---
title: "Payment failed"
description: "A declined card, the facts, and one button that fixes it."
url: https://www.unitpost.com/templates/gallery/payment-failed
section: Templates
updated: 2026-11-05
---
# Payment failed

## Payment failed

> A declined card, the facts, and one button that fixes it.

The dunning email, written to keep customers rather than scold them: an alert hero that says nothing has changed yet, the attempted charge in a summary table, an update-payment-method button, and icon rows explaining the retry schedule and grace period. Amber accent.

Category: transactional · Group: Billing · Free

Default subject: Action needed: your payment for {{plan_name}} didn't go through

Best for:

- Failed subscription renewals
- Card-expired and declined-charge notices
- The first email of a dunning sequence

Layout, top to bottom:

- Wordmark + label
- Alert hero
- Charge summary
- Button
- What-happens-next rows
- Sign-off

Variables:

- `{{first_name}}` — from the contact (example: Ada)
- `{{plan_name}}` — supplied per send (example: Pro)
- `{{amount}}` — supplied per send (example: $29.00)
- `{{card_last4}}` — supplied per send (example: 4421)
- `{{retry_date}}` — supplied per send (example: 9 Nov 2026)
- `{{grace_end_date}}` — supplied per send (example: 15 Nov 2026)
- `{{update_url}}` — supplied per send (example: https://northwind.example/billing/payment-method)

Preview the rendered email, copy its HTML or React, or add it to a workspace at https://www.unitpost.com/templates/gallery/payment-failed.

This Markdown mirror omits the TSX and HTML source — open the gallery page for both, or clone the template into a workspace.

## Related

- [Subscription renewal](https://www.unitpost.com/templates/gallery/subscription-renewal): Give a heads-up before a plan auto-renews.
- [Trial ending](https://www.unitpost.com/templates/gallery/trial-ending): Nudge trial users to upgrade before time runs out.
- [Usage limit warning](https://www.unitpost.com/templates/gallery/usage-alert): You're at 82% of your plan: a progress bar, the numbers, an upgrade.