Stripe Customer Data Copy: What It Does and Doesn't Do
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Stripe’s Customer Data Copy is often the starting point when transferring a SaaS business. Understanding what it does — and crucially, what it doesn’t do — is essential for planning a successful migration.
What Customer Data Copy Provides
Customer Data Copy is a Stripe-initiated process that transfers customer records from one Stripe account to another. To request it, you contact Stripe support and provide authorization from both account holders.
Data That Is Copied
- Customer objects: Names, emails, metadata, and other customer-level data
- Payment methods: Credit cards, bank accounts, and other saved payment methods
- Customer IDs: Stripe generates new IDs in the destination account and provides a mapping CSV
The Mapping CSV
After the copy, Stripe provides a CSV file mapping old customer IDs to new ones. This file typically contains:
| old_customer_id | new_customer_id |
|---|---|
| cus_ABC123 | cus_XYZ789 |
| cus_DEF456 | cus_UVW012 |
This mapping is critical for any subscription recreation process.
What Customer Data Copy Does Not Include
This is where most SaaS sellers encounter problems. Customer Data Copy explicitly excludes:
Subscriptions
Active subscriptions are not copied. The customer exists in the new account with their payment method, but there’s no subscription charging them. This is the primary gap MoveMRR addresses.
Products and Prices
Your product catalog (Products and Prices) is not transferred. You’ll need to recreate these in the destination account, either manually or programmatically.
Invoices and Payment History
Historical invoices remain in the source account. The destination account starts with a clean slate.
Subscription Metadata
Any metadata attached to subscriptions (not customers) is lost if you don’t explicitly transfer it during recreation.
Coupons and Discounts
Active coupons and discounts are not copied. If customers have promotional pricing, you’ll need to recreate those coupons.
Timeline and Process
Customer Data Copy is not instant. The typical process:
- Request: Contact Stripe support with authorization from both accounts
- Review: Stripe reviews the request (1-2 business days)
- Execution: Stripe performs the copy (hours to a day, depending on data volume)
- Delivery: You receive the mapping CSV
Total time: 1-3 business days in most cases.
Important Considerations
Payment Method Validity
Payment methods are copied, but they still belong to the original customer. If a card expires or is replaced, the customer must re-enter payment details.
No Automatic Charging
Just because payment methods exist in the new account doesn’t mean they’ll be charged. You must create new subscriptions explicitly.
Account Separation
After the copy, the two accounts are completely separate. Changes in one do not affect the other.
Using Customer Data Copy with MoveMRR
MoveMRR is designed to work seamlessly with Customer Data Copy:
- Request Customer Data Copy from Stripe
- Receive the mapping CSV
- Upload the CSV to MoveMRR
- MoveMRR uses the mappings to recreate subscriptions in the destination account
The combination of Stripe’s official data copy and MoveMRR’s subscription recreation provides a complete migration solution.