Payment failures can happen for all kinds of reasons. When viewing the failed payment in your Stripe account, you will see the reason for the payment failure, allowing you to help your customer resolve the issue.
Common Payment Failure Occurrences
Insufficient Funds
The customer’s card or bank account doesn’t have enough money available to cover the subscription charge.This is one of the most frequent causes of payment failure.
Usually resolves if the customer adds funds or switches payment methods.
Card Declined
The customer’s bank or card issuer declined the charge, often without sharing specific details.Can happen for fraud protection, outdated card info, or other bank-specific rules.
Encourage the customer to contact their bank or try another card.
Expired Card
The card used for the subscription has passed its expiration date.Customers need to update their payment method with a valid card.
Stripe may attempt to automatically update card details, but this isn't always successful.
What Happens When a Subscription Payment Failure Occurs
If a customer’s payment method fails - for example, if their card is declined - Stripe automatically tries to collect payment again.
Stripe’s Smart Retry System (Default Behavior)
By default, Stripe uses Smart Retries to handle failed payments. This system uses machine learning to retry the payment at times it’s most likely to succeed.
Stripe’s default behavior includes:
Up to 8 automatic retries within 2 weeks
No action needed from you or the customer for these retry attempts
Learn more: Stripe Smart Retry Documentation →
You Can Customize Stripe's Retry Settings
Stripe also gives you the ability to customize this retry logic in your dashboard. You can configure:
How many times to retry
How long to keep retrying
What happens after all retries fail (cancel, mark unpaid, etc.)
To adjust these settings:
Honeycommb Alerts Customers When Payments Fail
Each time a payment fails, Honeycommb automatically sends an email to the customer, informing them of the failed attempt and providing a direct link to update their payment method and resolve the issue.
Customers Get an In-App "Subscription Is Out of Date" Alert
If a customer with a failed or expired subscription visits your network:
They’ll see a message letting them know their subscription is not in good standing
They’ll be directed to their Settings, where they can update their subscription, card info, and retry the payment
Once the payment goes through, their access is restored automatically
If All Payment Attempts Fail
If all retry attempts fail and the issue isn't resolved by the customer, it will result in:
The subscription being canceled
The invoice marked as uncollectible
The subscription shown as past due
The member can still log in to the network to re-subscribe, keeping all of their data in place
You can view and manage failed payments anytime via your Stripe Dashboard.
Pro Tip: Encourage your customers to keep their billing info up to date. You can also configure Stripe to send automated payment reminder emails alongside the ones Honeycommb sends.