image_1r5icka.png =474x250) Example help text: * Deposit only due a checkout [Default] * Payment due when shipped * No payment. Reservation only. * 50% today. 50% when shipped. || This text is limited to 29 characters ## Product selection type There are different ways to select products or variants that the purchase option applies to. Review [assigning products and variants documentation](https://docs.downpay.app/en/article/assigning-products-and-variants-to-downpay-sr082h/) for an in-depth guide on types. * [By Products](https://docs.downpay.app/en/article/assigning-products-and-variants-to-downpay-purchase-options-sr082h/#3-by-products) * [By Variants](https://docs.downpay.app/en/article/assigning-products-and-variants-to-downpay-purchase-options-sr082h/#3-by-variants) * [By Tag](https://docs.downpay.app/en/article/assigning-products-and-variants-to-downpay-purchase-options-sr082h/#3-by-tag) * [By Whole Store](https://docs.downpay.app/en/article/assigning-products-and-variants-to-downpay-purchase-options-sr082h/#3-by-whole-store) * [By Shopify Flow](https://docs.downpay.app/en/article/assigning-products-and-variants-to-downpay-purchase-options-sr082h/#3-by-shopify-flow) * [By API](https://docs.downpay.app/en/article/assigning-products-and-variants-to-downpay-purchase-options-sr082h/#3-by-api) || A purchase option can only use *one* product selection type and once saved, it cannot be changed. Delete the purchase option and create a new one to use a different selection type. ||| When a product has 2+ purchase options, Downpay will only display the *oldest* purchase option. ## Deposit options This setting determines if the deposit taken at checkout for the product(s) is either a percentage or an exact amount. Both options offer the ability to take $0 at checkout as well. We recommend using percentage deposit type for most use cases where there are many items in the cart in order for Downpay to calculate a total percentage across all products. ||| Due to the nature of the underlying Shopify technology, exact amount deposits are calculated per product. For example, when setting a $100 deposit on a product, if the customer places 2 of the products in their cart, the deposit is now $200 for the cart. ![](https://storage.crisp.chat/users/helpdesk/website/81f235024a249800/2025-02-1715-43_nguctf.png =1072x500) ### Give customers the option to pay in full Determines whether to offer the standard "pay in full" purchase option to customers. ![](https://storage.crisp.chat/users/helpdesk/website/81f235024a249800/monosnap-downpay-docs-imagesdr_tgigba.png) Purchase options are only available for [certain sales channels and payment methods](https://help.shopify.com/en/manual/products/purchase-options/subscriptions/setup#subscription-products). Your customers **may lose the ability to purchase** these products on unsupported channels and payment methods if you remove the option to pay in full. ## Deposit option display You can decide when you want to show deposit option which can be either always or when the variant is out of stock. ![](https://storage.crisp.chat/users/helpdesk/website/81f235024a249800/image_1419bmp.png =934x200) * Default option is selected as "Always" ![](https://storage.crisp.chat/users/helpdesk/website/81f235024a249800/image_to7ein.png =518x300) ||| Note: If you choose to only show Downpay when the product or variant is out of stock, make sure the checkbox to 'Continue selling when out of stock' is also checked on the product's page. For further details see [Continue selling when out of stock](https://docs.downpay.app/en/article/take-deposits-only-when-out-of-stock-15gog36/?bust=1740589186755#3-continue-selling-when-out-of-stock) ## Payment collection type The payment can be collected either [Manually](https://docs.downpay.app/en/article/payment-authorization-or-collection-kk9ihv/#2-collect-payment-per-order) or automatically using Shopify [Flow](https://docs.downpay.app/en/article/using-shopify-flow-with-downpay-u2eu3f/) technology. ![](https://storage.crisp.chat/users/helpdesk/website/81f235024a249800/image_1s3ydx9.png =1019x200) * By default, order payments are collected **manually** ## Balance due date The balance due date determines when the remainder is due after a customer checks out with a deposit. It appears to customers, is saved to the order, and can be used in automations including payment collection, using Downpay's Shopify Flow integration. The balance due date can be relative, exact, or set to "on fulfillment" instead of a date. Learn more in the [guide to understanding balance due dates](https://docs.downpay.app/en/article/understanding-balance-due-dates-in-downpay-xntch6). || Merchants on legacy plans cannot use "on fulfillment" for balance due dates. | You can [edit default theme content](https://docs.downpay.app/en/article/modify-date-and-content-display-about-deposits-on-your-theme-13dgsid/) to hide dates or change how other material is displayed to customers. --- --- [Jump to top](#6-on-this-page)