The two routes: carry billing across, or restart it
There are two ways to move paying readers. The first keeps their existing card, price and renewal date by moving Stripe data, which is what beehiiv's paid subscriber import does. [1] The second cancels billing on the old platform and asks readers to subscribe again on the new one, which is what Kit's Substack and beehiiv migration guides describe because, in Kit's words, there is no convenient method of migrating subscription periods and payment details. [5] [6]
Stripe itself supports moving subscriptions between Stripe accounts by copying card data across accounts and then using its billing migration tools. [8] Whether you can use that depends on the destination platform supporting it, which is why the routes differ by vendor. Kit's Stripe app does pull in past purchasers and supports Stripe subscriptions, but its help page does not explain how existing subscription billing is handled during a switch, so do not assume it replaces the cancel-and-resubscribe route. [7]
| Question | beehiiv | Kit |
|---|---|---|
| Documented route | Stripe customer copy plus migration tool [1] | Cancel old billing, readers re-subscribe [5] [6] |
| Readers re-enter card? | No; payment methods are copied [1] | Yes, as new subscriptions [5] |
| Price after move | Current price kept [1] | Whatever the new Kit product charges [5] |
| Next charge | Regular renewal date; temporary trial until then [1] | When the reader re-subscribes |
| Comped readers | Grant complimentary access [2] | Not covered in the guides we read |
| Plan needed | All paid beehiiv plans can use the import tool [1] | Payments set up in Kit first [5] |
How beehiiv's Stripe migration works
You need an active Stripe account connected to your beehiiv publication plus access to the Stripe account you are migrating from. [1] Note that connecting Stripe to beehiiv makes a new account appear in your Stripe dashboard, so the source and destination are separate accounts even if you log in with the same Stripe email. [4] The import tool is on all paid beehiiv plans, and Members and Admins can use it. [1]
The steps are: start a full copy of customer and payment method data from the source Stripe account to the beehiiv-connected one and accept it; create a restricted API key on the source account with read access to customers, products, coupons and subscriptions; map each Stripe product to a beehiiv tier; review the subscription list, which you can download as CSV; then run the import and watch the Uploaded, Processed and Skipped counts. [1] beehiiv says the copy may take up to 72 hours but is usually faster, and no charges occur during it. [1] Skipped means a subscription could not be migrated because of a Stripe error. [1]
Prices, renewal dates and comped readers
beehiiv says migrated subscribers see no change to price, access or billing schedule. They are billed on their regular renewal date and sit on a temporary trial until then. [1] Their old price sticks even if the tier you map them to costs more. [1] If you want to raise prices, that is a separate decision after the move, not something the migration does for you.
Readers who do not pay through Stripe need separate handling. beehiiv's Substack guide says comped, gifted and iOS subscribers are not in Stripe and must be granted complimentary access in beehiiv, and iOS subscribers have to cancel through the App Store themselves. [2] Export your comp list before you start so nobody loses access in the gap.
Avoiding double charges
Neither platform stops the old one from billing. beehiiv says cancelling billing on your previous platform is your responsibility, or subscribers may be charged twice. [1] Its Substack guide says to pause or cancel paid subscriptions there, and its Ghost guide says to pause subscriptions in the Ghost-connected Stripe account right after migrating. [2] [3]
Timing is what matters. Migrated subscribers on beehiiv will be charged on their renewal date, and so would the old platform if billing is still active. Pause or cancel old billing after the import shows the expected Processed count and before the earliest upcoming renewal date in the subscription list you downloaded. On the Kit route, Kit suggests telling paid readers in advance so cancellations are not a shock and so you have time to handle refund requests. [5]
Worked example: 200 paying readers
Suppose a publication has 200 paying readers: 150 monthly at $6, 40 annual at $60, and 10 comped. On beehiiv, the 190 Stripe subscribers move with their cards and keep $6 and $60 even if the new tiers are priced differently. [1] The 10 comped readers do not move through Stripe and need complimentary access granted by hand. [2] Your reconciliation is simple: 190 should show as Processed, plus 10 comps, and every Skipped row needs a follow-up.
On Kit's documented route, all 190 Stripe subscriptions are cancelled on the old platform and readers are asked to subscribe again. [5] Some will not come back, and annual subscribers part-way through a year will ask what happens to the time they already paid for. Decide on refunds or a free period on the new platform before you send the announcement.
| Group | Count | beehiiv route | Kit route |
|---|---|---|---|
| Monthly via Stripe | 150 | Keep $6, next renewal unchanged [1] | Cancelled, invited to re-subscribe [5] |
| Annual via Stripe | 40 | Keep $60, renewal date unchanged [1] | Cancelled; refund or credit decision needed [5] |
| Comped | 10 | Grant complimentary access [2] | Handle manually |
| Expected after import | 200 | 190 Processed + 10 comps | Depends on re-subscriptions |
Cutover checklist
Work through these in order. Steps 5 and 6 are the ones that prevent double billing.
- 1. Export subscribers, the paid subscription list and the comp list from the old platform.
- 2. Create paid tiers on the new platform before the migration; beehiiv says they must already exist. [2]
- 3. Connect Stripe and note which Stripe account the new platform uses. [4]
- 4. Run the customer copy and import; download the subscription CSV at the review step. [1]
- 5. Reconcile counts: Processed plus Skipped should equal what you expected. [1]
- 6. Pause or cancel billing on the old platform before the earliest renewal date. [1] [2]
- 7. Grant complimentary access to comped and gifted readers. [2]
- 8. Email paid readers: what changes, when, and that they will not be charged twice.
- 9. Watch the first renewal cycle in Stripe for failed or duplicate charges.
Questions before you decide
Will migrated subscribers on beehiiv pay the new tier price?
No. beehiiv says imported subscribers keep their current price whatever the tier costs. Its example: a $3 a month Stripe product mapped to a $5 a month tier keeps those subscribers at $3; only new sign-ups pay $5.
Can I move paid subscriptions into Kit without readers re-entering cards?
Kit's Substack and beehiiv migration guides say there is no convenient method of migrating subscription periods and payment details. Their suggested route is to cancel paid subscriptions on the old platform and ask readers to re-subscribe in Kit.
What happens to comped or gifted subscribers?
They are not in Stripe, so a Stripe migration does not carry them. beehiiv's Substack guide says comped, gifted and iOS subscribers must be granted complimentary access in beehiiv, and iOS subscribers cancel through the App Store themselves.
Who stops the old platform from charging?
You do. beehiiv says it is your responsibility to cancel billing on the previous platform, otherwise subscribers may be charged on both. Its Substack and Ghost guides say to pause or cancel paid subscriptions there.
Sources & verification
Product details and prices can change. Check the linked provider before buying.
- beehiiv: How to import paid subscribers Accessed 30 Oct 2026
- beehiiv: How to migrate from Substack to beehiiv Accessed 30 Oct 2026
- beehiiv: How to migrate from Ghost to beehiiv Accessed 30 Oct 2026
- beehiiv: Connecting Stripe to beehiiv Accessed 30 Oct 2026
- Kit: Migrating from Substack to Kit Accessed 30 Oct 2026
- Kit: Migrating from beehiiv to Kit Accessed 30 Oct 2026
- Kit: Kit and Stripe Accessed 30 Oct 2026
- Stripe: Migrate subscriptions to Stripe Billing Accessed 30 Oct 2026
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