Get the most out of Stripe: setting up payment notifications if you offer memberships
Once your Stripe account is connected, there are a couple of settings worth switching on to help your memberships run as smoothly as possible.
By turning on Stripe's built-in notification emails, members are automatically guided through fixing any payment issues — whether that's an expired card, updated details, or a bank security check (3D Secure).
It only takes a few minutes to set up, and it's a great way to make sure your members have the best experience supporting you. Here's how to do it:
Turn on failed payment emails
This lets Stripe reach out to members automatically if a payment doesn't go through, with a link to update their details.
- Head to your Stripe Billing Settings.
- Under Billing > Subscriptions and emails, head to Email notifications and customer management.
- Under Customer emails, turn on: "Send emails when card payments fail."
- Select Link to a Stripe-hosted page.
- Select Save once finished.
Turn on 3DS authentication emails
This makes sure members are notified whenever their bank needs them to approve a payment, so nothing slips through the gaps.
- From the same Subscriptions and emails page, scroll down to Manage payments that require confirmation.
- Enable 3D Secure.
- Turn on customer emails to notify members when authentication is needed.
- Select Save once finished.
With both settings on, Stripe will handle the communication with your members whenever their payment needs attention, so you can focus on creating. 💪
Note
These settings may look slightly different depending on your location or how your Stripe account is set up. If you're having trouble finding them, feel free to reach out to us or contact Stripe support directly.
For more help with Stripe, check out our guide on connecting your Stripe account.
We're here if you need us. Feel free to send any questions our way. 💌
FAQ
If a payment requires authentication and isn't completed, or fails to renew multiple times, the subscription may be cancelled automatically.
This is usually a sign that authentication was required, or there was an issue collecting the funds, but your member wasn't notified in time.
Turning on the settings above will help prevent this from happening.
Some banks require extra verification for recurring payments as a security measure; this is called 3D Secure (3DS).
When this is required, your member needs to approve the payment before it can go through.
Neither Ko-fi or Stripe have control over when a bank requests this, which is why having notifications turned on is so helpful.
Head to your Stripe Dashboard and look for any payments with a status of Incomplete linked to a subscription update. If you click into the individual payment, you'll be able to see if 3DS authentication was requested. If you're seeing this regularly, the settings above are the fix.
In your Stripe Dashboard, head to the Customers tab and select the member you'd like to check. Scroll down to Sent emails to see a history of all emails Stripe has sent them in the last 30 days.