Template
Sent on day 3 after the friendly heads-up did not recover the payment. The customer has ignored the first email. Goal: be direct without being aggressive, and preempt silent churn.
A/B test these. Lowercase, question format, and specific-time framings consistently win.
Your {{product_name}} account will pause soonAction needed: update payment for {{product_name}}We are still unable to charge your cardYour payment is still failing, {{first_name}}Hi {{first_name}},
Following up on the failed payment from {{fail_date}}. We have tried
the card on file twice now and it is still being declined.
To keep your {{product_name}} account active, please update your
card here:
→ {{secure_update_link}}
If you are planning to cancel, no hard feelings - you can downgrade
or cancel directly from your account settings. But if this is just
a card issue, the link above will fix it in under a minute.
- {{sender_first_name}}Variables in {{like_this}} should be replaced with your merge fields.
Explicitly mentions the cancel option, which counterintuitively reduces churn. Customers who were going to silently churn via failed payment now cancel cleanly instead, which surfaces the reason and creates a chance for win-back. States the facts without guilt-tripping. Keeps the same one-link pattern.
Yes. This is counterintuitive but well-tested: mentioning the cancel path reduces total churn because customers who intended to leave cancel cleanly, while the ones who want to stay update their card. Silent failed-payment churn is the worst outcome - it is lost revenue with zero feedback.
Firm but not alarming. Save urgency language ("final notice", "account will be deleted") for day 7 or day 14. At day 3 the customer is often just busy, not refusing to pay.
Automate this with Rebounce
Rebounce detects payment failures via Stripe Connect, classifies them by decline code, and runs the optimal dunning sequence across email, SMS, WhatsApp, and in-app banners. The templates above are the exact patterns Rebounce uses out of the box - you can adapt the copy to your brand voice and Rebounce handles delivery, timing, and sequence cancellation when a retry succeeds.
Start free trialThe first email sent immediately after a payment fails, before any retry. Goal: catch the 40-60% of failures that resolve with a simple nudge, before the customer feels embarrassed or annoyed.
Sent on day 7 after two prior emails did not work. The customer has ignored both. This email is not about payment mechanics anymore - it is about what they are about to lose. Goal: make the loss concrete and offer a clean exit if they want out.
Sent on day 14 after all retries and prior emails have failed. The grace period is over. Goal: close cleanly, preserve goodwill, and leave the door open for reactivation. A well-done final notice is often the best win-back hook you have.