Articles on: What's new

Return Care

Plans: Return Care plan Platforms: Shopify


Overview


Managing return costs can be challenging for merchants. AfterShip Return Care is a paid protection service offered to shoppers during checkout. Customers can choose to pay a small fee when placing an order. In return, they receive free returns and exchanges if needed later.


If a customer purchases Return Care, they will not be charged any return-related costs for the order, including return labels or restocking fees.


This approach benefits both customers and merchants:


  • Customers enjoy risk-free shopping
  • Merchants can offset return shipping costs
  • The return process becomes faster and more transparent


Why AfterShip Return Care?


Enabling the Return Care service comes with several advantages for merchants:


1. No Subscription Fee


Merchants do not need to pay a subscription fee to access the Return care feature with its premium features.


2. Unlimited Usage


There are no quotas or usage limits, allowing merchants to offer Return Care across all eligible orders.


3. Offset Return Costs


The small fee collected during checkout can help cover future return label costs, reducing the financial burden of returns.


4. Improved Customer Confidence


Customers feel more comfortable purchasing when they know returns will be free.


Requirements to Enable Return Care


Merchants must make sure to fulfil these requirements:


  • Shopify store
  • Install AfterShip Returns
  • Upgrade to the Return Care plan
  • Agree to share a percentage of Return Care revenue with AfterShip


Merchants using AfterShip Premium or Enterprise plans can access the Return Care widget at no additional cost. Read more >


How Return Care Works


Step 1: Switch to the Return Care Plan


Firstly, merchants must switch to the Return Care plan from the landing page. If your account has any remaining balance or unpaid amount, the system will prompt you to:


  • Pay the outstanding balance, or
  • Receive a refund for the unused balance


Steps 2: Complete Return Care Onboarding


Once you switched to the Return Care plan, complete the following onboarding steps.


  1. Install the Return Care widget on your Shopify cart page. This widget allows customers to select Return Care during checkout.
  2. Add a credit card for billing purposes. Although Return Care does not require a subscription fee, merchants will receive invoices for:


  • Shipping Protection premiums (if enabled)
  • Revenue sharing for Return Care


  1. Enable Return Care (required) and Shipping Protection (Optional).



Return Care experience


Checkout experience


When the AfterShip widget is installed, the checkout button on the cart page/drawer is changed slightly. Instead of the standard checkout button, customers will see a Checkout Plus button.


This allows shoppers to add a free returns (Return care) and shipping protection service while checking out with a small fee. However, if shoppers prefer not to add these services, they can select Continue without and proceed with normal checkout. This gives customers complete control over whether they want additional protection.



Customer return experience


If a customer purchased Return Care during checkout, their return process becomes simpler. They will see a Return Care banner on the item selection page, and the return summary will show no return cost.



How to cancel the Return Care plan?


If you prefer to return to the subscription model, you can cancel the Return Care plan at any time. Simply, go to the Billing page, cancel the current plan and subscribe to another available free or paid subscription plan. 


Key takeaways


  • Return Care allows customers to pay a small fee during checkout for free returns later and controls return costs for merchants.
  • The Return care fee enables merchants to offset return label costs.
  • Merchants can enable Return Care, Shipping Protection, or both.
  • Customers who purchase Return Care shouldn’t be charged any return fees.
  • Merchants receive monthly invoices for revenue sharing and service charges.


FAQs


1. Which countries currently support enabling Return Care?


Return Care is currently available for merchants in the United States and Australia.


If your store is located outside the US and AU and you are interested in using Return Care, please contact your Customer Success Manager or reach out to the AfterShip Support team to learn about future availability.


2. Can merchants still charge for return labels if a customer purchased Return Care? 


If a customer has purchased Return Care during checkout, the merchant should not charge any return-related fees such as return shipping label fees, restocking fees, or any other return processing charges. 


If you plan to charge customers for returns, you should not offer Return Care service at checkout.


3. Do merchants have to enable both Shipping Protection and Return Care?


Merchants can choose to enable either Shipping Protection or Return Care, or both services together. However, if both services are enabled, customers will need to purchase them together during checkout and cannot select only one of them.


4. When will I receive invoices for Return Care?


Invoices are generated at the beginning of each month. For more details about billing and invoices, refer to this billing help article.


Updated on: 13/03/2026