Handle direct debit failures
When a direct debit fails several times, Unisoft switches the subscription to Interrupted status (red badge). It is a clear signal: this case requires your intervention. This page explains why a direct debit can fail, what Unisoft automatically attempts before giving up, and how to react effectively.
How Unisoft handles failures
For each direct debit attempt, two possible cases:
- 1st failure → counter moves to 1, new attempt in 25 days
- 2nd failure → counter moves to 2, new attempt in 25 days
- 3rd failure → status switches to Interrupted, no further automatic attempt
The 25-day delay gives the donor time to fund their account, find a valid card, or solve the problem.
Common causes of a failure
For a bank card
| Cause | What to do? |
|---|---|
| Insufficient funds | Wait for the donor's next pay-in, or contact to postpone |
| Card blocked (by the bank for security reasons) | Ask the donor to unblock with their bank |
| Card expired | Unisoft switches to Expired card in this case (see dedicated page) |
| Card canceled / replaced (opposition, theft) | Send an update link |
| Monthly cap reached | Contact the donor to raise the cap |
For a direct debit (GoCardless, SEPA)
| Cause | What to do? |
|---|---|
| Insufficient funds | Wait, or contact to postpone |
| Mandate revoked by the donor | Cancel then create a new subscription with a new mandate |
| Account closed | Ask for new bank details, recreate a subscription |
| Incorrect IBAN | Verify the IBAN with the donor, recreate the mandate |
| Refusal for suspected fraud | Contact the donor to understand |
Automatic emails
At each failure and at the switch to Interrupted, Unisoft sends automatic emails:
| Event | Recipients | Content |
|---|---|---|
| 1st or 2nd failure | Donor | Failure notification, invitation to check their card or account |
| 1st or 2nd failure | Organization administrators | Information without urgency (status remains In progress) |
| 3rd failure → Interrupted | Donor | Interruption notification, update link |
| 3rd failure → Interrupted | Administrators | Action required alert |
→ Complete list of automatic notifications
Recovery procedure
- 1
Open the “Interrupted” tab
Finance menu → Recurring payments → Interrupted tab (red badge).
- 2
Sort by interruption date
Click on the Date column header to put the oldest interruptions at the top — these are the most urgent cases.
- 3
Open the details of a subscription
Click on the row or on the eye icon on the right.
- 4
Read the failure reason
In the Payment history section, the last failed direct debit shows the reason returned by the platform ("insufficient_funds", "card_declined", "mandate_cancelled", etc.). This guides you on the cause.
- 5
Contact the donor
Choose the most appropriate channel:
- Phone for the most important cases
- Personalized email ("Sarah, we saw that your last direct debit didn't go through…")
- SMS for quick reminders
- 6
Depending on the cause, act accordingly
- Card to update → Copy and send the update link
- Mandate to recreate → Cancel then recreate
- Temporary insufficient funds → leave the subscription Interrupted and try it manually later (but Unisoft no longer retries automatically at this stage)
- The donor wants to stop → Cancel permanently
Recommended reminder strategy
| Time since the interruption | Action |
|---|---|
| Day 1-3 | The donor has already received the Unisoft automatic email, wait |
| Week 1-2 | Personalized email from the admin with update link |
| Week 3-4 | Phone call or direct SMS |
| Month 2 | Last friendly reminder, mention that the subscription will be closed without response |
| Month 3+ | Cancel permanently and archive |
Best practices
- React quickly: the shorter the delay, the more the donor remembers their commitment
- Personalize: a generic message has much less impact than a message that recalls the context
- Do not insist too much: a donor who does not respond after 3 reminders will probably not come back — move on
- Keep a track: if you have several admins on the team, note your actions in the subscription comment to avoid duplicate reminders