For Substack writers with paid subscriptions
Recover failed Substack subscription payments automatically
Paid Substack subscriptions are charged through the Stripe account you connected when you enabled payments. When a renewal fails, Creator Dunning emails the reader from you with a link to fix their card, then follows up until it's paid.
Founding offer: connect by December 31, 2026 and it's free until June 30, 2027, however many subscribers you have. No card needed.
FromJane's Field Notes Billing
Reply-tojane@example.com
SubjectYour $8.00 payment to Jane's Field Notes didn't go through
Hi Sam,
We couldn't process the $8.00 payment for your Jane's Field Notes subscription. Your subscription stays active for now, but we'll need an updated payment method to keep it that way.
Update your payment method and pay now
If you've already resolved this, you can ignore this email. Reply to this message if you have any questions.
Jane
$8.00 recovered
Sam updated their card · 2 days later
Substack today
Substack leaves recovery to Stripe's automatic retries and a generic notice. A reader whose card expired gets no personal nudge, and after the retries run out the subscription lapses.
How Creator Dunning connects
Creator Dunning connects to the same Stripe account Substack uses, through Stripe's standard OAuth authorization. Substack itself is untouched; we only read subscription and invoice events from Stripe.
Common questions
Before you connect.
Which email address do readers see?
Your publication name as the sender, with replies going straight to your email address, so it reads like a note from you.
Can I still use Substack's own tools?
Yes. Creator Dunning runs alongside Substack and never changes your publication, prices or subscriber list.
Does it cover comped or free subscribers?
No. Only paid subscriptions billed through Stripe can fail a payment, so those are the only ones we track.
Roughly one in ten renewals fails
Most of them are fixable.
Involuntary churn is 20–40% of all subscription churn, and Stripe's default retries recover only 25–35% of failed consumer payments. A timely, personal email closes most of that gap. See the numbers and sources.