Payments · Telehealth7 min readUpdated November 3, 2026

Switching Payment Processor for Telehealth Companies Without Losing Cards

How a telehealth brand moves saved cards and patient subscriptions to a new processor: what moves, what to strip from the export, steps and timing.

Nick Bonnassies, CMO at Tagada · checked against 12 sources

Article summary

TL;DR

Ask your current processor to send an encrypted export of saved cards to the new one, which must be PCI DSS Level 1. Subscriptions, payment history and pending holds don't move: rebuild the plans, settle open authorizations, keep consent records. Strip anything clinical from the export, run both processors for one billing cycle, and keep the old account for disputes.

Stripe sends card data only to "another PCI DSS Level 1-compliant payment processor" (read November 2, 2026).
Stripe's export includes card details, emails "and any attached metadata", but not payment history or subscriptions.
Stripe's approval of a restricted business "may be modified or revoked by Stripe at any time".
A pending card hold lasts about 7 days for a customer-initiated online payment and can't be moved.
California requires keeping proof of renewal consent for 3 years on contracts since July 1, 2025.

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On this page

This guide is part of our hub on telehealth payment processing. The general guide, for any business: how to switch payment processors.

Why telehealth brands switch

Telemedicine is a restricted category at Stripe: approval is "specific to each service offer" and can be changed or revoked2. That shapes why, and how fast, a care brand moves.

Reason	What it means for the switch
Account closed or under review	Emergency path: request the card export the same day1
New offer not covered	A new service line can need its own approval; check before launch2
Reserves or payout delays	Negotiate first; a new processor resets your history
A backup processor	Not a switch: add one and keep both
Billing tool tied to one processor	Move subscriptions to a layer that isn't, as billing vendors such as Recurly argue11

The new processor runs its own review. Stripe, for example, says telemedicine applicants "typically need to provide items such as license numbers and information on your processes"3. Budget time for that before you cut over.

What moves and what doesn't

Data	Moves?	How
Card numbers and expiry dates	Yes	Encrypted export to a PCI DSS Level 1 processor1
Emails and metadata	YesFrom Stripe	In the same file1
Cards saved with Link	No	Excluded by Stripe1
Subscriptions, plans, next charge dates	No	Rebuild from your own export1
Payment history	No	Pull it from the dashboard or API1
Uncaptured card holds	No	Capture or void them on the old processor8
Consent records and receipts	Not payment data	Keep them in your own systems9
Clinical records and prescriptions	Not payment data	Stay with your clinical network and its own rules
Disputes on past sales	No	Stay with the old processor7

Fig. 1Old processor to new: what crosses over

Your data on the old processorAt the switch

Moves with the exportCard numbers and expiry dates, emails and metadata
You rebuildSubscriptions, plans, next charge dates, payment history
Stays behindLink cards, uncaptured holds, disputes on past sales
Stays with youConsent records, receipts, clinical records

Cards travel in the export. Plans and dates are yours to rebuild.

Stripe Docs, Request a payment data export, Place a hold and How disputes work.

Clean the export before it leaves

The export carries "any attached metadata"1. If someone ever put clinical details into metadata or customer descriptions, they travel to the new processor. Stripe's agreement already says users "must not provide Protected Health Information to Stripe"4.

Metadata keys
Audit metadata keys on customers and payments: plan IDs and order IDs only.
Customer descriptions
Check customer descriptions for anything medical.
Product and price names
Check product and price names you'll recreate: use plan names, not conditions or medications.
Mapping file
Keep the mapping file (old customer ID, new customer ID, plan, next date) inside your own systems.

More on what can reach a processor: HIPAA and telehealth payments.

The switch, step by step

Open and test the new account, including its review of your licensing and processes3.
Request the card export from the old processor, naming the new one. Stripe asks for the new processor's PCI attestation and a PGP key of 4,096 bits or more1.
Export subscriptions yourself: plan, price, cycle, next charge or ship date, discount, status.
Close open holds: capture approved cases and void the rest on the old processor before cutover8.
Map patients between the card export and your subscription list, by customer ID and email.
Rebuild subscriptions with the same dates and prices; don't restart trials.
Run both in parallel for one full billing cycle6: new patients on the new processor, refills moving over as cards land.
Watch failures for 30 days after the cutover6.
Keep the old account open for refunds and disputes on past sales7.

Keep refills on the old account until the import is tested.

