--- title: "How a subscription migration works | Chargezen" description: "What moves when you switch subscription apps, who does what, how to test, and how next charge dates and a cutover checklist stop double billing." url: "https://chargezen.com/subscriptions/migrations/how-migration-works" lang: "en" --- Canonical URL: https://chargezen.com/subscriptions/migrations/how-migration-works # How a subscription migration works: data, timing and no double billing. What moves to Chargezen, what you set up, what our migration team does, and how each subscriber keeps their next charge date without being charged twice. [Start Subscriptions](https://admin.chargezen.com/signup?product=subscriptions) next charge dates carry over Same dates next charge dates carry over every row, before anything is created Checked first every row, before anything is created from Stripe, Braintree, Authorize.net and PayPal Cards move from Stripe, Braintree, Authorize.net and PayPal The problem Switching subscription apps goes wrong in two ways: a subscriber is charged by both apps, or not charged at all. Both come down to timing. Each subscription keeps its next charge date, and the old app stops billing before that date. Everything else in a migration is there to make those two things happen. ## What moves to Chargezen Each subscription comes over with the details it needs to bill on the same day, at the same price, to the same address. ### Subscriptions Who subscribes, to which product and variant, in what quantity, and on which plan and frequency. ### Prices and shipping The price each subscriber pays today, the shipping fee, and the currency they pay in. ### Next charge dates Each subscription keeps its next charge date. Prepaid plans also keep their delivery schedule. ### Saved cards Cards already in Shopify, including Shopify Payments, stay put. Our migration team moves saved cards from Stripe, Braintree, Authorize.net and PayPal into Shopify. ## What you set up, and what is not imported ### Plans One Chargezen plan for each frequency your subscribers use, with Contract import turned on. ### Offers and messages Discount codes, cancellation offers, win-backs and subscription emails are set up in Chargezen. They are not imported. ### Points and rewards Loyalty points from another app are not part of the subscription import. Set up Chargezen rewards instead. ### Cards elsewhere Cards at other gateways, Square included, are not imported. Those subscribers save a card in Shopify before they move. ## Who does what ### You Export your subscriptions, create plans in Chargezen, check that subscribers exist in Shopify with a default address, and stop billing in the old app. ### Our migration team Reviews your store and confirms a timeline with you, moves saved cards from the gateways above, and helps with any subscriber the import could not move. ### Chargezen Checks every row before anything is created, lists each one it can't import with the reason, and never creates a second subscription for a customer who already has one. ## Test before you switch ### Start with one Import a single subscription, or a small file, before the rest. ### Check it in Chargezen Open each test subscription and check the product, price, next charge date, address and payment method. ### Fix and rerun Fix the rows Chargezen listed and import them again. A subscriber who already has a Chargezen subscription is listed, never duplicated. ### Then move in batches Group subscribers by next charge date, so each group moves before it is due to bill. ## A migration, step by step 1. 1 ### Review Our migration team looks at where your subscriptions and cards live and confirms a timeline with you. 2. 2 ### Set up Create matching plans and set up your offers, messages and portal in Chargezen. 3. 3 ### Test Move one subscription or a small batch, and check every detail. 4. 4 ### Cut over Move the rest before each next charge date, and stop billing in the old app. ## Cutover-day checklist ### Pick the date Choose a cutover before the earliest next charge date in the batch you are moving. ### Import and confirm Import the batch and compare the count in Chargezen with your export. ### Stop the old app Pause or cancel those subscriptions in the old app. Chargezen never changes anything there, so this step is yours. ### Switch the storefront Show Chargezen's subscription options on your product pages, so new subscribers start in Chargezen. ### Tell subscribers Send a short note with where to manage their subscription from now on. ### Watch the first renewals Check the first renewal orders and any failed payments, and follow up with anyone the import listed. ## Switch once. Keep every subscriber. $199 a month for Shopify Advanced and Plus stores. No commission and no transaction fees, however big you grow. [Start Subscriptions](https://admin.chargezen.com/signup?product=subscriptions) [See pricing](https://chargezen.com/pricing) ## Common questions ### How long does a migration take? It depends on how many subscribers you have and where their cards are. Our migration team reviews your store and confirms a timeline with you before anything moves. ### How do you make sure nobody is charged twice? Each subscription keeps its next charge date, and the import file refuses a date that has already passed. You stop billing in the old app before that date, and Chargezen never creates a second subscription for a customer who already has one. ### Which saved cards move without subscribers re-entering them? Cards already in Shopify, including Shopify Payments, plus saved cards at Stripe, Braintree, Authorize.net and PayPal. Cards at other gateways, such as Square, are not imported. ### What happens to a subscriber the import can't move? Chargezen lists them with the reason, such as no Shopify customer, no saved payment method or no matching plan. Fix the cause and import them again. ### Do I need to stop billing in the old app myself? Yes. Chargezen never changes anything in your old app. Pause or cancel each subscription there before its next charge date. ## Keep exploring [ ### Migrate from Recharge App sync reads your subscriptions straight from Recharge.](https://chargezen.com/subscriptions/migrations/migrate-from-recharge) [ ### Migration guide The import file, column by column, in the docs.](https://chargezen.com/docs/subscriptions/migration-csv-template) [ ### Move Stripe cards How default Stripe cards are copied into Shopify.](https://chargezen.com/docs/subscriptions/stripe-token-migration)