Affirm is a payment method that boosts conversion, average cart size, and customer loyalty by enabling your customers to split their purchase into easy monthly payments. Affirm financing is quick, simple, and transparent. There are no gimmicks such as deferred interest, compounding interest, or late fees — what shoppers see at checkout is exactly what they’ll pay.
Requirements
To use Affirm, your store must meet the following requirements:
- Your store must be using Optimized One-Page Checkout.
- Your store must be based in the United States and have a US-based bank account.
- You store default currency must be USD.
- Manage Payments and Manage Settings user permissions must be enabled.
- Only the store owner can set up Affirm via guided onboarding.
- Affirm only supports business-to-customer (B2C) business models. If you sell exclusively to other businesses (B2B), Affirm may not approve your merchant account application.
Setup
To set up Affirm, go to Settings › Payments and click Set up next to Affirm in the list of Online Payment Methods.
You will be taken to the Affirm Settings tab. Click the Set up button to begin.
You can set up an Affirm merchant account with guided onboarding by clicking Get started. If you have an existing Affirm account, click Already have an account? Enter API Keys manually.
If you are not logged in as the store owner, only the manual connection option will be available.
Guided Onboarding
If you select the guided onboarding setup option, you will be prompted to enter your business and contact details for the Affirm merchant account application. Click Finish when you're ready to submit.
Affirm will view your storefront as a part of the application review process. To assist in this process, make sure that your store is launched and not in maintenance mode.
It takes one to three business days for Affirm to review your application. Once this review is completed, a banner will appear in the Affirm Settings tab with your application's status. If approved, Affirm will be automatically activated in your store.
Manual Connection
If you select to set up Affirm by clicking Connect manually, you will be prompted to enter the Public Key and Private Key of your existing Affirm merchant account. These credentials can be found in the Affirm dashboard under API Keys.
Save your changes to enable Affirm in your store.
Affirm Settings
After connecting Affirm, configure the following settings in the Affirm Settings tab.
- Minimum Order Value — The minimum order amount (before taxes and discounts) that must be met before Affirm displays as an option at checkout. If blank, Affirm will be displayed for all orders over $50.
- Transaction Type — can be set to Authorize & Capture or Authorize Only. Authorize Only allows you to capture the funds manually. See Manually Capturing Transactions (Authorize Only) to learn more.
- Test Mode — determines whether the payment method is in Test Mode on your checkout page. Set to No (Recommended) when you are ready to take payments.
Setting up Affirm Promotional Messaging
Educating customers about Affirm by adding promotional messaging to your product and cart pages can positively affect your conversion rate. Promotional messaging can increase your average order value by allowing shoppers to see their estimated monthly payment if they use Affirm.
To set up promotional messaging automatically, visit our App Marketplace and download Affirm's free marketing messaging app. The app also enables you to take advantage of Affirm’s enhanced analytics feature.
Common Questions
Account Eligibility
What currencies and countries does Affirm support?
Affirm supports businesses in the United States using USD as their default currency.
What items are restricted for merchants to sell?
See Affirm's list of prohibited businesses.
Transactions
How long until transaction funds are transferred to my bank?
Affirm's deposit schedule is similar to a credit card payment timeline. See Affirm's How does a Merchant Get Paid to learn more.
Refunds
How soon after a transaction can I perform a refund?
You can perform a refund immediately. See Affirm's refund policy to learn more.
Is there an amount of time after which I cannot perform a refund?
You can perform a refund within 120 days from the date of purchase.
Are there any fees for chargebacks/refunds?
There are no additional fees associated with chargebacks or refunds. However, Affirm does not refund the merchant discount rate or the transaction fee.
Additional Features
Are there any fraud filtering options available?
None are supported at this time.
What browsers does Affirm support?
Chrome, Safari, and Firefox. Internet Explorer is not supported. Shoppers using Internet Explorer will be directed to use one of Affirm's supported browsers.
Does Affirm allow authorize-only for recurring/subscription payments?
- Authorizations — Yes. Authorize-Only, Authorize & Capture, Void, Full Refund, and Partial Refund are supported.
- Recurring/Subscriptions — Not supported at this time.
Troubleshooting and Payment Disputes
How are payment disputes handled?
Visit Affirm's Customer Dispute Resolution Procedures to learn how these are managed.
How do I contact Affirm Support?
Contact Affirm directly by emailing merchanthelp@affirm.com or submitting a ticket.
