Failed Payment & Dunning Email Templates (Copy & Paste)

Failed payments are a support problem before they are a billing problem. These dunning templates cover the full recovery sequence — from a friendly first notice to a final warning before cancellation — with tone that keeps customers instead of scaring them off.

Template 1

First failed payment notice

Subject

Action needed: payment for [Product] didn't go through

Body

Hi [First name],

We tried to charge [amount] for your [plan] subscription on [date], but the payment didn't go through.

This usually happens when a card expires or hits a limit — easy fix. Update your payment method here: [billing link]

Your account is still fully active for now. If you've already updated your card, ignore this — we'll retry automatically.

Questions? Just reply to this email.

Best,
[Your name]
[Product] Support

When to use

First failure — friendly, assumes good intent, no urgency beyond updating the card.

Template 2

Second reminder (3 days later)

Subject

Reminder: update your payment method for [Product]

Body

Hi [First name],

Quick follow-up — we still haven't been able to process [amount] for your [plan] subscription.

Your account will stay active until [grace period end date]. After that, you'll lose access to [key features they use].

Update your payment method here: [billing link]

If you're having trouble or need to pause instead of cancel, reply here — I can help.

Best,
[Your name]
[Product] Support

When to use

Second attempt failed — add a concrete grace period deadline and mention what they lose.

Template 3

Card expired

Subject

Your card on file for [Product] has expired

Body

Hi [First name],

Your payment card ending in [last 4] expired on [date]. We can't renew your [plan] subscription until you add a new one.

Update here (takes 30 seconds): [billing link]

Your data and settings are safe — nothing is deleted. You just need a valid card to keep access.

Best,
[Your name]
[Product] Support

When to use

Failure reason is expired card — be specific about the expired card so they know exactly what to fix.

Template 4

Final warning before cancellation

Subject

Final notice: your [Product] account will be suspended [date]

Body

Hi [First name],

We've tried to charge [amount] [X] times without success. Your [plan] account will be suspended on [date] if we don't receive payment.

To keep your account active: [billing link]

If you need to cancel instead, reply "cancel" and I'll process it — no further charges.

We'd rather keep you as a customer. Let me know if something else is going on.

Best,
[Your name]
[Product] Support

When to use

Last automated retry failed — clear deadline, easy cancel option, human tone to prevent angry replies.

Template 5

Payment recovered confirmation

Subject

Payment received — your [Product] account is all set

Body

Hi [First name],

Good news — your payment of [amount] went through and your [plan] subscription is active again.

No action needed on your end. If you had any access issues during the past few days, everything should be back to normal now.

Thanks for staying with us.

Best,
[Your name]
[Product] Support

When to use

Payment successfully retried or customer updated card — close the loop so they know everything is resolved.

Get all 5 templates as a doc

Copy everything below into Notion or Google Docs — or enter your email and we'll send a formatted copy. Templates stay visible on this page either way.

See billing status inside the support ticket

When a customer replies to a dunning email, your agent needs their subscription status immediately. Userscom pulls Paddle and Stripe billing data into the ticket sidebar — so you can confirm payment, retry, or cancel without switching tabs.

See Stripe integration

FAQ

Three to four touches over 7–14 days is standard: first notice (day 0), reminder (day 3), final warning (day 7), cancellation (day 14). More than four emails rarely improves recovery and increases support complaints.

Send from support@ or a named person, not noreply@. Customers reply to dunning emails with questions ("I updated my card, why is it still failing?") — if the email comes from a no-reply address, those replies become new support tickets you never see.

7 days for B2B SaaS, 3–5 days for low-price consumer subscriptions. Longer grace periods recover more revenue but increase bad-debt risk. Always state the exact suspension date in the second and final emails.

More SaaS support templates

Refund requests

Approve, decline, or offer a downgrade when a customer asks for their money back.

5 templates →

Churn save

Respond when a customer cancels, mentions a competitor, or says they are not getting value.

5 templates →

Angry customer responses

De-escalate frustrated customers without sounding robotic or defensive.

5 templates →

Feature request responses

Reply to product feedback with clarity — whether it is planned, shipped, or not on the roadmap.

6 templates →

Support cost calculator

Compare Intercom, Zendesk, Crisp & Userscom annual costs.

Free tool →

Failed Payment & Dunning Email Templates (Copy & Paste)

Template 1

First failed payment notice

Subject

Action needed: payment for [Product] didn't go through

Body

Hi [First name],

We tried to charge [amount] for your [plan] subscription on [date], but the payment didn't go through.

This usually happens when a card expires or hits a limit — easy fix. Update your payment method here: [billing link]

Your account is still fully active for now. If you've already updated your card, ignore this — we'll retry automatically.

Questions? Just reply to this email.

Best,
[Your name]
[Product] Support

When to use

First failure — friendly, assumes good intent, no urgency beyond updating the card.

Template 2

Second reminder (3 days later)

Subject

Reminder: update your payment method for [Product]

Body

Hi [First name],

Quick follow-up — we still haven't been able to process [amount] for your [plan] subscription.

Your account will stay active until [grace period end date]. After that, you'll lose access to [key features they use].

Update your payment method here: [billing link]

If you're having trouble or need to pause instead of cancel, reply here — I can help.

Best,
[Your name]
[Product] Support

When to use

Second attempt failed — add a concrete grace period deadline and mention what they lose.

Template 3

Card expired

Subject

Your card on file for [Product] has expired

Body

Hi [First name],

Your payment card ending in [last 4] expired on [date]. We can't renew your [plan] subscription until you add a new one.

Update here (takes 30 seconds): [billing link]

Your data and settings are safe — nothing is deleted. You just need a valid card to keep access.

Best,
[Your name]
[Product] Support

When to use

Failure reason is expired card — be specific about the expired card so they know exactly what to fix.

Template 4

Final warning before cancellation

Subject

Final notice: your [Product] account will be suspended [date]

Body

Hi [First name],

We've tried to charge [amount] [X] times without success. Your [plan] account will be suspended on [date] if we don't receive payment.

To keep your account active: [billing link]

If you need to cancel instead, reply "cancel" and I'll process it — no further charges.

We'd rather keep you as a customer. Let me know if something else is going on.

Best,
[Your name]
[Product] Support

When to use

Last automated retry failed — clear deadline, easy cancel option, human tone to prevent angry replies.

Template 5

Payment recovered confirmation

Subject

Payment received — your [Product] account is all set

Body

Hi [First name],

Good news — your payment of [amount] went through and your [plan] subscription is active again.

No action needed on your end. If you had any access issues during the past few days, everything should be back to normal now.

Thanks for staying with us.

Best,
[Your name]
[Product] Support

When to use

Payment successfully retried or customer updated card — close the loop so they know everything is resolved.

Get all 5 templates as a doc

Copy everything below into Notion or Google Docs — or enter your email and we'll send a formatted copy. Templates stay visible on this page either way.

See billing status inside the support ticket

See Stripe integration

FAQ

More SaaS support templates

Refund requests

Approve, decline, or offer a downgrade when a customer asks for their money back.

5 templates →

Churn save

Respond when a customer cancels, mentions a competitor, or says they are not getting value.

5 templates →

Angry customer responses

De-escalate frustrated customers without sounding robotic or defensive.

5 templates →

Feature request responses

Reply to product feedback with clarity — whether it is planned, shipped, or not on the roadmap.

6 templates →

Support cost calculator

Compare Intercom, Zendesk, Crisp & Userscom annual costs.

Free tool →