The workflow can ask a customer to update a card, retry a payment and eventually end or pause a subscription according to the configured rules. (Stripe Smart Retries documentation ↗)
Jump to a section
Checking the recovery path end to end
A renewal fails and the configured billing plan schedules a retry and sends a notice. The operator checks whether the retry is pending, succeeded or the subscription ended before changing access; timing and notices depend on provider settings and the publisher’s terms.
Dunning does not decide access by itself
When a reader supplies a new card, confirm that the failed subscription will actually use it. A customer-level default can differ from the payment method attached to that subscription. The retry guide explains the order to inspect.
Give support a record it can use
For one subscription, record the failure, the reminder sent, the payment method updated, and the final invoice state. If the invoice settles but access does not return, pass the record to the membership team. Retrying the payment again would address a different problem.