How long it takes

Stage	Typical time
New account review	Days to weeks; depends on the licensing file3
Card export and import	3 to 4 weeks at least, per one PSP (Razorpay)5
Parallel run	One full billing cycle6
Old account open for disputes	Cardholders can generally dispute for up to 120 days at Stripe7

Fig. 2A switch, stage by stage

New account reviewDays to weeks
Card export and import3 to 4 weeks at least, per Razorpay
Parallel runOne full billing cycle
Old account openDisputes for up to 120 days

The card export is the slowest part: request it first.

Stripe Docs; Razorpay; Shuttle Global.

Watch out

In-flight clinical reviews don't pause for a migration. Any case still pending when the old processor stops must be authorized again on the new one, which the patient may see as a second hold.

Patients, descriptor and retries

Descriptor. A new name on the statement creates "I don't recognize this" disputes. Keep your brand name, and keep it non-clinical.
Tell patients before the next charge if the statement name or date changes.
Retries. Refills that fail during the move follow Visa's normal limits: never after a category 1 code, up to 20 attempts in 30 days otherwise10. Don't stack retries on two processors for the same refill.
One refill, one processor. Mark migrated subscriptions on the old system so nothing charges twice.

Tagada follows Visa and Mastercard rules and the laws that apply to payments.

Better than a switch: a second processor

A switch moves all your risk from one processor to another. A second processor behind the same checkout lets you shift volume when one slows down, without a migration. Plan it while things are calm:

Know where your cards live and whether they can be used on more than one processor.
Keep your own subscription records: plans, dates, prices, consent.
Keep disputes low on both accounts: chargeback alerts for telehealth.

Setup and fallback rules: payment routing and backup processors for telehealth companies. If you're leaving because Stripe closed the account: why Stripe closed your telehealth company account.

How Tagada helps

A card vault and routing, before you need to switch

TagadaPay keeps "your PCI-tokenized cards, your customer profiles, your subscription data, all portable": "Switch processors without re-onboarding customers."12

Card vault: cards are kept in Tagada's vault, so running subscriptions keep charging after a processor change.
Routing across TagadaPay and processors such as Stripe, NMI and Airwallex, with one logic, and a cascade to another processor when one is down or times out.
Subscriptions with trials, cycles, retries and automatic recovery, kept in one place whatever the processor.
Integrations: "Already on Stripe, NMI or Airwallex? We orchestrate those too."

Building the whole telehealth brand? Tagada Rx runs storefront, doctors, pharmacy and payments in one stack, or plugs in "headless, through the SDK" behind an existing storefront; "Your data is yours to export." US patients only, by selection.

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A card vault and routing, before you need to switch

Updated on November 3, 2026

Nick Bonnassies

CMO at Tagada

CMO at Tagada. Before Tagada, Nick built direct-to-consumer brands that generated over $115M in sales, raised over $25M in crowdfunding and sold two of them. He also works as a fractional CMO on marketing operations and AI systems.

Frequently asked questions

Can I move saved patient cards from Stripe to another processor?

Yes. Stripe prepares an encrypted export of card details, emails and metadata and sends it to the new processor, which must be PCI DSS Level 1. Cards saved with Link are excluded. Clean clinical details out of metadata before the export.

Do subscriptions transfer when a telehealth brand switches processors?

No. Stripe doesn't export subscriptions or payment history. Export plans, prices, cycles and next charge dates yourself, then rebuild them on the new system with the same dates, and keep your consent records.

Why do telehealth companies leave Stripe?

Usually not by choice. Telemedicine is restricted at Stripe, and approval is specific to each service offer and can be changed or revoked. New service lines, reviews and closures push brands to move or to add a second processor.

How long does a processor switch take?

Plan for several weeks. One PSP says card transfers take 3 to 4 weeks at least, the new processor reviews your licensing, and you should run both in parallel for a billing cycle. Keep the old account open about 120 days for disputes.

What happens to pending card holds during a switch?

They stay on the old processor. Capture the cases already approved and void the others before cutover; an online hold lasts about 7 days. Cases still under review must be authorized again on the new processor.

Sources

Checked November 3, 2026

TagadaPay

Change processor without losing a patient's refill

Tell us what you sell and how you sell it. Each application is underwritten, and approval is not guaranteed.

Apply for processing See pricing

01Tell us what you sell and how
02Underwriting reviews your business
03Process through TagadaPay alongside your other processors