When a Payment Fails
What happens when the renewal of a recurring membership fails: how long you keep access, what the notices say, how to pay again on each payment provider, and how access comes back.
By the end of this page you'll know what a failed renewal does to your membership, what the messages you receive are asking of you, and how to get back in.
What happens
Your payment provider tried to charge your saved card or wallet for the next period and could not: the card expired, the bank declined, the balance was short. Subscriby does not charge you again itself; the provider retries on its own schedule, and in the meantime:
- You keep your access for a grace window the creator set, up to thirty days. Nothing changes in the channels, groups and resources your membership unlocks.
- You are told, in the chat where you already talk to the project or by email, with a button that opens the way to pay again on your provider.
- You are reminded on day three and warned the day before the window closes.
- When the window closes unpaid, your access pauses: your links stop working and you are removed from the places, and the membership shows Past Due until a payment settles.
- The first payment that goes through brings you back: fresh links, a welcome message, and nothing else to do.
The window is the creator's
Each project sets its own window, from no days at all to thirty. The first notice tells you how long you have, and the final warning tells you when access pauses.
How to pay again
Every notice carries one button. Where it opens depends on the payment provider you subscribed with:
| Provider | Where the button takes you |
|---|---|
| Stripe | The open invoice's page. Pay it with your saved card, or enter a new one; it settles in one go. |
| PayPal | Your automatic payments page on PayPal. Fix the funding source; the next retry then succeeds. |
| Paystack, Razorpay | Your memberships page on the project's portal. Update your card where the provider's own email asks you to; the next retry then succeeds. |
| Other providers | The project's portal, where you can take out the membership again with a working method. |
You can also reach the same places yourself: open the project's portal, My Memberships, and the membership marked Past Due.
Do not dispute the charge
A declined charge is nothing to dispute; nothing was taken. If a charge went through that you did not expect, contact the creator first — chargebacks are costly for creators and often lead to permanent bans.
What does not enter grace
- A free trial that was never paid ends at once when its first charge fails; you can subscribe again with a working method.
- A one-time purchase has no renewal to fail: it ends when its period does, and the renewal reminders and the portal are your way back.
If you would rather stop
Letting the payment fail is not a cancellation. If you have decided to leave, cancel the subscription instead: it ends cleanly at the close of the paid period, no notices follow, and the creator may make you an offer on the way out.
Common questions
Related
- Making payments — the providers and how each one bills.
- Manage your subscription — the memberships page on the portal.
- Troubleshooting — if something doesn't go as expected.
How is this guide?
Last updated on
Making Payments
What to expect when you pay for a plan, provider by provider: cards, PayPal, Skrill, crypto, Paystack, Razorpay, CeyPay and in-app payments.
Manage Your Subscription
Find your active subscription in the portal or the bot, verify your access, review payments and see which actions you can take.