If you're reading this, you're likely planning to send a renewal email. You're already better off than the many other subscription companies that just charge credit cards without informing customers.
In this article, you'll learn how to write subscription renewal emails that maximize customer retention. We've also asked around and scoured our inboxes to collect a list of 20+ examples of renewal emails for your inspiration.
A cherry on top: at the end of the article, you'll find a full-text email template to apply right away.
What are SaaS renewal emails and why do you need them?
SaaS renewal emails — also called upcoming payment reminders — are messages sent to your customers when their product subscription is about to renew.
Why do you need to send renewal emails?
- They help your customers avoid "bill came as a surprise" emotions
- They allow your customer to consider their billing details or refill the card balance
- They connect the payment with product value inside your customer's head
- They build trust for your brand
- And ultimately, renewal emails help you decrease churn
With that in mind, renewal emails are essential for you SaaS well-being.
Crafting a SaaS renewal email: best practices
Now let's dive into the "how." Here are our best tips for crafting your best billing reminder.
Personalize beyond "user first name"
In general, personalized emails show better results, as many marketers claim.
A greeting in the subject line and the recipient's first name can go a long way in renewal emails. It shows a degree of familiarity and seems like personalized communication rather than an automated email blast. Also, don't forget to thank your users for being a valued customer.
An underrated way to personalize emails: add a sender's name. It's best to add a specific person's name as the sender and not just the name of the brand. For example, "John from xyz" instead of just "xyz.com."
Apart from these basic personalization techniques, you can go further by highlighting product usage and mentioning the value customers received — which brings us to the next point.
Highlight additional value points
The best billing reminder emails also remind customers why they should stay with you.
Your customers will surely renew their subscription if they understand that the product makes their life easier and they're paying the right price for the value they get. Renewal emails are a great chance to remind users of these value points.
Here are some ideas to highlight personalized value propositions in your renewal emails:
- Features they used the most
- Reports that demonstrate ROI or time saved
- Time spent using the product
- Upcoming features or improvements
These remind happy customers of the benefits of using your product, and eliminate any friction of renewing the subscription.
Include the dates and the numbers (if you can)
You'd be surprised at how many emails miss the important information. Here are the must-have details you should include in renewal emails:
- Include the exact renewal date of the subscription — not "in a few weeks" or "soon".
- Include the estimated bill size, if you can.
- Talk about the consequences: make it clear that they will no longer have access to premium features after this date.
- Let them know how to contact the right team if they need more details.
If you decide to include other details like new features and improvements, break them up visually and use lots of white space.
Add a direct link to update their payment details
A study found that reducing the amount of work your customer has to do will increase their loyalty. For renewal emails, this means eliminating friction in the payment process and making the renewal process a breeze. This also applies if the customer decides to cancel the subscription.
Include a customized link in the email that brings the customer directly to their payment update page. Why is this important? According to Profitwell, a vast majority of credit cards expire every 36 months, so roughly 2.8% of your customers' cards will expire every month. So, there's a chance that roughly 33% of your annual subscriptions will churn.
Before all this damage is done, give customers the option to update payment details before the due date and make the process easier.
Also, customers who no longer need your subscription can easily cancel it without going through a lot of hassle. Remember, your exit experience should also be smooth.
10+ examples of SaaS renewal emails
#1. Vetter
Subject line: Vetter subscription renewal 2022
Vetter is a tool for gathering ideas and feedback from employees.
This subscription renewal email has a casual tone and starts with a personalized greeting. We like how the author of the email highlights a value point. The email also briefly mentions the upcoming product improvements and updates. We also like the unconventional CTA — "may I send an invoice."
What can be improved?
- Mentioning the exact date of the renewal and amount to be charged would be great.
#2. Grammarly
Subject line: Friendly Reminder: Your Subscription Will Renew in 60 days
Grammarly is a popular writing aid tool.
The email starts by thanking the customer for being a premium member. It gives a direct link to update billing info. The email also mentions the billing amount and exact renewal date. After the renewal message, the email lists out the premium features of Grammarly and a comparison of the free vs. pro plan.
What can be improved?
- Because it's a long email, a CTA button at the end would be great.
#3. Fathom
Fathom is a privacy-focused website analytics software.
This renewal reminder email has a casual tone and starts by telling the customer how they're ethical and don't sneak money from them. That's a creative opening we've seen among all the examples! The rest of the email mentions the date of renewal, billing amount, and describes the procedure customers need to follow if they want to downgrade their plan.
What can be improved?
- A link to update payment details could have been included
- A personalized subject line
- Since Fathom is a website analytics software, they could have included personalized reports on how the customer found value from the tool in this renewal email.
#4 Help Scout
Subject line: Annual payment reminder
Help Scout is a customer service platform and live chat software for customer-facing teams.
This email stands out from the rest because it starts with a witty opening — "time flies when you're having fun, right?" In addition to the renewal date, they've also mentioned the last digit of the credit card that will be charged.
What can be improved?
- The sender's name could have been personalized since the email concludes by asking the reader to reach out if they need support.
- The exact amount that will be auto-debited could have been mentioned along with other details.
#5. SparkToro
Thanks to Ashley Cummings of Reading With RIK for contributing this example.
Subject line: Upcoming SparkToro billing
SparkToro is an audience research tool for product companies to gain deep customer insights.
