Roll Off A Trial To Paid Without Losing Data Or Settings The Upgrade Playbook That Saves Your Sanity

You loved the free taste and now you want the full meal. The trick is upgrading without dumping your data in a ditch or scrambling settings that took a week to tame. This guide is your clutch pedal. We will map the exact moves that roll a trial into a paid plan with zero panic. You will get preflight checklists. You will get upgrade day steps. You will get vendor scripts that make support say yes. You will get proof packets that stop accounting from side eyeing your expense report. F U Trials keeps the dates honest with reminders before the meter wakes up. You bring the decisions. We bring the alarms.

The mission in one sentence

Upgrade to a paid plan with the same data the same settings the same logins and a bill that matches the promise on the pricing page. That is the goal. Everything below serves that goal.

The six things that break during upgrades

• Data migration. Workspaces change and records go sightseeing
• Permissions. Admin toggles reset and people lose access at the exact wrong moment
• Integrations. API tokens and webhooks forget who you are and sulk
• Custom domains and email. DNS or sender settings stop playing nice
• Rate and storage limits. New plan rules arrive without telling your dashboards
• Billing doors. You bought one way and upgraded another way so proof scattered

Before you upgrade run this preflight checklist

Print this. Tattoo it on a sticky note. Walk through every line. You will thank yourself when everything works and the team thinks you are a wizard with spreadsheets and vibes.

Data and content

• Export a backup of the core objects such as projects docs tickets databases assets
• Write down the count of items so you can confirm nothing vanished after the upgrade
• Capture screenshots of any schema or custom fields and any automation rules

Users and roles

• List current users and their roles
• Confirm whether the paid plan introduces new role names or changes limits
• Take a screenshot of role settings and access policies so you can restore them in seconds

Plan features and limits

• Compare the trial plan to the paid plan with a table that calls out limits for seats storage rate caps automation counts and history retention
• Write the feature flags that matter to your team such as SSO audit logs custom fields webhooks

Integrations and webhooks

• List every integration and the auth type such as OAuth or API key or service account
• Note which ones live in a sandbox and which ones touch production
• Copy webhook destinations and secrets and test buttons you will use later

Security and compliance

• Confirm SSO availability in the target plan and note the identity provider settings
• Check audit log retention and export access for admins
• Save a copy of the DPA or vendor privacy terms and the current subprocessor list

Billing door and proof

• Decide where the purchase will live such as vendor site app store or marketplace
• Collect the trial welcome email and any save offer emails so your rate math has receipts
• Set a reminder to capture the invoice and the new next bill date after conversion

Data that must be backed up every time

Three day upgrade timeline that actually works

This is the calm way to move from trial to paid. Short windows. Clear roles. Zero drama.

Three days before end date

• Run the preflight checklist and finish the backups
• Confirm the target plan and price and the next bill date with a vendor message
• Write your rollback plan and assign the owner for each step

One day before end date

• Freeze risky changes such as schema edits and role changes
• Notify the team about a short maintenance window for the upgrade hour
• Make sure your card or invoice settings are ready and that the billing door is the one you want

Upgrade hour

• Screen share with another human so you have four eyes on every step
• Purchase the plan in the chosen billing door
• Confirm the workspace or account id shows the new plan name
• Run the quick verify list below and capture screenshots as proof

First forty eight hours

• Walk through roles and access and test SSO if relevant
• Trigger each integration and watch the logs for success
• Rebuild anything that moved such as webhooks or analytics connections
• Post a summary to your team channel with the new next bill date and any new limits

Quick verify list for the first hour after payment

• Account name and plan label match what you purchased
• Seat count and storage match expectations
• SSO switch appears if the plan promised it and you can toggle it
• Automations still fire and webhooks still call your endpoints
• Custom domains and sender ids still pass checks
• Dashboards load without permissions errors
• Invoice or receipt is available and shows the right amount

Door chooser for upgrades

Pick the right purchase path. It decides where the proof lives and who can help when things wobble.

Permissions and identity without surprises

Paid plans often unlock serious access features. Great news if you planned for it. Pure chaos if you did not.

What to check for roles

• Role names that differ between trial and paid plans
• Default permission sets that reset to vendor defaults during upgrade
• Project or space level overrides that vanish if the product rebuilds access on conversion

SSO and MFA sanity

• Confirm SSO can be switched on without locking out all users during setup
• Set up a break glass admin with password and MFA for the first week
• Audit who can invite users and who can grant admin rights

Integrations survival kit

Integrations are fragile pets. Feed them with attention and they purr. Ignore them and they knock a plant off a shelf.

API tokens

• Check if the product gives new scopes on paid plans and whether your tokens need to be reissued
• Document where each token is used and rotate only one at a time
• Look for rate limit changes that affect scheduled jobs

Webhooks

• Open the webhook log page and keep it visible during the upgrade
• Send a test event after conversion and check the signature header
• Update secrets if the vendor rotates them on plan change

OAuth connections

• Re grant consent if the product changes the app id for paid customers
• Confirm scopes and tenant ids if you connect to cloud suites
• Collect new consent screenshots for your proof packet

Custom domains and email sending

Some products require DNS records to unlock features. Others need sender verification to deliver mail at scale. Do not let this stall a launch.

