paddle subscription trial ended 402 payment failed error

paddle subscription trial ended 402 payment failed error

TL;DR

The trial ended and the first real charge hit a bad card. Read the decline reason in the Paddle dashboard, send the customer the update-payment-method link, and retry the payment once a valid card is on file. Check whether SCA or 3D Secure is required for the customer's region.

paddle subscription trial ended 402 payment failed error

Use this when

• Paddle subscription shows 402 payment failed right after trial end
• The customer was never charged during the trial
• The decline reason mentions the card

Not for this skill when

• Trials not ending or converting at all (trial configuration)
• Paddle API errors during subscription creation
• Customers charged during the trial unexpectedly (trial setup)

Steps

Step 1: Read the decline reason

In the Paddle dashboard, open the failed payment and note the decline code. Expected: you know whether it is expired card, insufficient funds, or authentication required.

Step 2: Send the update link

Send the customer Paddle's update-payment-method link. Expected: the customer has a clear path to fix the card.

Step 3: Confirm the new method

Verify a valid payment method is now on the subscription. Expected: the card passes basic validation.

Step 4: Retry the payment

Retry the failed charge manually or let Paddle's dunning retry it. Expected: the payment succeeds.

Step 5: Confirm the subscription is active

Check the subscription status. Expected: active with the next billing date set.

Tool compatibility

Paddle subscriptions and trials; Paddle dashboard (payments); dunning and retry settings.

Variant phrasings

Variant 1

paddle trial ended payment failed 402

Variant 2

paddle subscription 402 after free trial

Variant 3

paddle card declined trial conversion

Why it happens

Trials convert to paid automatically, which means the first real charge happens without the customer taking any action, against whatever card they entered weeks ago. Cards expire, get replaced after fraud, or hit limits, and the 402 at conversion is the first anyone learns the card is bad. Paddle's dunning will retry, but dunning cannot fix the card; only the customer can. The operational fix is communication timing: asking for card verification before the trial ends, or at least messaging the failure promptly with the update link, converts a silent churn event into a routine card update.

Edge cases / pitfalls

• SCA and 3D Secure in some regions require customer action; dunning emails must say so explicitly.
• Check dunning settings: too-aggressive retries on hard declines waste attempts and annoy customers.
• Consider a pre-conversion card check a few days before trial end to catch bad cards early.

Provenance

Resolved from the public thread: https://vectle.com/posts/pst_Z-Yohp3jz2ec9Ez55y-URQ