Home/Features/SMS Dunning

Email & SMS

The message they
will actually read.

Email gets a 20% open rate. SMS gets 98% — and most messages are read within 3 minutes. Send a text alongside every dunning email and most customers update their card the same day.

98%

SMS open rate vs ~20% for email

100

SMS included on Surge per month

$0.04

Per SMS after the included volume

Quick answer

SMS dunning sends a text message alongside each dunning email when a payment fails. SMS reaches a 98% open rate versus ~20% for email, with most messages read within 3 minutes. Each text includes a direct portal link so the subscriber can update their card immediately. Available on the Surge plan — 100 messages per month included, $0.04 per message after that.

Dunning email in the inbox.
Ignored until it's too late.

Email only

  • Payment fails, dunning email goes out
  • 80% of recipients never open it
  • Day 3 follow-up, day 7 final — still ignored
  • Subscription lapses after retry window closes

Email + SMS

  • Payment fails, dunning email goes out
  • SMS fires alongside it — direct to their phone
  • 98% open rate — most read it within minutes
  • Customer taps the link, updates card same day

Fires alongside
every dunning email.

01

Payment fails

A subscriber's payment fails. Recurflux logs the failure code and begins the recovery sequence.

02

Dunning email goes out

The first dunning email fires from your domain — day 1 nudge with a portal link.

03

SMS fires at the same time

For subscribers with a verified phone number and SMS consent, a text message goes out alongside the email. Short, direct, with the portal link.

04

Customer taps the link

The portal link in the SMS opens on their phone. They update the card on the mobile-optimised portal page in under 60 seconds.

05

Sequence stops on recovery

Once the card is updated and the retry succeeds, no further emails or SMS messages are sent.

Message and timing.
Both yours to edit.

01

Message copy per step

Edit the SMS text for each dunning step separately. Day 1 can be a short nudge; day 3 can be more direct. The portal link is always appended.

02

SMS delivery log

Every SMS is logged with delivery status, timestamp, and whether the portal link was clicked. See which subscribers responded to SMS vs. email.

03

SMS consent visibility

The recovery dashboard shows which subscribers have SMS enabled. Recurflux only sends to opted-in numbers — never to subscribers who did not consent.

Add SMS to your dunning stack. Connect and reach customers who don't open email.

See how this works →

Common questions.

What is SMS dunning?

SMS dunning means sending a text message to a subscriber alongside the recovery email when a payment fails. The text includes a direct link to the payment portal so they can update their card immediately.

Why does SMS work better than email alone?

SMS has a 98% open rate vs ~20% for email — and most messages are read within 3 minutes of delivery. A customer who missed the email will typically see and act on the text the same day.

Which plan includes SMS dunning?

Surge plan only. 100 SMS messages per month are included. After that, each message costs $0.04.

Can I customize the SMS content?

Yes. You can edit the message text for each dunning step. The portal link is appended automatically and cannot be removed — it is what drives the conversion.

Do customers need to opt in to receive SMS?

Yes. Recurflux only sends SMS to subscribers who provided a phone number and gave SMS consent during your signup flow. You can see which subscribers have SMS enabled in the recovery dashboard.

Reach them where
they actually are.

See pricing →

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