Free templates

Dunning email templates for failed payments

11 copy-ready emails, SMS and WhatsApp messages (SMS recovery in Revnio is coming soon) for every stage of a failed subscription payment, from the first decline to the final notice. Free to use; no sign-up needed.

First failed payment (friendly heads-up)

Email. Immediately after the first failed charge.

Subject: Your ${company_name} payment didn’t go through
Hi ${customer_name},

We tried to charge ${amount} for your ${company_name} subscription, but the payment didn't go through. This happens all the time, often because a card was replaced or a bank flagged the charge.

Your account is still active. To keep it that way, please check your payment details:

${update_payment_url}

It takes about a minute. If you've already sorted it out, you can ignore this email.

Thanks,
The ${company_name} team

Insufficient funds

Email. After a decline for insufficient funds. Send it with, not instead of, a retry a few days later.

Subject: We’ll try your ${company_name} payment again soon
Hi ${customer_name},

Your bank declined the ${amount} payment for ${company_name} because of insufficient funds.

No action is needed if your balance will cover it in the next few days, because we'll retry automatically. If you'd rather use a different card, you can switch here:

${update_payment_url}

Thanks for being a customer,
The ${company_name} team

Expired card

Email. Immediately after a decline for an expired card. Retrying won’t help until the card is updated.

Subject: Your card on file has expired
Hi ${customer_name},

We couldn't charge ${amount} for your ${company_name} subscription because the card we have on file has expired.

Add your new card here to keep your account running without interruption:

${update_payment_url}

Thanks,
The ${company_name} team

Card declined (no reason given)

Email. After a generic or "do not honor" decline, where the bank gave no specific reason.

Subject: Action needed: your ${company_name} payment was declined
Hi ${customer_name},

Your bank declined the ${amount} payment for ${company_name} without giving us a reason. Banks sometimes block subscription charges they don't recognize.

Two quick fixes usually work:
1. Update your card or use a different one: ${update_payment_url}
2. Or tell your bank the charge from ${company_name} is expected, and we'll retry it.

Thanks,
The ${company_name} team

Second reminder

Email. 3–5 days after the first email if the payment is still unpaid.

Subject: Reminder: please update your payment for ${company_name}
Hi ${customer_name},

A quick reminder that your ${amount} payment for ${company_name} is still outstanding.

You can update your payment details in about a minute:

${update_payment_url}

If something's wrong or you have questions about your bill, just reply to this email and we'll help.

Thanks,
The ${company_name} team

Final notice before cancellation

Email. A few days before the subscription will be cancelled or paused. Name the real date in your copy.

Subject: Final notice: your ${company_name} account will be paused
Hi ${customer_name},

We still haven't been able to collect ${amount} for your ${company_name} subscription. If we can't collect it in the next few days, your account will be paused and you'll lose access.

Your data is safe. Update your payment details to keep everything running:

${update_payment_url}

If you meant to cancel, no action is needed. If you'd like to talk it over first, reply to this email.

The ${company_name} team

Card expiring soon (pre-dunning)

Email. 30, 14 or 7 days before the card on file expires, before any payment fails.

Subject: Your ${card_brand} ending in ${card_last4} expires soon
Hi ${customer_name},

The ${card_brand} ending in ${card_last4} that you use for ${company_name} expires at the end of ${exp_month}/${exp_year}, in ${days_until_expiry} days.

Update it now so your next payment goes through without a hitch. Log in to your ${company_name} account and update your payment method under billing.

Thanks,
The ${company_name} team

Payment recovered (thank you)

Email. Right after the payment succeeds, so the customer knows the issue is closed.

Subject: You’re all set. Thanks, ${customer_name}!
Hi ${customer_name},

Your payment of ${amount} went through, so your ${company_name} subscription is fully up to date. Thanks for sorting it out.

Nothing else to do. If you ever need a receipt or have a billing question, just reply here.

The ${company_name} team

SMS: first reminder

SMS. About a day after the first email, if the email link wasn’t clicked. SMS recovery is coming soon in Revnio; use this text in any SMS tool today.

