A failed charge stamps payment_failed_at and starts a 24-hour grace window. Fix your card within 24h to avoid the workspace going read-only. Stripe Smart Retries also run.

What happens after a failed payment

When a renewal charge fails, Wevion records the failure and starts a 24-hour grace window — during those 24 hours the workspace stays fully functional. If the payment isn't resolved within 24 hours, a background cron sets the workspace to read-only (reason payment_failed). Stripe Smart Retries also attempt the charge automatically. To resolve immediately, update your payment method — Stripe re-charges within seconds, payment_failed_at is cleared, and the subscription returns to active.

Who is this for

Owners and admins who got a "payment failed" email or see a red banner about a billing problem. Finance users may be able to view billing state, but payment-method writes should be verified against current RBAC. Also for anyone preparing for an expiring card.

Why a charge fails

Common reasons:

• Card expired (most common — happens every 2-4 years per card)
• Insufficient funds (corporate spending limit hit, or personal account balance low)
• 3DS / SCA challenge missed (bank requires authentication, user didn't approve in time)
• Bank fraud flag (bank blocked the charge as suspected fraud; user must authorize)
• Card replaced / canceled (lost, replaced by bank, etc.)

Stripe shows the exact reason on the failed charge entry in the Customer Portal.

The recovery flow — 24-hour grace, then read-only

When a renewal charge fails, Wevion doesn't lock you out immediately. There is a fixed grace window:

At failure (hour 0)

• Wevion stamps payment_failed_at on the subscription (subscription typically shows past_due)
• Stripe emails the billing email with the failure reason
• Wevion shows a red banner at the top of every page: "Payment failed — update card"
• Telegram alert sent (if connected)
• Workspace stays fully functional — no feature is blocked yet

Within 24 hours (grace window)

You have 24 hours to resolve the payment before any access change. Two things run in parallel:

• You can update the payment method to trigger an immediate Stripe re-charge (fastest path)
• Stripe Smart Retries automatically re-attempt the charge on Stripe's own adaptive schedule

If the charge succeeds (either way), payment_failed_at is cleared and the subscription returns to active.

After 24 hours (grace expired)

If the payment is still unresolved after 24 hours, a background cron ("Billing payment grace") sets the workspace to read-only (reason payment_failed):

• You can still log in and view dashboards, analytics, and reports
• Launches, edits, rule changes, and Wavo actions are blocked
• Existing campaigns on the ad platforms keep running — Wevion does not pause them
• Updating the card and completing a successful charge restores full access

How to fix it manually (faster than waiting for retries)

The fastest path to resolution: update the payment method.

Step 1: Open the Stripe Customer Portal

From Settings → Team → Billing click Manage billing in Stripe (calls POST /api/v1/billing/portal).

Step 2: Update the payment method

• Click on the failed payment method
• Update card details (new expiry, new card, new CVC) or add a new method
• Set the working method as default

See manage payment methods for the full flow.

Step 3: Trigger an immediate retry

Stripe automatically attempts to collect the outstanding invoice immediately after a card update. Within 30-60 seconds:

• The charge succeeds
• Subscription returns to active
• The red banner in Wevion disappears
• A success email arrives

If Stripe doesn't auto-retry (rare), you can manually trigger from the portal: open the outstanding invoice → click Pay now.

Workspace behavior during the 24-hour grace window

This is the safety net: for the first 24 hours after a failed charge, Wevion keeps your workspace fully functional so a temporarily-failed card (e.g. you went on vacation and missed the 3DS prompt) doesn't instantly grind your team's work to a halt.

During the grace window:

• ✅ Dashboards work
• ✅ Analytics work
• ✅ Campaign edits work
• ✅ Rules continue evaluating
• ✅ Wavo continues acting
• ✅ Notifications continue

The only visible change is the red banner + email reminders.

After 24 hours without resolution, the workspace goes read-only (payment_failed) — the same restricted state as an expired trial or canceled sub — until a successful charge clears payment_failed_at.

