How to Switch from PTminder Without Losing Clients or Payments
A step-by-step guide to moving off PTminder: exporting clients and credits, rebuilding packages, moving recurring payments, and telling clients.
To switch from PTminder without losing clients, export your Client List and Packages & Memberships reports as CSV (Reports > General), set up your services and packages in the new platform, import your clients with their remaining credits, then move recurring payments client by client at each person's next billing date. Run both systems side by side for two to four weeks, and cancel PTminder only once every active client has rebooked. Most solo trainers finish in one evening of setup plus a fortnight of overlap.
The part that goes wrong is rarely the data. It's the payments and the client communication. A trainer who imports 80 clients perfectly but double-charges six of them in the first week has had a bad migration. This guide is ordered to avoid exactly that.
It's written for moving to PT Suite, but steps 1, 2, 5 and 6 apply whichever platform you choose.
Before you start: pick your switch window
Choose a two-to-four-week window that avoids your busiest period. January and September are poor choices for most PTs. Then work out the dates that matter:
| Date | Why it matters |
|---|---|
| Your PTminder billing date | Your account stays accessible until the end of the paid billing period after you cancel, so this is your hard deadline |
| Clients' membership renewal dates | Each client's recurring payment moves at their next renewal, not all on one day |
| Your accountant's year end | Export financial reports for the full period before you cancel |
Aim to finish setting up the new platform at least a week before your next PTminder billing date. That gives you a full billing cycle of overlap.
Step 1: Export everything from PTminder
PTminder's reports export to PDF, Excel or CSV. Choose CSV for anything you'll import. Go to Reports > General and export:
- Client List. Choose the fields you want: name, email, phone, date of birth, emergency contact, and any custom fields. Filter by status if you only want active clients. This is the file you'll import.
- Packages & Memberships. This shows who has which package, how many credits remain, and when memberships renew. You need it to carry credits across fairly.
- Attendance and Session/Class Summary. Useful history, and helpful if a client disputes how many sessions they've used.
Then, from Reports > Financial, export your payment history for your accountant. In the UK, HMRC expects sole traders to keep records for at least five years after the 31 January submission deadline (six years for limited companies), so don't rely on keeping a PTminder login. Once you're on PT Suite, new payments build up in Finances, which exports every payment and refund as a CSV for your accountant, so your records carry on from where the PTminder export stops.
Two things don't export neatly: workout plans and assessment notes. For active clients, screenshot or copy their current programme and latest assessment into a document, or save it as a PDF. You'll rebuild templates in the new platform anyway, and most trainers find it's a useful clear-out.
Step 2: Set up your services before you import anyone
Import clients into an empty platform and you'll spend the next week fixing things by hand. Set the structure up first:
- Services: recreate your 1:1 session types, durations and prices. In PT Suite that's under Services; setting up online booking covers capacity, buffers and reminders.
- Packages: recreate each package you sell (10 x 1:1, 5-session starter pack and so on) with the same price and expiry rules as in PTminder. Clients notice immediately if a package changes.
- Classes and memberships: add your timetable and recurring memberships. In PT Suite, group classes are on every plan; memberships are on Studio (£49/month).
- Payments: connect Stripe under Settings > Payments. PT Suite takes no fee on top of Stripe's standard rate.
- Website: publish your booking site. In PT Suite this is your public website on your own domain, so you can retire a separate Squarespace or Wix subscription if you have one. The personal trainers setup page shows a finished example.
Step 3: Import your clients and their credits
In PT Suite, go to Onboarding > Import clients, choose PTminder as the source, and upload your Client List CSV. Send the Packages & Memberships export too, so the team can match each client's remaining credits.
The PT Suite team loads the file for you; CSV import and full migration — including past bookings and active memberships — are free on every plan.
Before you announce anything, spot-check five clients: one new, one long-standing, one with a part-used package, one on a membership, and one who has a family account in PTminder. If those five look right, the rest almost certainly do.
Send us your PTminder export. We'll do the rest.
