Enabling the Card Declined email for hard declines

Some charges fail with a hard-decline error code, meaning the charge shouldn't be retried until the customer updates their payment method, for example, when a customer freezes their card. These charges don't enter your Failed Payment Recovery strategy.

Enable the Card Declined email for hard declines to automatically notify customers when a charge fails with a qualifying hard-decline error code, prompting them to update their payment method.

This guide explains how the feature works and how to enable and customize the email.

Before you start

• Your store must have Failed Payment Recovery enabled to use this feature. The feature is available on all Recharge plans.
  The email is disabled by default. Recharge recommends customizing the email before turning it on.

How it works

When a charge fails with a qualifying hard-decline error code, Recharge sends the customer a Card Declined email with a call to action to update their payment method. Once the customer updates their payment method, the charge is retried using the new payment method.

This email goes out immediately after a decline. After the customer updates their card, the charge is retried the next day using the new card.

See Qualifying error codes for the full list of error codes that trigger the email.

Enable and customize the email

1. In your merchant portal, click Churn tools and select Failed payment recovery.
2. Click the Settings tab and locate the Hard declines that don't enter FPR section.
3. Click Configure card declined email.
4. Update the sender name, sender email, and subject line.
5. Click Edit email body to customize the email content. The editor supports HTML, inline CSS, and template variables. You can send a test email from this page.
6. (Optional) Check Display your logo on this email template.
7. Choose where the email's call to action directs customers to update their payment method:
   • A Payments landing page
   • Your standard customer portal payments page
   • A custom URL in your customer portal
8. Click Apply.
9. Check the checkbox in the Hard declines that don't enter FPR section to activate the email.

Qualifying error codes

The following error codes trigger the Card Declined email:

• AMOUNT_TOO_SMALL
• AUTHENTICATION_FAILED
• AUTHENTICATION_REQUIRED
• CONFIRMATION_REJECTED
• CUSTOMER_INVALID
• DO_NOT_HONOR
• EXPIRED_BUYER_ACTION
• EXPIRED_CARD
• FRAUD_SUSPECTED
• GENERAL_FAILURE
• HIGH_RISK_FRAUD_SUSPECTED
• INCORRECT_ADDRESS
• INCORRECT_NUMBER
• INCORRECT_ZIP
• INSTRUMENT_DECLINED
• INSUFFICIENT_CREDIT_BALANCE
• INVALID_BILLING_ADDRESS
• INVALID_COUNTRY
• INVALID_CURRENCY
• INVALID_DISCOUNT
• INVALID_DISCOUNT_AMOUNT
• INVALID_LINE_ITEM_PROPERTY
• INVALID_NUMBER
• INVALID_PHONE_NUMBER
• INVALID_PICK_UP_LOCATION
• INVALID_PURCHASE_TYPE
• INVALID_SHIPPING_ADDRESS
• INVALID_SHIPPING_PROVINCE
• INVALID_ZIP_CODE
• OFF_SESSION_REJECTED
• PAYMENT_METHOD_NOT_FOUND
• PAYMENT_METHOD_NOT_SPECIFIED
• PAYMENT_METHOD_UNSUPPORTED
• PICK_UP_CARD
• RETRY_DECLINED

Considerations