Retries
Smart payment retries that pick the right moment
Smart payment retries re-attempt a failed subscription charge at the time it is most likely to succeed, instead of on a fixed schedule. The timing is chosen from the decline code, card type, issuing bank, likely payday and the customer time zone. Stripe Smart Retries does this at network level, and RevRescue adds your own account data on top.
Fixed retry schedules waste good attempts
The classic approach is a fixed ladder, for example retry on day 1, day 3, day 5 and day 7 at the same hour as the original charge. It is easy to set up and it does recover some payments, but it ignores why the charge failed. A card declined for insufficient funds on the 27th is far more likely to succeed on the 1st than on the 28th. A card that was reported stolen will never succeed, and every retry on it counts against you with the card networks.
Card networks set limits on how many times the same card can be retried for the same transaction within a period, and some decline codes should never be retried. Going over those limits can lead to fees and closer scrutiny of your merchant account. Smart retries are as much about not retrying as they are about retrying.
Signals the recovery model uses to time each retry
| Signal | Why it matters |
|---|---|
| Decline code | Separates soft declines worth retrying from hard declines that need a new card |
| Card type | Debit, credit and prepaid cards behave differently around balance and limits |
| Issuing bank | Some issuers approve more readily at certain hours or after a short wait |
| Likely payday | Insufficient funds declines often clear right after salary or month start |
| Customer time zone | Charges in the local morning tend to avoid overnight fraud filters |
| Past payment history | A customer who paid late twice before often pays on a similar day |
| Invoice amount | Large annual renewals get extra care and an earlier human follow-up |
Stripe Smart Retries compared with RevRescue retries
Stripe Smart Retries is a good default and uses signals from across the Stripe network to choose retry times within the window you set. RevRescue works differently in a few ways, so it makes sense to let one of them own retries rather than run both.
| Stripe Smart Retries | RevRescue | |
|---|---|---|
| Billing systems | Stripe only | Stripe, Shopify, Chargebee, Paddle |
| Uses your own customer history | Limited | Yes, per customer and plan |
| Hard decline handling | Retries within the window | No retry, card update request instead |
| Reminders tied to retries | Stripe emails | Email, SMS with consent, in-app banner |
| Human handoff for big accounts | No | Yes, task in HubSpot, Salesforce or Pipedrive |
| Revenue at risk view | Reports in Dashboard | Live dashboard with ROI panel |
What a smart retry plan looks like for one invoice
Take a hypothetical 499 USD monthly renewal that fails on the 26th with insufficient funds, on a debit card, for a customer in Chicago. A fixed schedule would retry on the 27th and 29th and probably fail twice. The recovery model skips those days, sends a friendly email with a card update link, and schedules the first retry for the morning of the 1st, local time. If that fails, it tries once more mid-month near a second common payday and sends a short SMS if the customer has agreed to texts.
Retries work best as part of full dunning
Retries alone cannot fix an expired or cancelled card. They need a card update page, pre-expiry reminders and clear messages, which together make up dunning software. RevRescue does all of this on one flat monthly fee by MRR band, from 99 USD a month, never a share of recovered revenue (see pricing). If you use Stripe, the Stripe failed payments guide explains decline codes in more detail, and the free recovery estimate shows what better retries could be worth to you.
Frequently asked questions
What is Stripe Smart Retries?
It is a Stripe Billing feature that picks retry times for failed subscription payments using signals from across the Stripe network, within the retry window you configure.
When is the best time to retry a failed payment?
It depends on the decline. Insufficient funds declines often clear after a payday or month start, temporary errors can be retried within hours, and hard declines should not be retried at all.
How many retries are allowed?
Card networks limit repeated attempts on the same card for the same charge within a period. RevRescue tracks these limits and stays inside them automatically.
Can I use RevRescue and Stripe Smart Retries together?
It is better to choose one. Running both can retry the same card too often, so RevRescue asks you to turn Stripe retries off during setup.
See what better retry timing could recover
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