Upcoming charge reminder: Subscriptions docs

The upcoming charge reminder tells subscribers what is coming and when, while they can still skip, swap or change it. A clear reminder means fewer surprise charges, fewer refund requests and fewer cancellations. It is made of three parts: a timing setting, the message itself and the workflow that sends it.

Set it up

Choose how early it sends

Go to Subscriptions → Billing & automation → Subscription settings, open the Billing tab and set Upcoming charge reminder, from 1 to 30 days before the next charge. It starts at 3 days. Save.

Write the email

In Subscriptions → Customer experience → Emails & SMS, open Upcoming Charge. Use Personalization to add Next order date, Subscription items, Skip order link, Cancel subscription link and the customer portal link.

Write the text

Open Charge - Reminder and write a short message with the Next charge date and Manage subscription link variables.

Check the workflows

In Workflow automations, the default workflows Upcoming charge email and Upcoming charge text send them on the Upcoming renewal reminder event. Make sure they are Active.

Options explained

Upcoming charge reminder: the same number of days applies to both the email and the text.
Different messages for different subscribers: add conditions to the workflow, such as Churn risk is High, Medium or Low, or a product or plan, and send a different template to each group. If your store has the at-risk or personalized upcoming charge templates, Chargezen sets up matching default workflows for them.
Prepaid subscriptions: quick actions can use the Upcoming (prepaid) order on Chargezen event to send a portal link before a prepaid renewal.

Send it from Klaviyo instead

If you send emails from Klaviyo, connect Klaviyo and build a flow on the Chargezen Upcoming Order event. Add quick action buttons such as Skip next order and Ship next order now. Set the Chargezen Upcoming charge email workflow to Draft so customers don't get two reminders. See Quick actions.

Lead with the date and the easy way out

Put the charge date, what's in the order and a skip button at the top. Subscribers who can skip easily are less likely to cancel.

Troubleshooting

Subscribers aren't getting the reminder

Check that the Upcoming charge email workflow is Active and that the email has content. In Emails & SMS, the Sent by column shows which workflow sends it.

The reminder arrives on the wrong day

The reminder counts back from each subscription's next charge date. If you move a charge date, the reminder follows it. Check Billing hour and Billing day in Subscription settings too.

Quick actions for one-tap skip and swap links.
Glossary: skip delivery, skip rate, negative option rule.

Upcoming charge reminder