How to Migrate from Braintree to Shopify Using Easy Subscriptions

Overview

Merchants moving off Braintree for recurring billing can migrate existing subscription contracts to Shopify using Easy Subscriptions. Shopify treats Braintree as a secondary payment gateway during this process, meaning it continues billing existing contracts while new and updated subscriptions bill through Shopify Payments.

This guide assumes you have already completed Shopify’s core Subscriptions API migration. If you have not, complete that step first, since the Braintree specific process described here depends on it.

Before starting, pause billing in your current subscription app. Pausing prevents customers from being charged twice while payment methods and contracts are being transferred.

What Braintree Migration Does and Does Not Support

Understanding these limits before migrating prevents failed imports and billing errors.

Supported:

• Credit card payment methods
• Apple Pay payment methods

Not supported:

• PayPal payment methods linked through Braintree
• Google Pay payment methods linked through Braintree
• Multi currency subscription contracts

Merchants with PayPal customers billed through Braintree need to migrate those separately through PayPal Express rather than including them in the Braintree CSV import. Merchants billing in multiple currencies should confirm with support how this affects existing contracts, since Braintree’s legacy gateway integration does not carry multi currency support into Shopify.

Step by Step Migration Guide

Step 1: Connect Braintree as a Secondary Payment Gateway

Braintree connects to Shopify through OAuth authorization. Go to the following URL, replacing {shop} with your Shopify store name:

https://admin.shopify.com/store/{shop}/settings/payments/third-party-providers/47742977?secondarySubscriptionGateway=true`

Shopify redirects you to Braintree to authorize the connection. Once authorized, you return to Shopify’s payment settings and a confirmation banner confirms the connection succeeded. To test the connection first, use Braintree sandbox account credentials during this same OAuth flow. Shopify does not publish a separate sandbox URL for this step.

Step 2: Open Easy Subscriptions

From Shopify admin, go to Apps, then Easy Subscriptions.

Step 3: Go to Import Settings

Inside Easy Subscriptions, click Settings, then find the Import Subscription section.

Step 4: Download the CSV Template

Click Download to get the sample CSV file. This template defines the exact column structure Easy Subscriptions requires for import.

Step 5: Export Existing Subscription Data

Export subscription data from your current Braintree connected app. Include customer details, product names, billing intervals, and cycle dates.

Step 6: Format the CSV File

Match your exported data to the sample template’s columns, including Subscription ID, product details, and payment intervals.

Step 7: Import the Data to Shopify

Return to the Import Subscription section in Easy Subscriptions and upload the completed CSV. Processing time depends on how many subscribers you are importing.

Step 8: Review the Import Logs

Download the Import Logs to confirm the import completed correctly. Missing or mismatched entries appear here so you can fix and re-import them.

Step 9: Resume Billing

Once the import log confirms a clean migration, reactivate billing. Recurring orders are now manageable directly from Shopify admin through Easy Subscriptions.

Tips for a Smooth Migration

• Keep billing paused until the import log confirms a clean migration.
• Migrate PayPal via Braintree customers through PayPal Express separately, not in the Braintree CSV.
• Confirm multi currency contract handling with support before migrating if you sell internationally.
• Download a fresh CSV template each time, since Easy Subscriptions may update the required format.
• Contact support if import logs show unresolved errors after a re-import attempt.

Frequently Asked Questions