# Recover failed subscription payments with a dunning plan

A retry schedule, card-update emails, and in-app notices that cut involuntary churn without alienating customers.

- Topic: Finance & Accounting
- Framework: Few-Shot
- Level: Standard
- Tags: Finance, Plan, Fill-in Template
- Source: https://www.thinkwithprompt.com/prompts/recover-failed-subscription-payments-with-a-dunning-plan

## Prompt

```text
Help me build a dunning plan to recover failed subscription payments.

**Billing system and payment processor:** [e.g. Stripe Billing, Chargebee, in-house]
**Billing mix:** [monthly vs annual, card vs invoice, consumer vs business]
**Current failed payment rate and recovery rate:** [DATA or "unknown"]
**Common decline reasons:** [expired card, insufficient funds, bank declines, authentication needed]
**What happens today when payment fails:** [DESCRIBE]
**Grace period we can afford:** [e.g. 14 days before downgrade]

Create:
1. Prevention: card updater services, expiry reminders before the card fails, backup payment methods, and authentication handling (such as 3-D Secure for European cards).
2. A retry schedule by decline type (soft vs hard declines), with smart timing rather than fixed daily retries.
3. A customer communication sequence: email, in-app banner, and for B2B a note to the billing contact and account owner. Give subject lines and copy for each, under 100 words, friendly and non-accusatory, with a one-click update link.
4. Account states: grace period, read-only or limited access, downgrade or cancellation, and data retention after cancellation.
5. Handoffs: when invoice customers go to accounts receivable, and when a CSM should step in for large accounts.
6. Metrics: failed payment rate, recovery rate by step, involuntary churn as a share of total churn, and revenue recovered.
7. Accounting notes: how to treat failed payments and write-offs in revenue and ARR reporting, flagged for my accountant to confirm.

Do not invent recovery rate benchmarks; label any examples as illustrative.
```

## What to fill in

- e.g. Stripe Billing, Chargebee, in-house
- monthly vs annual, card vs invoice, consumer vs business
- DATA or "unknown"
- DESCRIBE
- e.g. 14 days before downgrade

Free to copy and use. From ThinkWithPrompt (https://www.thinkwithprompt.com/), a library of 2,663 curated AI prompts.