This document contains all the information related to retry notifications for failed subscription payments, email customization, and activation.
Note:
You can set up
up to 6 automatic payment retries
with Payment Recovery. Each failed payment will trigger a retry email based on your settings.
The Renewal Payment Failed: Retries Left template is used for all retry emails except the final attempt. The final retry email will use the Renewal Payment Failed: Last Retry template.
You can set up multiple payment retries with Payment Recovery. Each failed payment will be retried automatically, based on the number of attempts and delay settings you choose..
Overview
“Renewal Payment Failed: Retries Left” is the email notification sent automatically to customers when a subscription renewal payment fails, but retry attempts are still remaining.
This notification informs customers about the failed payment while reassuring them that their subscription will remain active during the retry process. It reduces confusion, maintains transparency, and encourages timely payment resolution.
The default email template includes
- Customer first name
- Subscription start date
- Subscription ID
- Payment method
- Product details (title, variation, quantity, and price)
- Subtotal, shipping, taxes, discounts, and total amount
- Message indicating remaining retry attempts
Pre-requisites: Before enabling email notifications, ensure your WordPress site is configured to send emails:
- SMTP plugin required: WordPress doesn’t reliably send emails by default. Install and configure an SMTP plugin like WP Mail SMTP.
- Email service provider: Connect your SMTP plugin to a transactional email service (Brevo, Mailgun, SendGrid, Amazon SES, or your hosting provider’s SMTP).
- Match sender details: Ensure that the From Email and From Name values configured in Sublium Subscriptions email notifications exactly match the sender details set in your SMTP plugin.
- Test your setup: Send a test email from your SMTP plugin to confirm emails are delivering before enabling Sublium notifications.
Without proper email configuration, notifications will fail silently.
For more details, refer to our doc on how to set up WP SMTP.
Access “Renewal Payment Failed: Retries Left” Email Notification
Navigate to Sublium Subscriptions ⇒ Retain ⇒ Payment Recovery.
Under the Email Notifications, you can find the Renewal Payment Failed: Retries Left email notification.
When It Is Sent
This email is sent when:
- A subscription renewal payment fails
- Retry attempts remain according to the configured payment recovery schedule
Audience
By default, this email is sent to the customer.
Email Customization
You can customize this notification using:
- Rich Text editor
- Visual Editor
A prebuilt Renewal Payment Failed: Retries Left template is available in both editors and can be modified or rebuilt as needed.
Guide:For more details, check our documentation on email customization.
Personalization
Sublium Subscriptions supports merge tags to personalize the email:
Here are the merge tags used in the prebuilt email.
- {{subscriber_first_name}} – Subscriber’s first name
- {{subscription_id}} – Unique subscription ID
- {{subscription_item}} – Product linked to the subscription
- {{subscription_total}} – Payment amount
- {{subscription_next_payment_date}} – Next scheduled payment date
- {{sublium_my_account_url}} – Link to subscription management
Guide: For more details, check our documentation on Merge Tags
How To Activate
To activate the Renewal Payment Failed: Retries Left email, turn ON the toggle next to the notification inside Sublium Subscriptions.
This setup ensures customers are informed of ongoing payment retries, understand that their subscription remains active, and can take action to resolve the payment issue promptly.
Troubleshooting
Emails not sending
- Confirm your SMTP plugin is configured and sending test emails successfully
- Check your SMTP plugin’s email logs for failed delivery attempts
- Verify the notification toggle is enabled
- Ensure the customer has a valid email address on their order
Merge tags showing as plain text
- Confirm you copied the full merge tag, including the curly braces, e.g., {{subscriber_first_name}}
- Check for extra spaces inside the merge tag
- Use only merge tags from the official list; custom tags won’t work
Email is going to spam
- Configure SPF, DKIM, and DMARC records for your sending domain
- Avoid spam trigger words in your subject line
- Use a reputable transactional email service
Email looks broken or unstyled
- Test across multiple email clients (Gmail, Outlook, Apple Mail)
- Avoid complex CSS, as email clients have limited style support
- Use the Visual Editor’s built-in templates for better compatibility
