Hi Sam,
I see you've already got a couple of suggestions here of how you can go about moving your data from one QuickBooks Online subscription to another. It's important to me that you have all the relevant details about this situation so you can decide the best way to move forward for you, and I'm happy to go over this with you.
It's good to hear that you already took a look at the integrated export and import options for QuickBooks Online, and I can appreciate how this might not give you the full set of data you're looking to move from one subscription to the other. When these options don't do the trick, another way you can tackle this sort of situation is by checking out third-party apps and services that can do the job for you. I encourage you to review the Apps tab in your QuickBooks Online account via browser to research the available options.
Another option is to not go through an export and import process at all and simply work with your original subscription. I do see you noted that you didn't see anywhere to upgrade the subscription you purchased through the app store, and I can explain why. Whether you purchase through the Apple or Android store, QuickBooks Online subscriptions created directly through the app are limited to EasyStart. However, there's an opportunity to switch your billing for that subscription from the app store to Intuit's direct billing, which would give you the chance to upgrade to Essentials as you'd like and you wouldn't have to go through any data movement.
Switching to Intuit's direct billing is something our support team takes care of for you on the back end, so I encourage you to reach out to our team if you're interested in this option. The team member you connect with will be able to explain the process and walk you through the steps to make sure you're set up with only the subscription that you want. Here's how to reach us outside of this community forum, where we can securely exchange these kinds of details.
Schedule a Callback or start a Chat: click (?)Help in the upper right in QuickBooks Online > type and enter "Contact support" into the QB Assistant > click Contact Us > explain your situation > click Let's Talk > choose Get a callback or Start a Chat.
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Support hours are from Monday to Friday between 9 a.m. and 8 p.m. ET.
I hope this has been helpful and I wish you the best with your QuickBooks Online subscriptions!
