Subscription cancel codes
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Subscription cancel codes
Understand subscription cancel codes to effectively manage subscriptions and elevate customer experience

A subscription cancellation code is used to describe the reason the subscription was cancelled. You can use this code to analyze your subscription lifecycle and reduce your churn ratio.

In Solidgate, the transition to the cancellation status can occur due to customer-initiated cancellations or declined recurring payments with retries that ultimately fail. In either case, the subscription status changes to cancelled , indicating that the customer will no longer be charged on a recurring basis.

For example, if the payment was blocked by the bank antifraud system or the card was added to the bank blacklist (code 8.12 ), the system automatically unsubscribes the user.

The method for restoring a cancelled subscription API requires the merchant to provide the subscription_id and the desired subscription expiration date in the yyyy-MM-dd HH:mm:ss format.

However, it is important to note that restoration of a cancelled subscription may not always be possible, especially if the reason for cancellation was due to a breach of terms and conditions or other legal issues.

Smart Guide
Solidgate's retry strategies recover revenue and reduce churn by customizing retries and discounts for failed subscription payments.
retry strategies
for failed subscription payments help merchants recover revenue and reduce involuntary customer churn rates by customizing retry intervals, discounts, and other features based on the customer and payment method.

8.01 Card brand is not supported

This cancel code is returned when a customer attempts to use a card brand that is not supported, or when the chosen payment instrument does not support recurring payments. Recommendations

Provide information about the accepted payment methods or encourage your customer to use an alternative card.
This ensures that customers are using a supported card brand or payment method for recurring transactions.

For recurring transactions, Solidgate offers the update subscription token feature that allows maintaining uninterrupted access for customers to the merchant’s product or service.

8.02 Fraud chargeback received

This cancel code is returned when there is a chargeback notification for a fraudulent transaction associated with a customer’s invoice. Recommendations

The subscription service is automatically cancelled when a chargeback notification is received.

Investigate the fraudulent transaction if required. Implement a strategy to deal with fraudulent transactions and leverage risks.

8.03 Dispute received

This cancel code is received when there is a dispute or chargeback for one of the customer’s invoices through PayPal. It indicates that the customer has disputed the transaction with their bank or credit card issuer via PayPal for reasons such as product or service not received, product or service not as described, or other reasons. Recommendations

In such cases, the merchant or payment processor may be required to refund the transaction amount to the customer. The subscription service gets automatically cancelled at the moment the notification about the dispute is received.

8.04 Fraud alert received

This cancel code is for fraudulent alerts received for one of the customer’s invoices. A fraudulent alert is a notification that a transaction may be fraudulent or unauthorized. Recommendations

Investigate the fraudulent transaction if required. The customer is immediately automatically unsubscribed from further recurring payments. This is done to prevent any further fraudulent activity to avoid any potential losses.

8.05 Fraud decline received

This cancel code is used when a fraudulent decline is received for one of the customer’s invoices. A fraudulent decline occurs when a transaction is declined due to suspected fraudulent activity or unauthorized use of a card. This may occur if a card has been reported lost or stolen, or if there is suspicious activity on the card. Recommendations

Such declines are a standard approach to prevent fraudulent activity and avoid potential losses. No actions are required from merchants. The subscription gets cancelled automatically at the moment such decline occurs.

8.06 Cancellation by support

This cancel code is for cases when support team cancels a subscription due to a customer inquiry or other internal reasons. Recommendations

Merchants can review the reasons for customer inquiries to get more insights about their customer expectations. For example, customer is not using the merchant’s product and wishes to cancel the subscription.

8.07 Recurring payment is blocked by antifraud

This cancel code is used when the Solidgate antifraud system blocks the conduct of a recurring payment due to the 4.09 Antifraud service decline. Recommendations

Merchants can conduct a comprehensive check for suspicious activities involving the customer and, based on the results, block or unblock them. Alternatively, recommend that the customer makes another attempt to complete the transaction.

8.08 Subscription has expired

This cancel code means that the subscription was created for a limited time and reached its expiration date. Recommendations

If the subscription needs to be activated, merchants can restore it to ensure further customer access to their products or services.

8.09 Cancellation after redemption period

This cancel code is used when a decline occurs on a recurring payment, and retries during the redemption period have been activated but were unsuccessful, resulting in the automatic cancellation of the customer’s subscription. The redemption period is the timeframe during which the payment processor attempts to collect payment for a declined transaction or a transaction that was not authorized by the cardholder. Recommendations

The payment processor typically attempts to retry the transaction several times before considering it a failure and cancelling the subscription. You can also use the Solidgate retry strategies to reduce payment failures and improve customer retention.

To avoid cancellations due to invalid payment details, Solidgate provides the update subscription token feature to ensure the customer’s uninterrupted access to the merchant’s product or service.

8.10 Card token has expired

This cancel code is used when a customer’s subscription is cancelled because their card token has expired, and they have not reissued their card. Recommendations

A card token, generated by the payment processor, enables automatic recurring payments in subscription services. When the token expires, customers need to update their payment information to continue their subscription service.

Solidgate provides flexibility with the update subscription token feature to ensure the customer’s continued access to the merchant’s product or service.

8.11 Token revoked by customer

This cancel code occurs when customers revoke their billing token by contacting customer support or PayPal.

It may also be received for card payments, particularly due to the following Merchant advice codes (MACs) returned by Mastercard issuers for refused payments:

  • 03 - Do not try again
  • 21 - Stop recurring payment
Recommendations

If a customer revokes a billing agreement associated with their subscription service, the subscription is automatically cancelled.

Payments with this cancel code are not retried upon receiving one of the mentioned MACs.

Merchants can review the reasons for the services cancellation to get more insights about their customer expectations.

8.12 Bank antifraud system

This cancel code is used when a payment for a subscription is blocked by the bank antifraud system or the card associated with the payment is added to the bank blacklist. Recommendations

Overall, the use of this cancel code highlights the importance of maintaining strong security and fraud prevention measures in subscription services.

In addition, working closely with banks and other financial institutions ensures that transactions are secure and legitimate.

8.13 Invalid amount

This cancel code is received when a discount applied to a payment goes beyond this limit and the final amount becomes invalid. Recommendations

This cancel code helps maintain the fairness and integrity of subscription services by ensuring discounts are used reasonably.

By having a discount limit, Solidgate prevents customers from exploiting overly generous discounts that could negatively impact the merchant or the subscription service over time. To avoid this cancel code, merchants can reassess their discount strategy.

8.14 Cancellation by customer

This code indicates that the cancellation was initiated by the customer themselves, rather than by Solidgate or the merchant. Customers cancel subscriptions for various reasons, including their financial situation, dissatisfaction, no longer needing the service, or unclear subscription terms. Recommendations

Merchants can provide transparent and understandable subscription terms before the checkout, and track the number and the reasons for cancellations to identify patterns or trends that may affect customer retention or satisfaction.

8.15 Recurring token is not found

This cancel code means that the recurring token was not found in the system upon the recurring payment attempt. The token is generated by the payment processing service during the first payment and used to identify the subscription and authorize recurring charges. Recommendations

This cancellation code can happen due to several reasons. For example, the payment service failed to provide the recurring token after the Direct Secure Remote Payment (DSRP) transaction or does not support the generation of tokens after such transactions. Merchants need to contact account manager to investigate the reason for the cancel code to avoid its occurrence in the future.

In the context of recurring transactions, Solidgate offers the update subscription token feature to secure continuous access for customers to the merchant’s product or service.

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