The size of the problem
Across the clubs we work with, roughly 10% of cards decline on each club run. On a 1,000-member club, that's around 100 shipments sitting in limbo every time you process. Some get fixed with an automated email. Many don't, and an unpaid shipment that isn't followed up quickly can become a lost member.
Step 1: Sort the declines within 24 hours
- Expired or replaced cards: the easiest to fix and the most common.
- Insufficient funds or limit reached: needs a more tactful conversation and possibly a retry date.
- Suspected fraud blocks: the member may need to approve the charge with their bank.
- Cards declined more than once: these members are at the highest risk of leaving.
Step 2: Email first, then call
Send a short, warm email the same day: the shipment is ready, the card didn't go through, and here's how to update it. Then call within two or three days. Many members never notice the email, but they almost always appreciate a friendly call from the winery.
Step 3: Keep the call friendly and secure
Lead with the shipment, not the payment problem: 'Your fall release is packed and ready, and we just need to update your card so we can send it.' Take payment details only through your secure, approved process. Never ask members to email card numbers.
A declined card call isn't a collections call. It's a service call, and it's often the most personal contact a member has had with the winery all year.
Step 4: Use the conversation
Once the card is updated, ask how they enjoyed the last shipment and whether they'd like to add anything. Holiday gifts, a favorite wine from a past release or an upcoming event are natural add-ons. Note their preferences in your CRM so the next contact is even more personal.
Step 5: Follow up on the ones you can't reach
Leave a short voicemail with a direct number, follow up by text or email, and try again at a different time of day. Set a clear cutoff after which the shipment is released or held. Then decide whether to keep calling, pause the membership or end it gracefully.
Measure it every club run
- Decline rate per club run
- Percentage of declines recovered, and how quickly
- Add-on revenue from recovery calls
- Members lost to unresolved declines
Tracking these four numbers turns declined cards from an annoyance into a retention program you can actually manage.