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The dunning process is an automated payment retry system that handles failed subscription billing attempts. When a payment fails, the system creates a dunning record that manages the retry logic, tracking payment attempts and determining when to retry based on configurable shop settings.

What triggers dunning

Dunning is triggered when a recurring billing attempt fails. Supercycle creates billing attempts for recurring charges, and if Shopify cannot process the payment, dunning automatically begins. Learn more in Payment attempts.

Which methods it applies to

Dunning applies to subscription-based billing:
  • Subscriptions
  • Membership

Viewing dunning status

You can view dunning information in the charges detail page. Navigate to Supercycle > Charges > click on a specific charge to view the dunning banner.
The charge detail page displays:
  • Dunning status (active, failed, cancelled, or complete)
  • Current retry attempt count out of maximum attempts
  • Next scheduled retry date and time
  • Manual “Retry now” button option

Configure dunning settings

Navigate to Settings > Risk > Dunning section.
The configuration page allows adjusting:
SettingDefaultDescription
Maximum retries3Total number of retry attempts
Time between retries2The interval value between attempts
Retry unitDaysHours or Days
Email templates are controlled separately via customer email settings and cannot be customized per-dunning instance. The failed charge email is enabled/disabled globally.

Manual retry

You can manually retry a payment from the charge detail page:
1

Navigate to the charge

Go to the charge with failed dunning status.
2

Click Retry now

Click the Retry now button in the dunning banner.
3

Confirm the retry

Confirm in the modal dialog. The system immediately creates a new billing attempt, bypassing the retry interval.

Shopify Flow integration

The “Dunning payment failed” Flow trigger is available for custom automations. Learn more in Create a workflowe

Common error codes

Error codeMessageSolution
expired_payment_methodThe customer’s payment method has expiredRequest updated payment method
payment_method_declinedPayment method declined by processorAdvise customer to contact bank or try another method
payment_method_not_foundNo active payment method foundEnsure customer has valid payment method on file
buyer_canceled_payment_methodCustomer canceled their payment methodAsk customer to update payment details
insufficient_fundsShown as declinedAdvise retry later
authentication_errorAuthentication failed during payment processingEnsure customer payment details are correct and retry

Limits and constraints

Automatic retry conditions:
  • Retries only occur if no pending payment exists
  • Retries respect the configured interval since last failed attempt
  • Retries stop after max attempts reached
  • Manual retry bypasses interval check but still respects max attempts logic
Dunning cancellation:
  • If the associated charge is cancelled, dunning is automatically cancelled
  • Cancelled dunning will not create new payment attempts