Domain checks

• Verify that the paid plan still points to the same domain
• Re run verification for CNAME or TXT records if the vendor changes the target
• Save a screenshot of the green checks for your folder

Email checks

• Re confirm DKIM or SPF if the provider asks for new records
• Send a test campaign to a tiny list and watch for delivery
• Check unsubscribe links and preference centers for access errors

Storage and history limits

Plans love limits. Limits love surprises. Catch them before they catch you.

Things that hit limits first

• Attachment storage on team content tools
• Audit log retention on security sensitive tools
• Automation counts for zaps flows or rules
• Version history on docs and designs

Feature flag map for upgrades

Upgrade day scripts for vendor chat and email

Confirm plan and next bill date

Subject
Plan confirmation and next bill date

Hello team,
We plan to convert our trial to the [plan name] plan today.
Please confirm the monthly price, the next bill date, and that our current workspace and data will remain unchanged.
Account email
[your email]
Workspace id
[id]
Thank you

Keep data and settings intact

Hello team,
Before we upgrade we want written confirmation that our data, schemas, automations, and role settings will remain as is.
If any settings reset during conversion, please confirm which ones so we can prepare.
Thank you

Fix a permission reset

Subject
Permission reset during upgrade

Hello team,
After converting to [plan name] several role permissions reverted to defaults.
Please restore our prior role configuration or advise on the exact steps to rebuild it.
Screenshots from before the upgrade are attached.
Thank you

Rollback plan you can run with a calm face

• Reapply trial or lower plan if offered within a short window
• Restore role configuration from screenshots and notes
• Rotate API keys back to the prior set if a new set fails
• Disable new integrations and re enable the old ones
• Request a refund or credit if the plan does not match the documented features

Proof packet that makes finance relax

• Offer page screenshot with plan and rate and date
• Invoice or receipt with the amount and the next bill date
• Account screen showing the plan label after upgrade
• SSO and domain verification screenshots
• Webhook test logs with timestamps
• Short timeline with five dates such as trial start preflight upgrade payment verification done

Negotiation moves before you hit pay

• Ask for a save price for ninety days with a clean renewal number after that
• Ask for seat pooling if your usage floats between teams
• Ask for a migration assist session and record it
• Ask for written confirmation that conversion to annual will only happen if you choose it on purpose

Common upgrade myths that waste money

Myth one the system will keep all settings by default

Some do. Others do not. Plan changes can rebuild role trees or flip feature flags. Screenshots are cheap insurance. Take them before you pay.

Myth two the billing door does not matter

It matters a lot. Vendor site upgrades and store upgrades follow different rules. Pick one and stick with it so your receipts do not turn into a scavenger hunt.

Myth three you can always switch plans without side effects

Switching can change limits and that can disable automations or integrations for a moment. Run the quick verify list every time you change tiers.

Sandbox to production without chaos

If your trial lived in a sandbox you can still upgrade like a pro.

Pattern to follow

1. Export config from sandbox such as fields rules and templates
2. Create a production workspace on the paid plan
3. Import config and run a test on a tiny data slice
4. Connect integrations to production only after tests pass
5. Archive the sandbox and mark it read only

Post upgrade health checks for the first week

• Daily glance at error logs for integrations and automations
• Seat count audit against actual human beings
• Storage growth trend to catch runaway uploads
• Access review to confirm least privilege still holds

Using F U Trials to never miss the decision window

Install the extension before you start any trial. It detects signups and records your end date with a friendly buffer. Paste your cancel path and your target plan into the notes. When the alert lands you upgrade with proof or you turn off renewal with proof. Either way your wallet avoids drama and your data sleeps through the night.

Frequently Asked Questions

Will my data move automatically when I switch from trial to paid

Usually yes when the upgrade happens inside the same workspace or account id. Still back up exports and take screenshots of schema and role settings. A few minutes of prep beats a day of rebuilds

Do I need to re issue API keys after upgrading

Some products keep tokens as is. Others add scopes that require new tokens. Check the integration list during the first hour. Rotate one key at a time and watch the logs

What if my roles reset to defaults

Send support a short message with screenshots from before the upgrade and ask for a restore. If that is not possible rebuild roles using your screenshots and restrict admin invites until the tree is stable

Can I switch from app store billing to direct vendor billing without losing access

Treat this like two different worlds. End the store plan and start a direct plan only after you export proof and confirm dates. The safest path is to stay in one door once you choose it

How do I keep emails or domains verified after conversion

Open the domain or sender page and check the status. Re run verification if the provider changed the target records. Send a test to your team distribution list and confirm delivery

What proof should I save in case something breaks later

Offer page screenshot invoice account screen with the plan label SSO and domain checks webhook logs and a short timeline with dates. Place all files in a vendor folder with the month and year

How does F U Trials help on upgrade day

The extension guards your timing. It spots the trial it adds buffer reminders and it keeps your notes with cancel paths and target plans. When the alert hits you move with intent instead of vibes