Stripe BillingStripe: subscription stuck in past_due

Rather not fix it yourself? Stripe Billing Fix and Setup handles it at a fixed price, agreed before work starts.

Why the subscription stays past_due, and the fix

1. 01

   Nobody told the customer

   “When a recurring subscription payment fails, listen for invoice.payment_failed.” Stripe, How subscriptions work

   Without an email, the customer doesn’t know the card failed. Handle invoice.payment_failed and send a link to the customer portal or the hosted invoice page.

2. 02

   The new card went on the wrong field

   “When you update payment methods after a failed payment attempt, update the field where the previous payment failed.” Stripe, Automate payment retries

   If the subscription has its own default payment method, updating the customer’s default doesn’t help. Update the subscription, then pay the open invoice.

   await stripe.subscriptions.update(subscriptionId, { default_payment_method: paymentMethodId });
   // pay only the invoice you mean to collect
   await stripe.invoices.pay(openInvoiceId, { payment_method: paymentMethodId });

3. 03

   Retries stopped

   “Stripe might retry payment while the subscription is past_due, but this status doesn’t guarantee another payment attempt.” Stripe, How subscriptions work (statuses)

   Retries end after the last scheduled attempt, and Stripe skips retries for hard declines or when no payment method is available. The invoice then waits for the customer.

4. 04

   Your app gives access by the wrong status

   Decide what past_due means in your app, for example a grace period with a banner, and remove access on unpaid or canceled. Read the status from customer.subscription.updated, not from the checkout redirect.

Checked against the vendor’s docs on November 9, 2026: Stripe docs: How subscriptions work; Stripe docs: Automate payment retries.

Rather hand it over?

Fixed scope, fixed price, paid upfront. The work happens in writing; no call needed.

• $950Stripe Billing Fix and SetupSubscriptions, webhooks, customer portal and failed payments set up or fixed, tested in Stripe test mode.See scope and start
• from $450App Fix TicketOne reproducible bug in an existing mobile or web app, diagnosed and fixed.See scope and start
• from $450AI-Built App RescueA Lovable, Bolt or Cursor app checked end to end in 3 days, then its worst problems fixed at a fixed price.No issues worth fixing, no charge. If the Launch Check finds nothing rated medium or higher, Simon refunds the full $450. You keep the report either way. This applies to the first 10 Launch Checks bought after October 30, 2026.See scope and start

Related: Stripe subscription canceled, access wrong · Stripe subscription incomplete · Stripe no default payment method · Stripe card_not_supported