What is the cart_currency cookie?
cart_currency is an HTTP cookie used by the Shopify platform on online stores built with it. It is set automatically by Shopify's storefront engine when a visitor lands on the site or interacts with the shopping cart, regardless of whether they accept or decline statistics or marketing cookies.
Its purpose is purely functional: to keep the prices shown in the cart consistent with the currency selected by the visitor or determined automatically by the store (for example, based on location or store settings).
What data it stores
The cookie stores the code of the currency active for that shopping session (typically a three-letter code following the ISO 4217 currency standard). The exact value format is managed internally by Shopify's infrastructure and may vary or change over time.
The data is sent to the Shopify store's domain (usually the .myshopify.com subdomain or the merchant's own domain connected to the platform) and is used exclusively to calculate and display correct cart prices.
What it is used for
For the merchant running a Shopify store, cart_currency ensures a consistent shopping experience: without it, a visitor could see mismatched prices between product pages and the cart, especially on stores selling internationally in multiple currencies.
For Shopify as the platform provider, this cookie is part of the set of technical cookies required for the shopping cart to function, alongside similar session, cart, and checkout cookies.
Does it require consent?
In CookieFix's classification, cart_currency falls under necessary (strictly necessary). Under Article 5(3) of the ePrivacy Directive, cookies strictly necessary to provide a service explicitly requested by the user (here, the shopping cart function) do not require prior consent.
- Store owners must still disclose it in their cookie policy, along with its purpose and duration.
- It should not be grouped with categories that require visitor opt-in (statistics, marketing, preferences).
- Its legal basis is typically legitimate interest/technical necessity, not consent.
How to block or delete cart_currency
A visitor can manually delete or block cart_currency from browser settings (Chrome, Firefox, Safari, Edge), under cookies and site data. Blocking it may cause incorrect currency or pricing display in the shopping cart on Shopify stores.
Because it is strictly necessary, a CMP like CookieFix does not block it automatically before consent, unlike statistics or marketing cookies, which it can hold back until the visitor gives their agreement.
Frequently asked questions
No. It is classified as strictly necessary because it supports a core technical function of the shopping cart, so it falls outside the prior-consent requirement under ePrivacy.
Shopify will recreate it on the next cart interaction, but in the meantime the displayed currency may reset to the store's default value.
Its typical observed duration is about 2 weeks, after which it expires automatically unless renewed by a new interaction with the store.
Yes, even though it doesn't require consent, all strictly necessary cookies should be transparently listed in the cookie policy along with their purpose and duration.