Migrate from Stripe Default Retries

Stripe's built-in retry logic is simple: retry 4 times over 3 weeks with fixed intervals and no intelligence. LostChurn replaces this with ML-optimized timing, decline code analysis, and multi-channel recovery campaigns. This guide walks you through the migration.

Why Migrate?

Stripe's default retries are a one-size-fits-all approach. They don't consider:

• Why the payment failed (expired card vs. insufficient funds require different strategies)
• When the customer is most likely to have funds available
• How to reach the customer if silent retries fail (email, SMS, portal)

Most businesses recover 5-15% of failed payments with Stripe's defaults. LostChurn customers typically see 60-80% recovery rates by combining intelligent retry timing with automated customer outreach.

Step 1: Connect Your Stripe Account

1. Navigate to Settings > Integrations in your LostChurn dashboard
2. Click Connect Stripe
3. Authorize LostChurn via Stripe's OAuth flow — this grants read access to payment events and write access for retries

The connection takes about 30 seconds. LostChurn automatically configures the required webhook endpoints in your Stripe account.

Step 2: Disable Stripe's Smart Retries

To prevent Stripe and LostChurn from retrying the same payment simultaneously:

1. Go to your Stripe Dashboard
2. Navigate to Settings > Billing > Automatic collection
3. Under Failed payment retries, toggle off Smart Retries
4. Also disable Retry schedule if you have a custom one configured

Step 3: Configure LostChurn Recovery Rules

Choose a recovery template that matches your business model, or build your own:

SaaS Template

Optimized for B2B and B2C software subscriptions. Gentle escalation with longer windows — subscribers expect billing flexibility.

• Silent retries: up to 6 attempts over 14 days
• First email: day 3
• SMS (if opted in): day 7
• Payment update portal link: every email

eCommerce Template

Built for recurring physical-goods subscriptions (subscription boxes, consumables). Faster cadence because shipping deadlines matter.

• Silent retries: up to 4 attempts over 7 days
• First email: day 1
• SMS: day 3
• Cancellation warning: day 5

Media Template

For digital content subscriptions (streaming, news, courses). Balanced approach with access-suspension messaging.

• Silent retries: up to 5 attempts over 10 days
• First email: day 2
• Access warning: day 5
• Grace period: 3 days after last retry

Navigate to Settings > Recovery to select a template and customize it. See Campaign Builder for advanced customization.

Step 4: Set Up Webhook Verification

LostChurn verifies every webhook from Stripe using the Stripe-Signature header. This is configured automatically during the OAuth connection, but you should verify it's working:

1. Go to Settings > Integrations > Stripe in LostChurn
2. Check that the webhook status shows Active
3. Click Send Test Event to confirm end-to-end delivery

If the test fails, check your Stripe webhook logs at Developers > Webhooks in the Stripe dashboard.

Step 5: Run in Parallel (Optional)

If you want to validate LostChurn before fully committing, you can run both systems in parallel:

1. Keep Stripe's retries enabled
2. Enable LostChurn in monitor-only mode (Settings > Recovery > Mode > Monitor)
3. LostChurn will track all failed payments and show what it would have done without actually retrying
4. Compare LostChurn's predicted recovery rate against Stripe's actual results in the Analytics dashboard

Step 6: Go Live

Once you're confident in LostChurn's recommendations:

1. Disable Stripe's retries (see Step 2)
2. Switch LostChurn from Monitor to Active mode (Settings > Recovery > Mode > Active)
3. LostChurn now handles all recovery — silent retries, customer outreach, and payment update flows

You'll see recovery data populate in your Analytics dashboard within hours of the first failed payment.

Comparison: Stripe Default vs LostChurn

FAQ

What happens to in-flight retries when I switch?

Any retries already scheduled in Stripe will complete normally. LostChurn will not duplicate those attempts. Once Stripe's scheduled retries are exhausted (typically within 3 weeks), LostChurn takes over fully for any remaining unrecovered payments.

Can I switch back to Stripe retries?

Yes. Disconnect LostChurn from Settings > Integrations > Stripe > Disconnect, then re-enable Smart Retries in your Stripe dashboard. Your Stripe configuration is never modified destructively.

Does LostChurn work with Stripe Billing and Stripe Invoicing?

Yes. LostChurn is compatible with both Stripe Billing (subscriptions) and Stripe Invoicing. It receives invoice.payment_failed events for both.

Will my customers notice the switch?

No. Silent retries are invisible to customers. If a retry succeeds, the subscription continues as normal. If retries are exhausted, customers receive branded recovery emails from your domain — not from LostChurn.

Next Steps

• Set up your Sender Domain for branded recovery emails
• Configure Quiet Hours to respect customer timezones
• Explore Sandbox Mode to test the full recovery flow with sample data