Stripe failed payment alert in Slack (payment_intent.payment_failed)

A Stripe failed payment alert in Slack tells your team that a charge was declined, while there is still time to help the customer. ChargeBell listens for payment_intent.payment_failed and posts the amount, the customer when Stripe includes one, and Stripe's decline message. ChargeBell marks this alert critical, so it posts during quiet hours and adds an @channel mention by default.

What payment_intent.payment_failed means

Stripe sends payment_intent.payment_failed when "a PaymentIntent has failed the attempt to create a payment method or a payment." The event's data.object is the PaymentIntent, and last_payment_error holds the decline details.

One failed attempt does not mean a lost sale or a canceled subscription. Stripe may retry, or the customer may need to add a new card. Open the payment in Stripe to see which.

Subscriptions also emit invoice.payment_failed, including when the customer has no saved payment method. ChargeBell does not alert on that invoice event. The invoice.payment_failed guide explains the difference and how to cover it.

What the Slack alert shows

The alert title reads "A $X payment didn't go through." Below it is the customer and Stripe's decline message, such as "Your card has insufficient funds." If Stripe gives no message, the alert says "card declined." A View in Stripe button opens the payment.

Fields ChargeBell can include

• The amount and currency of the failed attempt
• The customer name or email, when Stripe includes it
• Stripe's decline message, or "card declined" when there is none
• A View in Stripe button that opens the PaymentIntent

The alert does not show the decline code, a soft or hard decline label, or a retry date. Open the payment in Stripe for those.

Why the alert is critical

ChargeBell has three critical alerts. They are failed payments, disputes, and failed payouts. A critical alert posts during quiet hours instead of waiting for the morning batch. It also adds an @channel mention, which you can turn off in settings. This is a ChargeBell setting. Stripe does not mark events as critical.

Stripe can deliver events out of order. If a later success for the same PaymentIntent has already posted when the failure arrives, ChargeBell skips the failure. If the payment succeeds within 14 days after the failure posts, ChargeBell sends a payment recovered alert.

Does Stripe retry failed payments?

For subscription invoices, Stripe Billing can retry failed payments with Smart Retries or a custom schedule. Your Billing settings control how many retries run and what happens to the subscription after the last one. One-off PaymentIntents are not retried by Stripe. ChargeBell does not retry payments either. It only reports them.

How to set up a Stripe failed payment alert in Slack

1. 1

   Connect Stripe

   Approve ChargeBell's read-only Stripe app. It reads payment events and cannot move money or change anything.

2. 2

   Connect Slack and pick a channel

   Add the ChargeBell Slack app and choose a channel with a clear owner, such as #billing.

3. 3

   Check the payment failed alert

   It is on by default. Leave the @channel mention on if you want the channel notified, or turn it off in settings.

4. 4

   Send a test alert

   Check the message in Slack before your next real decline.

What to do when a payment fails

• Open the payment in Stripe. Read the decline code and check whether an invoice is attached.
• Check the retry plan. For invoices, Stripe's invoice page shows the next attempt if one is scheduled.
• Contact the customer when a retry will not help. Send your usual update-card link through your billing process.
• Confirm the outcome. ChargeBell posts a payment recovered alert if the same PaymentIntent succeeds within 14 days.

Related Stripe alerts

• Stripe invoice.payment_failed in Slack, the subscription invoice event ChargeBell does not cover
• Stripe successful payment alert for payment_intent.succeeded
• Stripe dispute alert, the other critical payment alert