Dunning 101: The Basics
Master subscription dunning basics with Recurly's Dunning 101 path. Learn to optimize dunning windows, email messaging, and campaigns for maximum payment recovery and reduced involuntary churn.
Retain • Dunning 101
Dunning 101: The basics
A comprehensive understanding of the top three Dunning optimizations — window length, email strategy, and campaign configurations — that move the needle on payment recovery, plus how to track the results.
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Path overview
About this path
Dunning is Recurly's automated system for recovering failed subscription payments by retrying charges and contacting subscribers. While most merchants rely on defaults, this path covers three configuration changes that drive the highest recovery: window length, email branding/CTAs, and campaign segmentation. You'll also learn to read analytics to verify your impact. Work sequentially or jump to the topic you need.
What's in this path
Understanding Dunning windows
Understand why the dunning window is your most important configuration setting — and set it to the "best-practice" timeframes for your billing frequencies.
Dunning window configuration
Learn how to update dunning window lengths, adjust email schedules, and properly assign campaigns to your monthly and annual plans.
Email branding
Discover how adding your brand's visual identity and voice to dunning emails builds subscriber trust — and drives significantly higher payment recovery and click-through rates.
Email configuration
Learn how to configure your dunning email templates by applying visual branding, adding dynamic personalization variables, writing distinct copy, and verifying links.
Email messaging strategy
Learn how to turn your dunning emails into branded, action-oriented communications — with the right message arc, subject lines, and CTAs to drive subscriber action.
Multiple campaigns
Move beyond the default single campaign by segmenting dunning by plan type and billing frequency — so each subscriber gets a recovery sequence matched to their agreement.
Campaign configuration
Learn how to build targeted dunning campaigns, configure window lengths, and properly assign every plan to the correct sequence.
Measuring your performance
Know where to find your dunning analytics, what metrics to track, and how to establish a review cadence so your setup keeps improving over time.
Review & resources
Recap the key dunning optimization concepts covered in this path and access a comprehensive list of documentation, videos, and support resources.