I keep hearing that when a store with active subscriptions moves platforms, or even between subscription apps, the saved payment methods often can’t be transferred. Every subscriber has to re-enter their card and a noticeable share never does.
Has anyone here been through this? Did your payment tokens move cleanly, or did you take a hit on the subscriber base? Curious how it went and whether there was anything you wish you’d checked before starting.
Been through this once and the short version is the cards aren’t held by the subscription app, they’re vaulted at the payment gateway, so whether they survive depends on whether the gateway changes, not the app. If you stay on the same processor (Stripe to Stripe, or keeping Shopify Payments) the tokens can usually be moved gateway-to-gateway through a PCI-compliant transfer the processors run for you. The hit happens when the underlying gateway itself changes, because tokens are gateway-specific and raw card numbers legally can’t be exported, so subscribers get re-collected. The thing I wish I’d checked first: get written confirmation from both the old and new provider that they’ll do the vault transfer before you move anything else, since that single yes or no decides whether it’s a clean migration or a re-enter-your-card campaign. Are you changing the actual payment gateway, or just swapping the subscription app sitting on top of the same one? That’s basically the whole answer.
Hello there @SamDTCSupport
Yes, this can be a challenge. Whether or not saved cards are transferred is up to the payment gateway and subscription app that you use, as bat most card information is stored as secure payment tokens, not in Shopify.
Many merchants do phased migration, holding the old subscription system active as the customers update payment methods gradually. Prior to switching, verify that tokens can be ported between providers and test with a small number of subscribers first. A well-planned transition can go a long way towards minimizing subscriber drop-off and failed renewals.