If you don't resolve within 24 hours

• Workspace → read-only (reason payment_failed)
• Your outstanding invoice remains on Stripe; Smart Retries may still recover it later
• Updating your card and completing a successful charge restores full access at any point
• Existing campaigns on the ad platforms keep running throughout

Preventing future failures

Update your card before it expires

Stripe sends an email 60 days, 30 days, and 7 days before card expiry (if it has visibility into the expiry date). Update the card in the portal as soon as you have the new one.

Use a corporate card with high authorization limits

Corporate cards usually have higher daily limits and fewer fraud flags than personal cards for recurring SaaS charges.

Add a backup payment method

In Stripe Portal, add a second method (e.g. a backup credit card). Stripe will retry against the next method automatically on failure.

Whitelist Stripe's IP and emails

Make sure noreply@stripe.com doesn't go to spam. Tell IT to not block Stripe's email or webhook traffic.

What you'll see in the UI

During past_due:

• Red banner: "Payment failed on [date] — update card to restore"
• Banner has a Update payment method button → links to Stripe Portal
• Email + Telegram alerts each retry cycle
• All other features unaffected

After successful retry:

• Banner disappears
• Plan badge returns to normal (Free / Starter / Pro / Plus / Enterprise)
• Subscription status active
• Email confirmation of successful charge

Common issues

• "Updated card but Wevion still shows past_due": webhook delay. Refresh after 60s. If still shown after 5 min, contact support with the Stripe customer ID.
• "My card works elsewhere but fails on Stripe": bank is blocking the recurring charge. Call the bank and authorize "Wevion" or "Stripe" as a recurring merchant.
• "My subscription was canceled before I could fix": if within 30 days of cancellation, subscribe again — data and settings restore. If past 30 days, contact support before assuming data is recoverable.
• "I never got the failure emails": check spam, whitelist noreply@stripe.com. Also check the billing email is current on the subscription.

FAQ

What happens when a Wevion payment fails?

When a charge fails, Wevion stamps the failure and starts a 24-hour grace window while Stripe Smart Retries also re-attempt the charge; your subscription typically shows past_due. Stripe emails the failure reason, Wevion shows a red banner, and a Telegram alert fires if connected. For the first 24 hours your workspace stays fully functional — dashboards, analytics, campaign edits, rules, and Wavo all keep working — after which, if unresolved, it goes read-only (payment_failed).

Does my Wevion workspace stop working during past_due?

For the first 24 hours after a failed charge, no — Wevion keeps your workspace fully functional (dashboards, analytics, campaign edits, rules, Wavo actions, notifications) so a temporary card issue doesn't halt your work; the only visible change is the red banner plus email/Telegram reminders. If the payment isn't resolved within 24 hours, a background cron sets the workspace to read-only (payment_failed) until a successful charge clears the failure.

How do I fix a failed payment quickly in Wevion?

The fastest path is updating your payment method. From Settings → Team → Billing, click Manage billing in Stripe to open the Customer Portal, update the card details or add a new method, and set it as default. Stripe automatically re-attempts the outstanding invoice, and within 30-60 seconds the charge succeeds, payment_failed_at clears, and the subscription returns to active.

How long do I have before my workspace goes read-only?

You have a 24-hour grace window from the failed charge. During those 24 hours the workspace stays fully functional and you (or Stripe Smart Retries) can resolve the payment. After 24 hours without a successful charge, a background cron sets the workspace to read-only with reason payment_failed.

What happens if I don't resolve the payment in time?

After the 24-hour grace window the workspace goes read-only (payment_failed), though your existing campaigns keep running on the ad platforms. Your outstanding invoice stays on Stripe and Smart Retries may still recover it; updating your card and completing a successful charge restores full access at any point.

Related articles

• Manage payment methods
• Cancel your subscription
• Billing & payment troubleshooting