Like the Fathom email, this email starts by proving the company ethics — how they never charge customers without notifying them first. They also have a link to update subscription details if the customer wishes to discontinue.
We like how they provide a link to a product tutorial video — they add an extra detail to the renewal email without cluttering it up.
What can be improved?
- The exact date when the subscription will renew could have been mentioned. The email only says "in 3 days" which is not ideal.
- The billing amount and whether it's a yearly or monthly renewal could have been mentioned.
#6. Camo
Subject line: Camo subscription renewal
Camo is a data recovery software for iOS devices.
Camo's email follows all the best practices of a renewal email: thanks the reader for being a valued customer, gives a direct link to manage subscription, and highlights the exact date of expiration.
#7. Baremetrics
Subject line: Your Baremetrics subscription is about to renew
Baremetrics is a subscription analytics platform for businesses.
We love how both the greeting and sender names are personalized. The author also used a button interlink instead of text-based — brownie points!
What can be improved?
The exact date of renewal and amount to be credited would be great additions.
#8. Livestorm
Subject line: [Livestorm] Your subscription will renew itself on 23-Jan-2023
Livestorm is an all-in-one video engagement platform for businesses to collaborate and host webinars.
A well-structured renewal email with a personalized greeting. It also thanks the reader for using the product. However, there is no link to renew the details — the reader is asked to get in touch with the account manager if they want to cancel the subscription.
#9. Readable
Readable is a readability scoring tool to help writers improve their work.
This is a basic SaaS renewal email. — they mention that the renewal date is soon and provide a link to update billing details.
What can be improved?
- The exact date of renewal could have been mentioned instead of "in a few days"
- The greeting and sender name could have been personalized
#10. Zoom
Subject line: Zoom Renewal Notification
Zoom is a video collaboration tool used by many businesses across the world.
Zoom's email starts by thanking the reader for being a loyal customer. It goes on to mention that the auto-renewal is due soon along with the user's exact date and account number. We like how the email provides two links — one to update billing details, and the other to cancel the subscription.
#11. Figma
Subject line: Subscription renewal reminder July 20, 2022
Figma is a popular software for design teams to collaborate and design effectively.
A standard renewal reminder email, it contains the renewal date and exact amount that will be charged. It also has a link to the Admin dashboard where the customer can manage subscriptions.
What can be improved?
The subject line could have been personalized.
#12. Vimeo
Subject line: Your Vimeo subscription is scheduled for renewal
Vimeo is an all-in-one video solutions platform for businesses.
Vimeo's email mentions the Pro features customers will continue to receive when they renew their yearly subscription. The email also mentions the date of renewal and thanks the customers for being with them.
What can be improved?
- The date format — 08/05/2022 — might be confusing for people as many interchanges the date and month when using this format. So we think it's best to use a clearer format when mentioning the date.
- A link to where customers can update and review their plans could have been included
- The sender name at the end could have been a name of a specific person from a specific team.
#13. Slack
Subject line: Is your payment information up to date?
Slack is a popular team communication software.
The subject line makes the reader assume that it's a checkup on updating payment details. However, the email is clearly about subscription renewal and informs the customer that the date is approaching.
There's a link to update billing details but the email doesn't mention what to do if the customer decides to cancel or downgrade their plan.
What can be improved?
- Personalize the email subject line and greeting.
- The subject line could have been more clear about what the email is for.
#14. Front
Subject line: Your subscription to Front will renew soon
Front is a communication platform for customer-facing teams.
This subscription reminder email stands out from the rest by including the exact time of renewal along with the date. It also provides a link where customers can update their payment details.
What can be improved?
- A personalized greeting would have been a great addition.
- The exact billing amount could have been mentioned.
#15. Testi.ai
Subject line: Plan expires soon — renew today
Testi.ai is a software that provides email testing preview tools for email web developers.
Testi's renewal reminder email is straightforward — it mentions the exact date of expiry and gives a direct link to renew account details. Extra points for the personalized greeting!
Other than mentioning the amount that will be charged, we don't see anything to improve.
#16. Audible
Audible is a famous subscription service for audiobooks.
They're not precisely a SaaS product, but we love the language in this renewal email. Their subscription renews monthly, but this email is sent once in a while to remind the user about this commitment. It's a nice gesture.
Free template for your subscription renewal emails
Hi [Name],
Thank you for being a valued [Company name] customer for the past year!
This is a gentle reminder that your annual subscription will be renewed on [Month date year] and your credit card will be charged for $XYZ.
If you'd like to keep your subscription, you don't have to do anything from your end. The renewal will take place automatically.
You can cancel, manage your subscription, or update your billing details here [insert link].
If you have any questions or feedback, please feel free to reply to this email.
Cheers,
[name]
[role] at [company name]
Key takeaways: elements of a successful payment reminder email
From all the examples, here are the key elements of a renewal email you should consider when crafting yours:
- Personalize the renewal email — greeting and sender name at the least.
- Mention the date of renewal and billing amount clearly.
- Add a direct link to where customers can update their payment information or cancel their subscriptions.
- Express gratitude for being a loyal customer.
- Highlight value points that users received
- Keep the email simple and straightforward. If you want to add additional points, keep it short.
- Optional: try to open lines of communication with customers. Add a feedback form and ask them to get in touch in case of queries.
SaaS renewal emails should be short and make the renewal process easier. It's all about communicating clearly. We hope this article helped you get an idea of how you can create your own renewal email.
Good luck!
