How to Handle Failed Payments for LaunchPass Members

Understanding Failed Payments

What Happens When Payment Fails

When a member's payment fails:

Payment is declined by bank/card issuer
Member gets email notification from Stripe
Subscription goes to "Past Due" status
Stripe automatically retries (default: 3 times)
If all retries fail: Subscription auto-cancels
LaunchPass removes access (member kicked from community)

Timeline:

Day 0: Payment fails
Days 1-5: Stripe retries automatically
Day 5-6: All retries fail → subscription cancels
Day 6: Member loses access to community

This article covers: How to configure retries and manually handle failures.

Why Payments Fail

Common Reasons

Card issues:

✅ Card expired
✅ Insufficient funds
✅ Card declined by bank
✅ Card blocked/frozen
✅ Wrong CVV/security code
✅ Billing address mismatch

Technical issues:

✅ Network error during processing
✅ Payment processor timeout
✅ Bank system down temporarily
✅ Fraud detection flag

Member issues:

✅ Changed banks (old card no longer valid)
✅ Lost/replaced card
✅ Canceled card
✅ Intentionally declined (wants to cancel)

Understanding why helps you communicate with members and prevent future failures.

Automatic Retry Settings (Stripe)

Configuring Automatic Retries

Stripe handles retries automatically. You control the settings.

Step-by-Step: Configure Retries

Step 1: Log into Stripe

Go to https://dashboard.stripe.com
Log in with your Stripe account
You're in your dashboard

Step 2: Go to Settings

Click "Settings" (bottom left of sidebar)
Settings menu opens

Step 3: Find Billing Settings

Click "Billing" in settings menu
Or search for: "Manage failed payments"
Look for "Subscriptions and emails" section

Step 4: Configure Retry Schedule

You'll see options like:

Number of retry attempts (default: 3)
Days between retries
When to give up and cancel
Email notifications to member

Default Stripe retry schedule:

Attempt 1: Day 0 (initial failure) Attempt 2: Day 3 Attempt 3: Day 5 Attempt 4: Day 7 Final: Cancel subscription

You can customize:

✅ More or fewer attempts
✅ Different timing between attempts
✅ How long to wait before canceling
✅ Email notification settings

Step 5: Save Changes

Adjust settings to your preference
Click "Save"
Changes apply to future failed payments

Recommended Settings

For most communities:

Retry attempts: 3-4 times
Timeline: 5-7 days total
Give members time to fix payment method
Email notifications: ON (member needs to know)

For high-value memberships:

More retries: 5-6 attempts
Longer timeline: 10-14 days
More chances for high-paying members
Personal outreach in addition to emails

For low-commitment communities:

Fewer retries: 2-3 attempts
Shorter timeline: 3-5 days
Quick resolution (people decide fast)

Manually Retrying Failed Payments

When to Manually Retry

You might manually retry when:

Member contacted you asking for help
Member updated their payment method
You want to give extra chance before cancellation
Automatic retry hasn't happened yet
Technical issue resolved

Step-by-Step: Manual Retry

Step 1: Log into Stripe

Go to https://dashboard.stripe.com
Log in
You're in dashboard

Step 2: Find the Member

Use search bar at top
Type member's email address
Press Enter
Click on their customer profile

Step 3: Go to Invoices

Click "Invoices" tab (in customer profile)
You'll see all their invoices
Look for failed invoice
- Status: "Uncollectible" or "Retrying" or "Open"
- Shows as unpaid
- Red or orange indicator

Step 4: Open Failed Invoice

Click on the failed invoice
Invoice details appear
Shows: Amount, date, status, reason for failure

Step 5: Charge Customer

Look for "Charge Customer" button or option
Click it
Stripe attempts to charge immediately
You'll see result:
- ✅ Success: Payment goes through
- ❌ Failed: Still declined (need different solution)

Step 6: Verify Success

If successful:
- Invoice status changes to "Paid"
- Member subscription returns to "Active"
- Member keeps access to community
If failed again:
- Member needs to update payment method
- Contact member directly
- Or subscription will cancel

Alternative: Force Retry All Failed

To retry multiple failed payments:

Go to Stripe dashboard
Click "Payments" (left sidebar)
Filter by "Failed"
Select multiple payments
Click "Retry" (if available)

Or handle individually as described above.

Communicating With Members

When to Contact Members

Contact members proactively when:

✅ First payment fails
✅ After 2nd retry fails
✅ Before final cancellation
✅ After manual retry fails
✅ High-value members (always)

Template: Payment Failed Email

Send this to members when payment fails:

Subject: Payment Issue – Update Needed

Hi [Member Name],

We noticed your recent payment for [Community Name] didn't go through.

What happened: Your card was declined on [DATE].

What to do: Update your payment method here: https://launchpass.com/portal

Timeline: You have until [DATE] before your access is paused. We'll retry a few times automatically.

Need help? Reply to this email or contact [email protected]

Thanks for being part of [Community]!

