Moving from ThriveCart or SamCart: a checkout migration checklist

Changing checkout software looks like a page-building job. The page is the easy part. The real move includes active subscriptions, customer records, delivery rules, partner links, tracking scripts, receipts, and every automation that fires after a sale.

You do not need to move all of it in one night. A staged switch is safer and gives you a clean way back if the first live order exposes a missing step.

Before you build anything

• Export products, prices, customers, orders, subscriptions, coupons, and affiliate records
• List every webhook, email tag, course enrolment, Slack alert, spreadsheet, and receipt tied to a sale
• Mark products as active, seasonal, retired, or subscription-only
• Record refund terms, fulfilment links, tax settings, and billing descriptors

Keep the exports untouched. They are your reference if a buyer writes six weeks later about an order from the old system.

Treat existing subscriptions as their own project

Do not cancel live subscriptions and ask everyone to buy again unless there is no other route. That creates voluntary churn and support work.

Ask both providers how stored payment methods and subscription schedules can be moved. Payment data is controlled, and a CSV export will not contain card numbers. Depending on the processors and platforms involved, the safest choice may be to leave old subscriptions running where they are while new buyers use the new checkout.

Rebuild one product first

Choose a straightforward product with steady traffic and no complicated tax or subscription rules. Match the current name, price, coupon behaviour, order bump, delivery destination, and receipt copy.

Do not redesign the whole funnel during the migration. A platform change and a new offer at the same time make failures hard to trace.

Reconnect the sale

• Send the buyer to the correct access page
• Apply the right email tag or start the intended sequence
• Record the source and partner responsible for the sale
• Notify the seller without exposing private payment data
• Send a receipt that shows the seller, item, amount, date, and payment reference
• Handle refunds and failed renewals in every connected system

Preserve old links

Search your website, email archive, scheduled posts, ad account, pinned social links, partner resources, and documents for the old checkout URL. Replace what you control. Keep a redirect from the old address when the platform permits it.

Partners deserve a direct note. Their links may need a new tracking parameter or a new destination, and silent changes are how correct sales lose attribution.

Run the four test orders

• A normal purchase with no extra offer
• A purchase with the order bump selected
• A purchase that accepts the post-purchase offer
• A declined card followed by a successful attempt

For a subscription, also test the renewal and cancellation flow in the processor's test clock or sandbox. Check what the buyer sees and what the seller sees.

Switch traffic in stages

Start with your own links and a small share of traffic. Watch successful payments, failed payments, access delivery, email events, attribution, and support messages. Move ads and partner traffic after the full path has held up.

Keep the old account for a while

Old refunds, chargebacks, subscriptions, invoices, and tax records can outlive the sales page. Keep read access until the longest relevant refund window has passed and every active billing agreement has a documented home.