Recipe No. 09 · Billing & payments
Failed payment recovery emails
When a Stripe subscription payment fails, send a helpful update-your-card email and alert staff.
- Serves
- Gyms & studios
- Made with
- Zapier
- Prep (setup)
- ~20 min est.
- Yield
- 1–2 hrs/week saved, est.
- Level
- Beginner
- Plan needed
- Zapier: Free covers 2-step Zaps (100 tasks/mo, checks every 15 min); multi-step Zaps need Professional (from $19.99/mo billed annually, $29.99 monthly, per zapier.com/pricing). Check your plan.
- Est. SMS cost
- No SMS needed
- TriggerFirst, in Stripe Settings → Billing, enable…
- Step 2For a personal touch, create a Zap
- Step 3Action
- Step 4Action
- Step 5Action
- Step 6Test with Stripe test mode card 4000 0000…
Ingredients
- Stripe
- Zapier
- Gmail or email tool
- Stripe customer portal link (enable in Stripe settings)
Editor-reviewedLast checked 2026-10-16v1.0.0 · Free
Steps reviewed against current tool UIs by the editor; not yet run end-to-end in a live account. Time saved is an estimate; results vary. Costs from Axis Consulting and Twilio pricing; check current pricing.
Method
- First, in Stripe Settings → Billing, enable Smart Retries and built-in failed-payment emails; this alone may cover your needs.
- For a personal touch, create a Zap. Trigger: Stripe 'Failed Payment' (or 'New Event' filtered to invoice.payment_failed).
- Action: Stripe 'Find Customer' to get name and email if not in the trigger payload.
- Action: send email: 'Hi {name}, your latest payment didn't go through. You can update your card here: {portal link}. Questions? Just reply.'
- Action: Slack or email to staff with the customer name and amount.
- Test with Stripe test mode card 4000 0000 0000 0341, then switch to live.