Template: Final Notice Before Cancellation

Subject: Final Notice – Payment Issue

Hi [Member Name],

Your payment for [Community Name] has failed multiple times.

Your membership will be canceled in 24 hours unless you update your payment method.

Update now: https://launchpass.com/portal

Don't want to lose access? Update your card before [DATE/TIME].

We'd love to keep you in the community!

Questions? Email [email protected]

Template: Payment Fixed – Thank You

Subject: Payment Successful – You're All Set

Hi [Member Name],

Great news! Your payment went through successfully.

Status: Active Next billing date: [DATE] Amount: $[AMOUNT]

Your access to [Community] continues uninterrupted.

Thanks for updating your payment!

Monitoring Failed Payments

Where to Check in Stripe

Dashboard overview:

Go to Stripe dashboard home
Look for "Failed payments" widget
Shows: Number of recent failures
Click to see details

Payments section:

Click "Payments" (left sidebar)
Filter by "Failed"
See all failed payments
Sort by date, amount, customer

Reports:

Click "Reports" (left sidebar)
Look for "Failed payments" report
See trends over time
Identify patterns

What to Monitor

Key metrics:

✅ Number of failures (per week/month)
✅ Failure rate (% of all payments)
✅ Reasons for failure (card expired most common?)
✅ Recovery rate (how many succeed on retry?)
✅ Members at risk (pending cancellation)

Good benchmarks:

Normal failure rate: 5-10%
High failure rate: 15%+
Recovery rate: 50-70% (of failures eventually succeed)

If failure rate is high:

Check if it's a specific payment method
Look for patterns (time of month, member type)
Consider reminding members before billing date

Preventing Failed Payments

Proactive Strategies

Strategy 1: Pre-billing reminders

Send email 3 days before billing:

"Your membership renews in 3 days for $[AMOUNT]. Make sure your payment method is current: [link]"

Why it works: Members update card before it fails.

Strategy 2: Expired card detection

Stripe can notify you of expiring cards:

In Stripe settings
Enable "Expiring card emails"
Members get notified 15 days before expiration
They update proactively

Strategy 3: Make updating easy

Provide clear instructions:

Customer Portal link: https://launchpass.com/portal
Simple step-by-step guide
No support email needed
Self-service preferred

Strategy 4: Smart dunning

"Dunning" = recovering failed payments

Stripe's smart retries:

Retry when member is active (based on usage patterns)
Retry at different times of day
Retry when more likely to succeed

Enable in Stripe settings.

Best Practices

For Managing Failed Payments

✅ Monitor daily - Check Stripe dashboard regularly

✅ Act quickly - Contact members within 24 hours of failure

✅ Be empathetic - Payment issues are embarrassing

✅ Provide solutions - Direct link to update payment

✅ Follow up - Check if issue resolved

✅ Document patterns - Learn from recurring issues

✅ Prevent when possible - Pre-billing reminders work

✅ Make updating easy - Customer Portal is key

For Member Communication

✅ Be clear - Explain what happened and why

✅ Be helpful - Provide step-by-step solution

✅ Be timely - Don't wait until last day

✅ Be respectful - Don't shame or pressure

✅ Be available - Offer support if needed

✅ Follow through - Confirm when fixed

✅ Thank them - Appreciate them staying

For Stripe Settings

✅ Configure retries - Don't use default blindly

✅ Test your settings - Use test mode in Stripe

✅ Review periodically - Adjust based on results

✅ Enable notifications - For you and members

✅ Monitor trends - Check reports monthly

✅ Optimize timing - Retry when most likely to succeed

Troubleshooting

"I Can't Find Failed Payments in Stripe"

Why this happens:

Looking in wrong section
No recent failures
Filtering incorrectly

What to do:

Go to "Payments" in Stripe
Look for filter dropdown
Select "Failed" status
If empty: No recent failures ✅
If showing: Those are your failures

Alternative path:

Home dashboard → "Failed payments" widget → View all

"Manual Retry Isn't Working"

Why this happens:

Card still has same issue
Member hasn't updated card yet
Network/technical problem
Card blocked permanently

What to do:

Check decline reason in Stripe
If "card expired": Member needs new card
If "insufficient funds": Wait or ask member to add funds
If "fraud detected": Member contacts their bank
If unsure: Have member update card entirely

Don't keep retrying if same error occurs. Member must fix the underlying issue.

"Member Updated Card But Still Failing"

Why this happens:

Update didn't save properly
Wrong card entered
New card also has issues
Billing address wrong

What to do:

Verify in Stripe - Is new card showing?
Check card details - Last 4 digits match?
Try manual retry now
If still fails:
- Ask member to contact their bank
- Try different payment method
- Check billing address matches card

"Member Says They Updated But I Don't See It"

Why this happens:

Sync delay
Updated in wrong place
Used different email
Technical glitch

What to do:

Wait 5 minutes - Give time to sync
Refresh Stripe dashboard
Search by exact email member used
Check Customer Portal logs (if accessible)
Ask member:
- Which email did you use?
- Did you see confirmation?
- Can you try again?