Billing templates

Subscription renewal emails that prevent churn

A production-ready subscription renewal email template built with React Email + TypeScript. Includes a 7d/3d/1d reminder sequence, Stripe webhook integration patterns, and segmentation guidance.

One-time payment
Lifetime access
30-day refund
All future updates
3
emails is the sweet spot for renewal reminders
7d
early notice reduces surprise churn
1-click
billing CTA removes friction

Built for retention, not “marketing email” vibes

Renewal reminders should feel like good product UX — clear, helpful, and easy to act on.

3-email renewal sequence

7-day, 3-day, and 1-day reminders with tone and urgency tuned for retention, not spam.

Behavior-based segmentation

Adjust copy for active, inactive, and high-usage users — different reasons to stay, different CTAs.

Schedule-ready

Examples for Stripe webhooks + Next.js scheduling to automatically queue renewal emails on subscription updates.

TypeScript props

Pass plan name, renewal date, billing portal URL, and user usage data as typed props.

Metrics & A/B testing

Track open/click rates by segment and email step. Includes practical SQL snippets and test ideas.

Cross-client safe

Designed to render cleanly across Gmail/Outlook/Apple Mail, including dark mode.

The 7d / 3d / 1d renewal sequence

A simple, reliable cadence that prevents surprise churn and gives customers time to fix billing issues.

7 days before renewal

Heads-up (low pressure)

Subject: Your plan renews next week — quick heads-up

Remind them renewal is coming and reinforce the value they've already gotten — no urgency, no guilt.

3 days before renewal

Value recap + objections

Subject: Renewal in 3 days — here’s what you’ve accomplished

Summarize usage / outcomes and proactively address common objections (budget, timing, team adoption).

1 day before renewal

Final reminder (clear CTA)

Subject: Reminder: renewal is tomorrow

Clear renewal date + what happens next. Offer plan adjustments and link to billing settings.

TypeScript-first props (production-friendly)

Keep the template reusable: pass plan + renewal info, billing URLs, and (optionally) usage stats for personalization.

Works with Resend, Postmark, SendGrid, SES
type RenewalSegment = "active" | "inactive" | "high-usage";

export type SubscriptionRenewalEmailProps = {
  productName: string;
  planName: string;
  renewalDateISO: string;
  amount?: string; // e.g. "$29/mo"

  customerName?: string;
  segment: RenewalSegment;

  manageBillingUrl: string;
  updatePaymentUrl?: string;

  usage?: {
    last30dEmailsSent?: number;
    teammatesInvited?: number;
    automationsEnabled?: number;
  };
};
Want the full implementation details? The complete writeup is incontent/seo/page-content-subscription-renewal.md(copy-ready sections + scheduling patterns).

FAQ

Common implementation questions (and the answers you actually need).

Should I send renewal emails to everyone?

Not blindly. Keep the core sequence, but segment the copy. Active users get a value recap, inactive users get a reactivation nudge, and high-usage users get a ‘protect your workflow’ message. Same schedule, smarter messaging.

How many renewal reminders is too many?

More than 3 reminders usually starts to feel like nagging. A 7d/3d/1d sequence is enough to prevent surprise renewals without training users to ignore you.

What should the main CTA be?

A single, low-friction billing CTA: ‘Manage billing’ (portal) or ‘Update payment method.’ Save upgrades/downgrades as secondary links to reduce decision paralysis.

How do I implement scheduling in Next.js?

Trigger scheduling on Stripe subscription.created / subscription.updated. Use a job runner (Trigger.dev) for reliability and retries, or Vercel Cron for a simpler setup. The template content is provider-agnostic either way.

How is this different from failed payment emails?

Renewal emails are proactive (prevent churn before it happens). Failed payment emails are reactive (recover revenue after a payment fails). You want both — they solve different failure modes.