Overview
Dunning is the process that begins when a membership payment fails because the card on file has expired, been declined, or is no longer valid. The Patient Rewards app shows a failed-payment banner, notifies the practice by email, and gives patients a path to update billing or cancel the membership.
This article is for practice owners, managers, and front-desk staff who need to explain dunning banners to patients and know when a membership will auto-cancel.
Before You Start
Patients can update membership billing information in the Patient App to resolve most dunning cases.
Only patients can update payment methods. Admins cannot update a patient’s card from the Admin Panel.
RepeatMD does not control when Stripe processes a retry after a card update. Banner timing follows Stripe’s schedule.
Why It Matters
Missed membership payments are recoverable when patients update billing quickly. When your team understands dunning timing, you can:
Recover revenue before Stripe exhausts retries and the membership auto-cancels.
Set accurate banner expectations so patients do not think an update failed when Stripe has not run the retry yet.
Proactively reach out after admin email notifications instead of waiting for the membership to cancel.
Guide patients to the right action (update billing vs. cancel) before unpaid balances stack up.
How It Works
Failed-payment banner
When a membership payment fails, the Patient Rewards app displays a failed-payment banner at the top of the screen. The banner directs the patient to update billing or manage the membership.
The banner does not go away immediately when the patient updates their payment method. It remains until Stripe processes the new payment and the charge is successful. It is normal for the banner to persist for a short period after a card update because Stripe controls retry timing.
If the updated payment method also fails, the banner stays visible and Stripe continues the retry schedule.
Stripe retry schedule
After the initial failed charge, Stripe attempts to charge the card on file three more times, seven days apart.
If all three retry attempts fail, the membership automatically cancels. No manual admin action is required.
After a successful retry
When Stripe successfully processes a payment:
The failed-payment banner clears from the Patient App.
The membership returns to normal active status.
The patient may receive a confirmation email for the successful charge.
Allow approximately 24 to 48 hours after a successful charge before expecting the banner to disappear, depending on Stripe processing time.
Admin notification
Practices receive an email when a membership payment fails. Use this notification to reach out to the patient and prompt a billing update before retries are exhausted.
Patient options during dunning
From Manage Memberships, a patient in dunning can:
Update payment method to trigger an immediate retry of the failed charge, or
Cancel membership, which ensures there is no unpaid balance remaining.
See Update patient membership billing information (Patient App) and Cancel a membership (Patient App).
Promotions during dunning
Patients in dunning status see the failed-payment banner instead of sitewide promotions. Resolve dunning before expecting the patient to see promotional content in the app.
Step-by-Step Instructions
Guide a patient to update billing during dunning
Ask the patient to open the Patient Rewards app.
Tap Wallet, then Memberships, then Manage memberships.
Select Update payment method.
Enter the new card details through the secure payment provider and tap Save card.
Explain that the banner may remain until Stripe processes the retry successfully.
Confirm the patient received a confirmation email after a successful charge.
See Update patient membership billing information (Patient App) for the full step-by-step flow.
Reach out to a patient after a missed-payment email
Log in to the Admin Panel.
Click Client Profiles in the left-side navigation.
Search for the patient and open their profile.
Review membership status and dunning state on the Membership tab.
Contact the patient and direct them to update billing in the Patient App before Stripe exhausts retry attempts.
Best Practices and Pro Tips
Act on missed-payment emails quickly. Three retries at seven-day intervals means the membership can auto-cancel within roughly three weeks of the first failure.
Do not promise instant banner removal. Stripe controls retry timing. Set a 24 to 48 hour expectation after a successful charge.
Send patients the billing update article. Front desk staff cannot update cards on behalf of patients.
Escalate manual payment only when needed. Contact Support if a patient updated billing but retries are not resolving after 48 hours.
Check dunning before troubleshooting promos. Patients in dunning only see the failed-payment banner, not sitewide promotions.
Common Mistakes and FAQs
Q: After my patient updates their payment method, how soon will the banner go away?
A: The banner stays until Stripe successfully processes the payment. Stripe controls retry timing, not RepeatMD. After a successful charge, allow approximately 24 to 48 hours for the banner to clear.
Q: After my patient updates their payment method, are they automatically recharged?
A: Yes. Updating the payment method triggers an immediate retry of the failed charge. If Stripe cannot process the new card, the banner remains and Stripe continues the retry schedule.
Q: How many times does Stripe retry a failed payment?
A: Three additional attempts, seven days apart, after the initial failure. If all three fail, the membership automatically cancels.
Q: Does the practice get notified when a payment fails?
A: Yes. Practices receive an email notification for missed membership payments. See Intro to transactional emails.
Q: Can admins update the patient’s card to fix dunning?
A: No. Only the patient can update billing information in the Patient App.
Q: What if the patient wants to cancel instead of updating billing?
A: The patient can cancel from Manage Memberships. Canceling during dunning ensures there is no unpaid balance remaining. See Cancel a membership (Patient App).
Q: Can I manually expedite a retry after the patient updates billing?
A: Contact Support or Client Experience if a patient updated billing but the membership remains in dunning after 48 hours. Manual processing may be available in edge cases.
Next Steps and Support
Need help? Email support@repeatmd.com