Migrating from Route to a Self-Funded App (Step by Step)

Switching from Route to a self-funded shipping protection app takes a few hours of setup and one planned switch-over day. Pull your claim data, set your own fee, configure the new app, write your claim rules, and turn the widgets over on the same day so customers only ever see one offer. Orders already protected by Route stay with Route.

Why switch? With Route, customers pay for protection and Route’s merchant help center describes Route collecting those premiums and handling claims. With a self-funded app, the fee goes to your store and you decide each claim. See Sam vs Route for the full comparison.

Step 1: Pull your numbers

Export the last 90 days of orders and Route claims. You need:

• Attach rate: the share of orders with Route protection.
• Claim rate: claims divided by protected orders.
• Average claim cost: product cost plus reshipping, or the refund amount.

These numbers set your price and tell you what to expect in the first months.

Step 2: Set your fee

Your break-even fee is claim rate times average claim cost. Charge two to three times that, rounded to a friendly price, or use price bands by cart value. Our guide on how much to charge for shipping protection shows the math, and the shipping protection calculator models the result.

Step 3: Install and configure the new app

With Sam Shipping Protection:

1. Install Sam and set your pricing.
2. Turn on the cart widget (and checkout on Shopify Plus, or the thank-you page offer).
3. Rename and hide the protection product, and add the pick-up blocker.
4. Add the claims page to your store.

Leave the new widget switched off for now so customers do not see two offers.

Step 4: Write your claim rules

Decide what you cover, the filing window, the evidence you need and how you resolve claims, then publish it. The claim policy generator builds a ready-to-paste policy.

Step 5: Switch over on one day

Pick a quiet day:

1. Turn on the new widget.
2. Turn off the Route widget in the same session.
3. Place a test order with protection and file a test claim.
4. Update your policy page and any FAQ that mentions Route.

Step 6: Handle open Route claims

Orders protected under Route before the switch stay with Route until their claims close. Tell your support team where each order belongs: before the switch date, Route; after it, your own program.

What mistakes should you avoid?

• Two offers at once. Running both widgets, even for an hour, confuses customers and can double-charge them.
• No claim rules on day one. Publish them before the first protected order arrives.
• Pricing from guesses. Use your Route claim history, not a competitor’s fee.
• Forgetting the protection product. Rename it and hide it from collections and search before launch.

Step 7: Review after 30 days

Compare fees collected against claims paid (your loss ratio), attach rate and support tickets. Adjust the fee or placement if needed. For more on running the program, see self-funded vs third-party shipping protection and the shipping protection guide.