Dunning emails for Stripe that win back failed payments.
When a card fails, Stripe tells Audienceful and your recovery flow starts on its own: a calm fix-it email, a reminder, then a final notice, each linking straight to the card update. It stops the moment the subscription is active again.
Failed payment recovery, handled.
Built on the Stripe events you already have.
Starts the moment a card fails
The Payment failed trigger covers subscription invoices, Checkout and Payment Links. The flow re-arms on every failed charge, so a customer whose card fails again later gets recovered again.
Every email links to the fix
Each email points to your update-payment page. Personalize it with the customer's name and plan, and write it in the same editor as the rest of your email.
Stops when the card is fixed
Add a goal on the synced Stripe Subscription Status field. Once the subscription is active again, the customer leaves the flow and gets no further reminders.
How goals work in automationsNo second subscription
Dunning runs in the same workspace as your onboarding, newsletters and win-backs, with the same contacts and reporting. There's no separate recovery tool to pay for and keep in sync.
A flow for every moment a subscription slips
Stripe reports past due, payment failed, scheduled to cancel and canceled as separate events. Give each one its own email: an early heads-up, the recovery sequence, a save offer while they still have access, and a win-back once they've gone.
All Stripe events and templatesEach Stripe event can start its own flow
Calm first, firm last
Most failed payments are innocent: an expired or replaced card. The template opens with a friendly fix-it, follows up two days later, and sends a final notice three days after that. Change the copy and timing to match when Stripe retries or cancels.
Build the flow step by stepTo: alex@example.com
Hi Alex,
We tried to process your latest payment and it didn't go through. Usually it's just an expired or replaced card.
To keep your account active without interruption, update your payment method:
See what you recovered
Payments that come in after a dunning email are credited to the flow, and refunds are netted out. You can see what recovery is worth without exporting anything from Stripe.
How revenue attribution worksStripe payments credited to the email that drove them
Failed payments are churn nobody chose
Not every cancellation is a decision. Cards expire, get replaced after a fraud alert or hit a limit, and a subscription that was working fine lapses without the customer noticing. That's involuntary churn, and it's the easiest revenue a subscription business can win back, because the customer still wants the product. They just need a clear, timely nudge and a link to fix it.
Audienceful runs that nudge on Stripe's own events. A failed payment starts the recovery flow, a past-due subscription can get an earlier heads-up, and a cancellation can start a win-back sequence. Because it's the same platform as your trial emails and newsletters, a recovered customer simply carries on in your other flows.
Already using Stripe's own failed payment notice? Here's what Stripe emails your customers and how to avoid sending two. Start from the failed payment template in the Stripe automation templates, or follow the step-by-step dunning guide. Running SaaS? See email marketing for SaaS.
Everything a dunning flow needs.
In the same place as the rest of your email.
Stripe triggers
Payment failed, past due, scheduled to cancel and canceled
Repeatable
Re-arms on every failed charge
Goals
Ends the flow once the subscription is active
Product filters
Different copy for different plans
Segments
Find every past-due subscriber in one audience
Recovered revenue
Payments credited to the flow, refunds netted
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Dunning email FAQs
What is a dunning email?
A dunning email tells a customer that a payment failed and asks them to fix it, usually by updating their card. A dunning sequence sends a few of these over several days, escalating gently from a friendly notice to a final warning before the account is paused or cancelled.
Doesn't Stripe already handle failed payments?
Stripe retries failed charges and can send some billing emails of its own. Audienceful adds the customer-facing sequence on top: your copy, your design, your timing, a goal that stops it once the card works, and reporting on what it recovered. Keep Stripe's retries on; the emails help the next retry succeed.
How many emails should a dunning sequence have?
Three is a good default, and it's what our template uses: a calm fix-it email right away, a reminder two days later, and a final notice three days after that. Line the final notice up with when Stripe actually pauses or cancels the subscription.
Will customers keep getting reminders after they pay?
Not if you add a goal. Set the automation's goal to Stripe Subscription Status is active, and anyone whose subscription recovers leaves the flow before the next email.
Can I send different dunning emails for different plans?
Yes. Limit the Payment failed trigger to specific Stripe products, and build one flow per plan. Or use one flow and personalize it with the synced Stripe Plan field.
Do I need to set up webhooks?
No. Connect Stripe with Stripe Connect and the Payment failed, past due and cancellation events appear as automation triggers. There's no endpoint to build or host.
How much does it cost?
Dunning emails are part of Audienceful's automations, with no separate recovery fee. Free includes 1 automation, Essentials 3 and Growth unlimited, so you can run dunning alongside your other flows on a paid plan.