SMS message
${company_name}: your ${amount} payment didn’t go through. Update your card in 1 min: ${short_url}

SMS: final reminder

SMS. Shortly before the account is paused, as the last nudge. SMS recovery is coming soon in Revnio; use this text in any SMS tool today.

SMS message
${company_name}: last reminder. Your account will be paused soon over an unpaid ${amount}. Fix it here: ${short_url}

WhatsApp reminder

WhatsApp. After the email has gone unanswered. WhatsApp templates must be pre-approved by Meta.

WhatsApp message
Hi {{1}}, this is {{2}}. Your recent payment of {{3}} didn't go through, so your subscription needs attention.

You can update your card securely here: {{4}}

Reply to this message if you need help.

Placeholders

These are the variables Revnio fills in when it sends a message. Anything in ${...} is replaced with the customer's details.

PlaceholderWhat it becomesAvailable in
${customer_name}Customer's name (falls back to the part of their email before the @)Email, SMS (soon)
${amount}Failed amount, formatted with a currency sign, e.g. $49.00Email, SMS (soon)
${company_name}Your company nameAll
${update_payment_url}Secure, personal link to update the card and payEmail
${short_url}Shortened, click-tracked version of the payment linkSMS (coming soon)
${failure_reason}The processor's message for the failureEmail, SMS (soon)
${card_brand} / ${card_last4}Card brand and last four digitsPre-dunning email
${exp_month} / ${exp_year}Card expiry month and yearPre-dunning email
${days_until_expiry}Days until the card expiresPre-dunning email

Dunning email best practices

Send the first email right away

The customer is most likely to act while the failure is fresh, so send the first message as soon as the charge fails. Space the follow-ups a few days apart and finish with a final notice that names the date access will stop. Stop the sequence the moment the payment goes through, and send a short thank-you so the customer knows it's resolved.

Write subject lines people recognize

Put your company name in the subject and say plainly what happened: “Your Acme payment didn't go through” beats a clever line. Customers scan their inbox for senders they know, and a vague subject from a billing address looks like phishing.

Give one clear call to action

Every message should do one job: get the customer to the page where they update their card. Use a single, obvious button or link, keep the email short, and make sure the page behind it works on a phone without logging in. Extra links to your blog or product updates only compete with the one action you need.

Don't blame the customer

Most failed payments aren't the customer's fault: cards get reissued, banks block recurring charges, and balances dip. Keep the tone friendly and practical, reassure them their account and data are safe, and offer a way to reply if something is wrong. Save firmer wording for the final notice.

Match the message to the decline reason

An expired card needs a new card; an insufficient-funds decline may clear on its own after a retry. Tailoring the message to the decline code makes it more useful and avoids asking customers to do something that won't help.

Follow up on another channel

If the email isn't opened, a short WhatsApp message (or, soon, an SMS) a day later reaches people who never check the inbox your invoices go to. Revnio sends the WhatsApp follow-up automatically when the email link hasn't been clicked, and SMS is coming soon; see pricing for which plans include each channel.

Frequently asked questions

What is a dunning email?

A dunning email tells a customer that a subscription payment failed and asks them to update their payment details. A good dunning sequence sends a few of these over one to three weeks, alongside automatic payment retries.

How many dunning emails should I send?

Three to four emails is a common sequence: one when the payment fails, a reminder a few days later, and a final notice before the account is paused or cancelled. Stop as soon as the payment succeeds.

Can I use these templates in Revnio?

Yes. The placeholders use the same ${variable} names Revnio fills in when it sends, so you can paste a template into Revnio’s template editor unchanged. In other tools, replace the placeholders with that tool’s merge fields.

Why does the WhatsApp template use {{1}} instead of names?

WhatsApp business templates must be approved by Meta before you can send them, and Meta uses numbered variables. Map {{1}} to the customer name, {{2}} to your company, {{3}} to the amount and {{4}} to the payment link.

Recover failed payments on autopilot

Revnio retries failed payments at the right time and reaches customers by email and WhatsApp until the card is fixed. Works with Stripe, Chargebee and Paddle.

Related