Shopify Payments and iDEAL: one-off, not recurring
Dutch customers prefer to pay with iDEAL, including for subscriptions. The catch is that iDEAL is technically a single payment instruction: the customer logs into their bank, confirms the amount and the transaction is done. There's no built-in mechanism to repeat that payment automatically the way a stored credit card token works. That's why Shopify Payments doesn't support recurring iDEAL charges; the channel only handles one-off purchases.
There is, however, a well-established solution in the Netherlands: pairing a one-off iDEAL payment with a SEPA direct debit mandate. That's exactly what Mollie facilitates, and it's what Loyalo uses to make Shopify subscriptions with iDEAL possible.
Recurring payments with Mollie: the SEPA mandate
On the first order the customer pays with iDEAL as usual. Behind the scenes, Mollie captures a recurring SEPA mandate during that transaction, tied to the account number used to pay. From then on the store can submit, through Mollie, follow-up charges on the agreed schedule without the customer returning to their bank. It's the same underlying mechanism as a regular direct debit, except the first step feels as familiar to the customer as a normal iDEAL payment.
- Capture the mandateThe customer picks the subscription and pays the first order with iDEAL. From that payment Loyalo records the SEPA mandate in your Mollie account.
- Schedule the follow-up chargeLoyalo tracks the next billing date per subscription and submits a charge to Mollie when it falls due.
- Order in ShopifyFor every delivery Loyalo creates the order in Shopify, with inventory and customer history. Once the collection has succeeded, the order is marked paid.
- Handle a failed chargeIf the charge fails, for example through insufficient funds, a chargeback or an expired mandate, dunning starts and the customer gets an email with a payment link.
Who does what: Shopify Payments vs Mollie
| Aspect | Shopify Payments | Mollie (via Loyalo) |
|---|---|---|
| One-off orders | Processes payment and order | Not needed |
| Recurring iDEAL | Not supported | Mandate + follow-up charges |
| Payout | To your Shopify Payments account | Straight to your Mollie account |
| Customer & order data | Source of truth in Shopify | Payment status and mandate only |
| Failed payment | n/a | Dunning, email, dashboard alert |
In practice, Shopify Payments and Mollie run side by side. Customers placing a one-off order simply use Shopify Payments with whichever methods you offer. Customers starting a subscription with iDEAL go through the iDEAL-plus-mandate flow via Mollie; a subscription by credit card runs through Shopify. Shopify remains the place where orders, customers and products live in both cases; Loyalo only orchestrates the recurring payment and syncs the result back to Shopify.
Setting up Mollie and Shopify
- Your own Mollie account with iDEAL and SEPA direct debit enabled
- The Mollie API key connected in Loyalo, stored encrypted per shop
- Selling plans on the products you offer as subscriptions
- The subscription choice on the product page and the iDEAL button switched on in your theme
- Transactional emails (confirmation, reminder, failed charge) configured in your own branding
- A test subscription run through with a Mollie test key before going live
What the customer notices
For the customer the difference from a regular iDEAL payment is small. They pay the first order the way they are used to. After that they see a SEPA direct debit on their statement with every delivery, with the name of your store and the order number in the description. A few days before every delivery they get a reminder, so the collection is no surprise.
When the customer changes banks, they give a new mandate in the portal with a payment of € 0.01 through iDEAL. And when a collection fails, the email holds a payment link: paying through it renews the mandate at once. The less the customer has to figure out, the smaller the chance that a failed payment becomes a cancellation.
Pitfalls to avoid
Customers migrated from another platform usually don't have a valid SEPA mandate in your Mollie account. That mandate needs to be re-captured, typically through a short re-confirmation flow, before the first follow-up charge can run.
- A mandate can lapse from inactivity or when the customer switches banks; monitor expirations.
- Chargeback window: customers can reverse a SEPA direct debit for up to eight weeks, so factor that into your figures.
- Don't conflate Shopify Payments and Mollie in your reporting; they are two separate money flows.
- Make sure failed-charge emails contain a direct payment link, or your recovery rate will drop.
Frequently asked questions
Can Shopify Payments take recurring iDEAL payments?
No. iDEAL is a single payment instruction and Shopify Payments doesn't support recurring iDEAL charges; iDEAL there only handles one-off purchases. A subscription with iDEAL therefore runs on a SEPA mandate at Mollie. A subscription by credit card runs through Shopify.
Do I need Mollie for iDEAL subscriptions on Shopify?
With Loyalo you do. You connect your own Mollie account, with iDEAL and SEPA direct debit enabled. The mandate is recorded there from the first iDEAL payment and the follow-up charges run through Mollie. One-off orders keep going through Shopify Payments.
Can I offer both iDEAL and card-based subscriptions?
Yes. With the regular checkout button the customer starts a subscription by credit card through Shopify; with the iDEAL button they pay with iDEAL and the collection runs through Mollie.
What happens to existing one-off Shopify Payments iDEAL customers?
They keep going through Shopify Payments unchanged. Only customers who start a subscription go through the iDEAL-plus-mandate flow via Mollie.
Is a SEPA mandate legally the same as a regular direct debit?
Yes, it's a standard SEPA recurring mandate. The customer has the same chargeback rights as with any other direct debit.
Do I need to submit charges to Mollie myself?
No, Loyalo schedules and submits the follow-up charges automatically based on the subscription schedule and syncs the result back into Shopify.
Can a customer change bank accounts?
Yes. In the portal the customer gives a new mandate with a payment of € 0.01 through iDEAL. The next deliveries are then collected from that account.
Can I test first without real payments?
Yes. With a test key from Mollie you walk through the order, the mandate and the collection without any money moving. After that you replace the key with your live key.
See how the iDEAL mandate works in practice
Request a demo and see the Mollie connection and setup for your store.
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