# Restricting access to payment methods with Locksmith

Locksmith's payment customization feature lets you control payment method visibility at checkout based on customer tags. Each rule can work in one of two ways:

* **Show only to tagged customers** — the payment method is hidden from everyone *except* customers with the specified tag (e.g. show "Net 30 / Invoice" only to customers tagged `wholesale`)
* **Hide from tagged customers** — the payment method is hidden *from* customers with the specified tag, and visible to everyone else (e.g. hide "Cash on Delivery" from customers tagged `blocked`)

## How it works

Locksmith maintains a Shopify Function running natively in Shopify's checkout. When a customer reaches checkout, Shopify evaluates their tags against your configured rules and removes any payment methods they don't have access to — before the page renders. The customer never sees the hidden options.

## Prerequisites

* Locksmith installed on your Shopify store
* Customers tagged appropriately in Shopify (e.g. `wholesale`, `vip`, `net30`)
* The payment method names you want to restrict, as they appear at checkout

## Step 1: Open Locksmith Settings

Navigate to your Locksmith app and click **Settings** in the navigation.

Scroll down to the **Shopify Functions** section, where you'll find the **Payment Customization** card.

## Step 2: Enable the feature and grant permissions

Check **Enable this payment customization**.

Since this feature requires an additional Shopify permission (`write_payment_customizations`), Locksmith will need to request it. Click **Save** and then approve the permission request that follows. You'll be redirected back to Locksmith once access is granted.

Once access is approved, return to **Settings → Shopify Functions** to configure your rules.

## Step 3: Configure your rules

1. Click **Add payment method**
2. Enter the **payment method name** as it appears at checkout (e.g. `Cash on Delivery (COD)`, `Bank Deposit`, `Net 30`)
3. Enter one or more **customer tags** (comma-separated)
4. Choose the **Access** behavior for this rule:
   * **Show only to tagged customers** — hides the payment method from customers who don't have the tag
   * **Hide from tagged customers** — hides the payment method from customers who do have the tag
5. Repeat for additional payment methods (up to 3 rules)

{% hint style="info" %}
Payment method names are matched against what Shopify displays at checkout. If you're not sure of the name, check your Shopify **Settings → Payments** page.
{% endhint %}

**Case-insensitive matching** is enabled by default, so `Bank Deposit` and `bank deposit` are treated the same. You can turn this off if needed.

## Step 4: Save

Click **Save**. Locksmith will create the payment customization in Shopify immediately. You can verify it was created by checking **Settings → Payments → Payment customizations** in your Shopify admin.

## What customers experience

**"Show only to tagged customers" mode:**

* Customers **with** the tag: see the payment method at checkout as normal
* Customers **without** the tag: the payment method doesn't appear

**"Hide from tagged customers" mode:**

* Customers **with** the tag: the payment method doesn't appear
* Customers **without** the tag: see the payment method at checkout as normal

In both cases there's no error or explanation shown — the payment method is simply not offered to customers who shouldn't see it.

This works at the checkout level, so it applies regardless of how a customer reaches checkout.