Upload your PTminder client list and the PT Suite team imports it for you. Free full migration on every plan.
Step 4: Move recurring payments without double-charging
This is the step that needs care. PTminder connects to your own Stripe or GoCardless account, and PT Suite creates its own connected Stripe account. Saved cards and recurring payments don't transfer automatically. Your full payment history stays in your existing Stripe dashboard.
The safe sequence for each client on a recurring payment:
- Set up their membership or package in PT Suite with the first payment on their next renewal date.
- Send them their booking link and ask them to add a card.
- Once the PT Suite payment succeeds, cancel the matching recurring payment in PTminder (PTminder's guide shows where).
- Tick them off your Packages & Memberships export.
Do not cancel PTminder recurring payments in bulk first and "catch everyone up" later. A few clients will forget, and you'll be chasing missed payments for a month.
GoCardless or Ezidebit direct-debit clients: mandates can't move to Stripe, so each client sets up a new payment method. Ask directly, give a deadline, and it's a short task for most people.
For pay-as-you-go clients there's nothing to migrate. They simply book and pay through the new site from their next session.
Step 5: Tell your clients (once, clearly)
Send a single, short message a week before you switch on new bookings. Clients don't need the reasons. They need to know what changes for them:
Hi [name], from [date] I'm moving my bookings to a new system, so you'll book and pay at [your-domain.com]. Your remaining [X] sessions have been carried across. You'll get a link to set a password and add a card before your next payment on [date], and nothing changes until then. Any questions, just reply.
Then follow up personally with anyone who hasn't logged in within five days. The last few clients usually respond to a text or a quick word at the end of a session, not another email.
Step 6: Run in parallel, then cancel
Keep PTminder live for two to four weeks while:
- new bookings go only through the new system
- existing PTminder bookings in the diary are honoured
- recurring payments move across client by client
When every active client has either a successful payment in the new platform or a booking made there, cancel PTminder from its billing settings. Your account stays accessible until the end of the current billing period, which is your last chance to export anything you've missed.
Migration checklist
| Task | Done before announcing? |
|---|---|
| Client List exported (CSV) | Yes |
| Packages & Memberships exported | Yes |
| Financial reports saved for your accountant | Yes |
| Services, packages and timetable rebuilt | Yes |
| Stripe connected | Yes |
| Clients imported and five spot-checked | Yes |
| Client email sent | Day 0 |
| Recurring payments moved | Over 2–4 weeks |
| PTminder cancelled | After the last client moves |
If you're still comparing platforms, see the best PTminder alternatives in 2026. If cost is the main reason you're moving, PTminder pricing explained works out what you'd save at your client count.
FAQ
How do I export my clients from PTminder?
Go to Reports > General, open the Client List report, choose the fields you want and filter by status, then export as CSV or Excel. Export the Packages & Memberships report as well so you have each client's remaining credits and renewal dates.
Can I keep my clients' saved cards when I leave PTminder?
Usually not. Saved cards and recurring payments are tied to the payment connection you set up in PTminder. In the new platform, each client on a recurring payment adds their card again. Do it at their next renewal date so nobody is charged twice.
How long does it take to move from PTminder to PT Suite?
Setup takes most solo trainers one evening: services, packages, Stripe and the client import. Moving recurring payments takes two to four weeks, because each client switches at their own renewal date. On PT Suite, the team handles the data migration for you free on every plan.
Will I lose my clients' remaining session credits?
Not if you export the Packages & Memberships report before you leave and send it with your import. Spot-check a few part-used packages afterwards to make sure credits and expiry dates match.
Can I export workout plans from PTminder?
PTminder's documented exports are its reports (client lists, packages, attendance, financials). Workout plans don't come out as a file you can import. Save each active client's current programme as a document or screenshot and rebuild your templates in the new platform.
Should I cancel PTminder before setting up the new system?
No. Cancel last. Your PTminder account stays accessible until the end of the billing period you've paid for, so set everything up, move clients across, and cancel only when the last active client has switched.
