Template
Sent 30 days before a card on file expires, based on the expiration date you already have stored. Goal: fix the card BEFORE the payment fails, preventing dunning entirely. This is the single most effective pre-dunning move.
A/B test these. Lowercase, question format, and specific-time framings consistently win.
Your card on file expires next monthHeads up: {{product_name}} card ending {{last4}} expires {{expiry_month}}Card expiration coming upHi {{first_name}},
Just a heads up - the card ending in {{last4}} on your
{{product_name}} subscription expires at the end of {{expiry_month}}.
To avoid any interruption to your service, you can update it now:
→ {{secure_update_link}}
If Visa or Mastercard sends us an updated number automatically
(many do), we will swap it over with no action needed from you -
we will email you to confirm.
- {{sender_first_name}}Variables in {{like_this}} should be replaced with your merge fields.
Prevents failures before they happen - no anxiety, no dunning sequence, no lost revenue. Normalizes the automatic Account Updater path so customers who do nothing are not worried. Framing as a "heads up" keeps the tone casual.
Yes. Card-expiration-driven failures are 15-25% of all failed payments, and a 30-day warning prevents most of them. The email takes 5 minutes to write and 30 minutes to wire up. It is the highest-ROI dunning email you will send.
For 40-60% of cards, yes. For the rest, you still need the manual pre-dunning email. Running both in parallel is the best approach.
Automate this with Rebounce
Rebounce detects payment failures via Stripe Connect, classifies them by decline code, and runs the optimal dunning sequence across email, SMS, WhatsApp, and in-app banners. The templates above are the exact patterns Rebounce uses out of the box - you can adapt the copy to your brand voice and Rebounce handles delivery, timing, and sequence cancellation when a retry succeeds.
Start free trialSent when a subscription payment fails specifically because the card on file expired. This is the easiest dunning recovery - not a money problem, just an admin task. Goal: treat it like routine maintenance, not an emergency.
The first email sent immediately after a payment fails, before any retry. Goal: catch the 40-60% of failures that resolve with a simple nudge, before the customer feels embarrassed or annoyed.
Sent immediately after a customer successfully updates their card. Goal: confirm the update, reassure that billing will resume normally, and close the dunning loop cleanly.