How to Send Subscription Renewal Emails in WooCommerce

Go to WPSubscription → Settings → Emails. You will see a list of all automated subscription emails the plugin can send.

The key ones for renewals are: Renewal Reminder (sent before renewal), Renewal Receipt (sent after successful renewal), and Payment Failed (sent when a charge fails). Each can be enabled, disabled, and customized independently.

Start by enabling all three — they form the foundation of trustworthy subscription communication.

Enable the "Renewal Reminder" email and set how many days before the renewal date to send it. 3-5 days is the recommended window — early enough that customers can take action (cancel or update payment details) but close enough to feel relevant. For annual subscriptions, consider sending a 14-day reminder in addition to a 3-day reminder.

Annual customers are less actively engaged and benefit from earlier notice. Avoid sending reminders too early (10+ days) — they're forgotten by renewal time.

Click "Edit" on the Renewal Reminder email. Use WPSubscription's template variables to include the customer name, subscription product name, renewal amount, renewal date, and a link to manage their subscription.

The most effective renewal emails are brief: remind the customer what they are paying for, show the amount and date, include the manage link, and end with a thank-you. Avoid marketing copy or upsells in renewal emails — keep them transactional and trustworthy.

Enable the "Renewal Receipt" email in WPSubscription → Settings → Emails. This fires immediately after a successful renewal charge and serves as the customer's billing receipt.

Include the transaction amount, the renewal date, the next renewal date, the order number for their records, and a link to their subscription management page. Customers who receive clear receipts are less likely to dispute charges later — receipts serve as billing documentation that prevents "what was this?" confusion.

Enable the "Payment Failed" email. The copy should be friendly and helpful, not threatening: "Your $39 renewal didn't go through.

This usually happens when a card expires or has insufficient funds. Click here to update your payment method." Include a prominent direct link to the payment update page in My Account.

Customers who receive helpful payment failure emails update their cards 50-75% of the time, recovering revenue that would otherwise become churn.

WPSubscription includes a "Send test email" button in each email template's settings. Use this to send test versions to your own email address and verify formatting, variable substitution, link behavior, and rendering across desktop and mobile email clients.

Test across Gmail, Outlook, and Apple Mail to catch rendering issues. Confirm links work and lead to the correct destinations.

Iterate until each email looks professional and renders correctly everywhere.