Failed Payment Recovery
Objective
Recover failed subscription payments by prompting members to update their card or pay the outstanding amount, matching Stripe's 14-week collection window.
Campaign Notes
0Channel Strategy
8-email dunning sequence over 14 weeks. Starts helpful, escalates urgency, ends with cancellation warning. Each email includes a direct link to update payment details.
Strategy
Failed payments are one of the biggest sources of involuntary churn. Most members whose payments fail didn’t choose to leave — their card expired, their bank flagged the charge, or they hit a temporary spending limit. The goal of this sequence is to recover as many of these members as possible before Stripe’s collection window closes.
This 8-email sequence runs over 14 weeks to align with Stripe’s automatic retry schedule. Stripe retries failed charges at increasing intervals (typically 3, 5, and 7 days after the initial failure, then weekly). Our emails complement — not duplicate — these retries by giving members a human reason to act.
Timing
| Timing | Tone | Focus | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Day 1 | Helpful | ”Heads up — your payment didn’t go through” |
| 2 | Day 3 | Helpful | ”Quick fix — update your card” |
| 3 | Day 7 | Supportive | ”Your membership is on hold” |
| 4 | Day 14 | Value reminder | ”Here’s what you’re missing” |
| 5 | Day 28 | Warm urgency | ”We don’t want to lose you” |
| 6 | Day 42 | Direct | ”Your access is at risk” |
| 7 | Day 70 | Final warning | ”Last chance to keep your membership” |
| 8 | Day 98 | Closing | ”We’re about to cancel your GIL+“ |
Segmentation
- Trigger: Stripe
invoice.payment_failedevent - Exit: member updates payment and charge succeeds (Stripe
invoice.paidevent) - Suppress: if member has already cancelled voluntarily
- Track: payment recovery rate by email position (which email prompted the update)
Key Messages
- Early (emails 1-3): Purely helpful. “This happens all the time — here’s how to fix it in 30 seconds.” No shame, no pressure. Link directly to payment update page.
- Middle (emails 4-5): Remind them what they’re missing — seed deliveries, expert access, 15% shop discount on Rainbow Range seeds. Frame it as “we want to keep you” not “you owe us money.”
- Late (emails 6-8): Clear escalation. Their membership will be cancelled if payment isn’t resolved. Still warm but direct. Final email is a genuine last chance.
Success Metrics
- Target: 60%+ recovery rate (industry average is 40-50%)
- Track: which email position drives the most recoveries
- Monitor: time-to-recovery (faster = better — most recoveries happen in emails 1-3)
NOTE: All content uses current pricing ($80/yr or $8/mo). Update after mid-March 2026 price rise to $99/yr with tiers.
Email Deliverables
8Version History
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Hey {{first_name}},
Just a quick heads up — your latest GIL+ payment didn't go through.
This usually means an expired card, a temporary bank hold, or a spending limit. Nothing to worry about — it happens more often than you'd think.
The fix takes about 30 seconds. Just tap the link below to update your card details, and you're sorted.
[Update Your Payment Details]
Happy growing,
The Grow It Local Team
Version History
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Hey {{first_name}},
It's been two weeks since your payment failed, and your GIL+ membership is still on hold. Here's what you're missing while it's paused:
- Expert content from Costa, Paul West, and Mel Logozzo — new guides and videos dropping regularly
- Your next heirloom seed delivery — one of 3 seasonal packs included with your membership
- 15% off Rainbow Range seeds — that's $5.06 per pack instead of $5.95 across all 20 heirloom varieties
- Live workshops with experienced growers you can attend or rewatch
All of this is waiting for you. Just update your card and it all switches back on.
[Update Payment & Get Back In]
Happy growing,
The Grow It Local Team
Version History
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Hey {{first_name}},
We've been trying to process your GIL+ payment for a month now, and it's still not going through.
You've been part of the Grow It Local community, and we genuinely don't want to see you go. Your next seasonal seed delivery is coming up, your member discount is waiting, and there's plenty of new content from the expert team.
We'd love to keep you with us. Just update your card details and everything picks back up.
[Update Your Card Now]
Happy growing,
The Grow It Local Team
Version History
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Hey {{first_name}},
We want to be upfront with you — your GIL+ membership is at risk of being cancelled.
It's been six weeks since your payment failed, and despite multiple retries, it still hasn't gone through. If it's not resolved soon, we'll have to cancel your membership.
That means losing access to expert content from Costa, Paul West, and Mel, your seasonal seed deliveries, your 15% discount on Rainbow Range seeds, and your workshop access.
We don't want that, and we don't think you do either. One card update is all it takes to keep everything going.
[Update Payment Now]
Happy growing,
The Grow It Local Team
Version History
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Hey {{first_name}},
It's been a week since your GIL+ payment failed, and your membership is currently on hold.
That means your access to expert content, member pricing, and upcoming features is paused until the payment is sorted. We'd love to get you back in — it just takes a quick card update.
[Update Payment Details]
Happy growing,
The Grow It Local Team
Version History
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Hey {{first_name}},
Just checking in — your GIL+ payment still needs updating.
We'll retry it automatically, but the fastest way to sort it out is to update your card details directly. One quick update and you're done.
[Update Your Card]
Happy growing,
The Grow It Local Team
Version History
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Hey {{first_name}},
This is your last reminder before we cancel your GIL+ membership.
We've been holding your spot for 10 weeks now. We've retried your payment multiple times, sent reminders, and kept your membership details saved. But we can't hold it much longer.
If you want to stay, please update your card details today. If we don't hear from you, your membership will be cancelled and you'll lose access to everything — seed deliveries, expert content, member pricing, all of it.
We'd genuinely prefer to keep you. The link below takes less than a minute.
[Update Payment Immediately]
Happy growing,
The Grow It Local Team
Version History
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Hey {{first_name}},
This is our final email about your GIL+ payment.
Your membership will be cancelled tomorrow. After that, you'll lose access to your seed deliveries, expert content, member pricing, and everything else included in GIL+.
If you want to stay, update your payment details today. That's all it takes.
If not, we understand. You're always welcome to rejoin later — new members get a 30-day free trial on annual plans, so the door is always open.
Either way, thanks for being part of the Grow It Local community. We hope to see you in the garden again soon.
[Update Payment & Stay]
Happy growing,
The Grow It Local Team
Products Featured