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How to Automatically Retry Failed Subscription Payments

What this video covers

This 5-minute video walks through the Strategy tab of the Failed Payment Recovery page: the Recovery performance card, the Recovery method card, what happens if every attempt fails, and recovery discounts.

In short

  • Recovery performance shows your recovery rate, recovered revenue and how much is still being recovered, over the last 90 days.

  • Enable payment retries turns retries on or off. Then choose Fixed schedule (one steady rhythm) or Phased campaign (several stages). Only the method you select runs.

  • For Fixed schedule, choose Total payment attempts, Days between attempts and what happens If every attempt fails. The Recovery schedule shows the day of each attempt.

  • Recovery discounts can add a discount after a failed payment, so the customer has a reason to update their card before the next retry.

Good to know

  • Total payment attempts includes the original charge. 8 attempts means the original charge on the billing date plus 7 retries, not 8 retries. So the video's example of 8 attempts, 1 day apart, is 7 retries over 7 days.

  • Pause sets the subscription to Paused. It does not stay active. No further orders are charged until the subscription is resumed, and the customer gets your subscription paused email.

  • Turning off Enable payment retries doesn't switch everything off. Failed payments aren't retried, but your If every attempt fails choice still applies to the failed charge.

  • The recommended settings have changed. The page now recommends 8 attempts, 1 day apart, then Skip this order, keep the subscription active. New stores start with these settings too.

  • Switching methods: your Fixed schedule settings stay saved when you switch to Phased campaign. If you switch from Phased campaign to Fixed schedule and save, your phases are removed.

  • Some labels have changed since the video was recorded: Smart retry is now Fixed schedule, Smart Recovery Attempts is now Total payment attempts, Retry Interval is now Days between attempts, After retries fail is now If every attempt fails, and Currently in dunning is now Still recovering.

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