When selling high-priced items on Shopify, it is inevitable to consider payment methods. Especially for high-priced products, there is a growing need for installment payments to lower the barrier to purchase.

However, Shopify's standard payment method, Shopify Payments, has limitations specific to Japan. This article explains the current state of installment payments in 2026 , including the results of direct interviews with major payment processing companies.

1. Shopify Payments (Japan) does not support installment payments

First, let me tell you the conclusion: Shopify Payments in Japan only supports "lump-sum payments . "

In some regions, such as the United States, a payment installment feature called "Shop Pay Installments" is available, but unfortunately, this feature is not currently available to merchants in Japan. If a store that primarily uses Shopify Payments wants to offer installment payments, it must use or implement an external payment provider .

2. Major payment providers' support for installment payments

By using major domestic payment processing companies (SB Payment Service, KOMOJU, GMO Epsilon, etc.), you can make installment payments via credit card. The important thing here is the "limit on the number of payments" set by each company.

Here is a comparison table summarizing direct inquiries and survey results.

The reality of the "24-times barrier"

Many merchants who handle high-priced items request ultra-long installment payments such as 60 or 120 payments in order to lower the hurdle for customers to purchase . However, in the current system integration between Shopify and domestic payment processing companies, 24 installments is the practical limit within the framework of credit card payments. In the current system integration between Shopify and domestic payment processing companies, 24 installments is the practical limit within the framework of credit card payments .

This is due to the system specifications of each agency, and it is extremely difficult to offer more than this number as long as you use Shopify's standard checkout flow.

3. Alternatives to credit cards: BNPL (pay later)

In recent years, BNPL (Buy Now Pay Later) services have become a very effective option for those who want to avoid using their credit card limit or want to pay in installments more easily.

• Paidy: Supports deferred payment in 3, 6, or 12 installments. There are no installment fees if you pay by bank transfer or direct debit , which directly leads to an increase in user conversion rates (CVR).
  

• Smartpay: Pay in three installments with zero interest and fees.
  
  

These are natively integrated with Shopify, which means fewer redirects to external sites and a lower risk of cart abandonment.

4. The optimal solution for merchants

If you're considering installment payments with Shopify, the best practice in 2026 is to set up the following:

1. Credit card payments: Maintain the convenience of Shopify Payments .
   

2. Split completion: We have introduced SB Payment Service , KOMOJU , and GMO Epsilon to cover installment payments (up to 24 times) using credit cards.
   

3. For young and casual users: We have introduced Paidy and Smartpay to provide a fee-free installment payment experience.
   

💡 Tip: What if you're asked to make more than 24 payments? If you're paying for an extremely expensive item (over 1 million yen) that requires 36 or more installments, it's more practical to offer a separate "shopping loan" (JACCS, ORICO, etc.) option outside of Shopify's payment screen.

Summary

Since Shopify Payments does not support installment payments in Japan, selecting an external provider is essential. However, you must design your website with the system's "maximum 24 installments" restriction in mind.

Compare the unit price of your products with the payment ability of your target customers to create the optimal "payment experience."