How It Works
Failed Payment Recovery
A 4-email sequence designed to recover failed subscription payments with increasing urgency — while keeping the personal touch.
The Recovery Sequence
When a Stripe payment fails, StayPaid creates a recovery attempt and schedules a sequence of emails. Each email is sent from your address, with your personal touch, at the right moment.
The default schedule is Day 1, Day 3, Day 7, and Day 14. You can customize this in your settings. Each email has a different tone and purpose, escalating gently from friendly reminder to final notice.
Day 1: The Friendly Nudge
The first email goes out within hours of the payment failure. It's light, friendly, and assumes the best. The goal is to catch the customer before they even notice the issue.
Subject:
Quick fix needed for your [Product] account
Body:
Hey [Customer],
Looks like your payment for [Product] didn't go through. No worries — this happens.
Most of the time it's just an expired card or a bank being overly cautious. The good news? It takes about 30 seconds to fix.
If you run into any issues, just reply to this email. I read every one.
Talk soon,
[Your name]
This email recovers the majority of failed payments. Most people just need a gentle reminder to update their card.
Day 3: The Gentle Reminder
If the first email doesn't work, the Day 3 email adds a touch of urgency. It mentions the grace period and what happens if the payment isn't fixed.
Subject:
Your [Product] account — [X] days left
Body:
Hey [Customer],
Just a quick heads-up — your [Product] subscription is still on hold because the last payment didn't go through.
You've got [X] days of grace left, so no rush. But if the payment fails after that, we'll have to pause your account and you'll lose access to everything.
I'd hate for that to happen. Updating your card takes less than a minute:
Let me know if something else is going on — happy to help.
Cheers,
[Your name]
This email creates gentle urgency without being pushy. The grace period gives the customer a clear deadline without feeling threatened.
Day 7: The Urgency Email
By Day 7, the customer is at risk of losing access. This email is more direct — it tells them this is the last reminder before suspension.
Subject:
Last call — your [Product] account will be paused soon
Body:
Hey [Customer],
I wanted to reach out personally because your [Product] account is about to be paused.
We've tried charging your card a few times now and it's still not going through. I know life gets busy and these things slip through the cracks — but I also don't want you to lose access to everything you've built with us.
This is the last reminder before we have to suspend your account.
If you want to keep things running, here's the link to update your billing:
[Update billing info now button]
If you're thinking about canceling, I get it. Just reply and let me know what's up — no hard feelings, and no automated "please don't go" bots. I'll read it myself.
[Your name]
This email is honest and direct. It tells the customer exactly what's happening and gives them an easy out if they want to cancel. No guilt, no manipulation.
Day 14: The Final Notice
If the customer hasn't responded by Day 14, the account is paused. This email is the offboarding message — graceful, respectful, and open to reactivation.
Subject:
Your [Product] account has been paused
Body:
Hey [Customer],
Your [Product] account has been paused because we couldn't process payment after multiple attempts.
I'm sorry to see you go. If this was just a card issue and you want to come back, you can reactivate anytime at the link below. Everything will be exactly as you left it.
[Reactivate my account button]
If there's anything we could have done better, I'd genuinely love to hear it. Just reply to this email.
Thanks for being a customer. Hope our paths cross again.
[Your name]
This email leaves the door open. Even if the customer doesn't come back, they leave with a positive impression of your brand.
What Each Email Contains
Every email in the sequence includes:
- •Personal greeting — using the customer's first name.
- •Context — what product, what happened, why it matters.
- •Clear CTA — a button to update billing or reactivate.
- •Personal P.S. — your note, your voice, your relationship.
- •Reply invitation — "reply to this email" in every message.
Recovery Analytics
StayPaid tracks everything so you can see what's working:
- •Recovery rate — what percentage of failed payments you recover.
- •Revenue saved — total dollar amount recovered in the last 30 days.
- •Churn prevented — how many customers you kept.
- •Email performance — which emails in the sequence are most effective.
Ready to start recovering payments?
Start Free — First 3 recoveries