The verdict in three sentences
You migrate aggregators for three reasons: fees too high, insufficient support or missing country coverage. But cutting payments in production, even for an hour, means lost sales and recurring subscriptions. The safe method is the double-run: both gateways live in parallel, gradual traffic cutover, then decommissioning the old one once the new is proven.
When is migration worth it?
The math is simple: annual fee savings vs migration project cost. Below a certain volume, it isn't worth the risk.
| Annual volume | Fees at 3.5% | Fees at 2.2% | Savings/year |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10,000,000 FCFA | 350,000 FCFA | 220,000 FCFA | 130,000 FCFA |
| 30,000,000 FCFA | 1,050,000 FCFA | 660,000 FCFA | 390,000 FCFA |
| 60,000,000 FCFA | 2,100,000 FCFA | 1,320,000 FCFA | 780,000 FCFA |
| 120,000,000 FCFA | 4,200,000 FCFA | 2,640,000 FCFA | 1,560,000 FCFA |
Rates are 2026 examples to confirm with each aggregator. Below 10,000,000 FCFA annual volume, savings rarely cover the project in year one: migrate mainly if support or country coverage is the real problem.
The 12-point migration checklist
A failed payment migration always shows on recurring subscriptions and reconciliation. Follow the order.
| # | Step | Risk if skipped |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Open and validate the CinetPay account (KYC) | Last-minute blocking |
| 2 | Integrate the SDK in a test environment | Bugs in prod |
| 3 | Re-map webhooks (URL, signatures) | Unconfirmed payments |
| 4 | Adapt accounting reconciliation | Double counting |
| 5 | Enable double-run (2 gateways) | No safety net |
| 6 | Route 10% of traffic to CinetPay | Catch anomalies early |
| 7 | Monitor success rate and latency | Silent drift |
| 8 | Ramp to 50% of traffic | — |
| 9 | Migrate recurring subscriptions / mandates | Lost recurring revenue |
| 10 | Move to 100% of traffic | — |
| 11 | Keep PayDunya read-only for 30 days | Disputes and refunds |
| 12 | Decommission the old aggregator | — |
Risks and mitigation
Need a professional website?
Kolonell builds websites that attract clients, optimized for the Sénégalese market. Free quote in 2 minutes.
The most dangerous point is migrating recurring subscriptions: tokens and mandates don't always transfer between aggregators. Often you must re-collect customer consent. The other trap is double counting during the double-run, avoided with a unique transaction ID on the order side and per-source reconciliation. Always plan a rollback: if CinetPay drifts on success rate or latency, re-route instantly to PayDunya, still live.
Mini case study
Awa, owner of an online shop in Dakar, 30,000,000 FCFA annual volume at 3.5% fees. Switching to 2.2% via CinetPay saves 390,000 FCFA/year. The migration project (integration, double-run, testing) costs about 450,000 FCFA once. ROI in 14 months on fees alone, but since she migrated mainly for better support and multi-country coverage, the real gain exceeds that from year one.
FAQ
Can you really migrate with no outage? Yes, with double-run: both aggregators stay live and you shift traffic in steps. No customer sees an interruption.
What happens to my recurring subscriptions? That's the sensitive point: mandates don't always transfer. Plan to re-collect consent or migrate tokens when the aggregator allows it.
From what volume is migration worth it? On fees alone, above 30,000,000 FCFA/year the saving (e.g. 390,000 FCFA) quickly justifies the project. Below that, migrate mainly for support or coverage.
How long does a clean migration take? Count 3 to 6 weeks with a 2-to-3-week double-run phase to validate success rate and reconciliation.
How do I avoid double counting? A unique transaction ID per order and separate per-aggregator reconciliation during the double-run are enough to track everything cleanly.
Let's talk about your project. We plan your zero-downtime aggregator migration and quantify the fee savings. WhatsApp +221 77 596 93 33.
Mohamed Bah
Fondateur, Kolonell
Passionate about digital and entrepreneurship in Africa, Mohamed has been helping Sénégalese businesses with their digital transformation since 2020. Founder of Kolonell, he believes every SME deserves a professional and accessible online présence.
