No, your review automations will not stop instantly if a recurring subscription payment fails. SoTrustworthy provides a 3-day grace period during which your automated SMS review requests, webhooks, and CRM integrations continue to send without interruption. If the payment remains unresolved after 3 days, automated sending is temporarily paused until your billing details are updated, but your settings, templates, and contact history remain completely intact.
What Happens When a Payment Fails?
When an invoice payment fails—whether due to an expired card, a bank fraud hold, or insufficient funds—SoTrustworthy initiates an automated recovery process designed to keep your customer communication active while giving you time to update your payment method.
Here is the exact timeline of what happens behind the scenes:
Day 1: The Initial Payment Failure
- Automations stay active: Your review workflows continue sending SMS requests as normal.
- Notification sent: An automated email is immediately sent to the primary email address on your SoTrustworthy account detailing the failure.
- Dashboard alert: A subtle banner appears at the top of your SoTrustworthy dashboard notifying you that your last payment attempt was unsuccessful.
- Automatic retry scheduled: Our payment processor, powered by Stripe Billing, schedules an automatic retry.
Days 2–3: The Grace Period
- Zero service disruption: Whether you are on the Starter, Growth, or Pro plan, your automations run seamlessly.
- Integrations remain live: Completed jobs synced from field software like Jobber or updated deals from HubSpot will continue to trigger SMS review requests instantly.
- Follow-ups delivered: Pre-scheduled follow-up messages for customers who haven't yet left a Google review will fire on schedule.
Day 4: Account Automation Pause
- Sending is paused: If payment has not been successfully processed by the end of Day 3, your automated review request queue is temporarily paused.
- Data collection continues: Jobs coming in from Jobber, HubSpot, or custom webhooks are still logged in your SoTrustworthy account so you don't lose track of completed customer work.
- No customer disturbance: No partial or outdated messages are sent to your customers while the account is paused.
Why We Pause Automations After 3 Days
We know how critical consistent Google reviews are for local service businesses like plumbers, HVAC contractors, cleaners, and auto repair shops. Pausing automations isn't a penalty—it is a protective measure for both your business and your account health.
- Carrier Compliance and SMS Fees: Every outgoing text message passes through tier-1 telecommunication networks regulated by A2P 10DLC messaging compliance. Pausing prevents your business from incurring unbillable carrier transaction fees while billing issues are being resolved.
- Preventing Spam and Reputation Risk: If automations were to stall and suddenly release hundreds of delayed requests at once without oversight, it could trigger spam filters, violate TCPA guidelines, or lead to negative customer experiences.
- Protecting Google Review Velocity: Google tracks how quickly your business receives reviews. A massive, sudden spike in review volume caused by a backlog dump can trigger automated flags under Google review policies. Pausing keeps your review velocity smooth and organic.
What Happens to Jobs Triggered While Your Account Is Paused?
If your account enters a paused state on Day 4, you might wonder what happens when your technicians finish jobs in the field.
If you have integrated Jobber or HubSpot:
- Jobber: When a invoice or job is marked "Closed" or "Paid" in Jobber, the event is still received by SoTrustworthy via webhooks.
- HubSpot: When a deal moves to "Closed Won," the contact details enter your pending request log.
Instead of sending an immediate SMS request to the customer, SoTrustworthy places these contacts into a Pending Queue.
How Review-Request Throttling Handles the Queue When You Reactivate
Once you update your card and reactivate your subscription, SoTrustworthy does not blast your entire backlog of customers at once.
To protect your business reputation and adhere to opt-out compliance and TCPA regulations, SoTrustworthy applies smart request throttling:
- The platform processes queued requests gradually over hours or days, adhering to your daily sending limits.
- Old jobs (older than your designated threshold, such as 14 days) are automatically archived so you never awkwardly ask a customer for a review weeks after their service was completed.
- Customers who opted out during previous interactions remain permanently suppressed from receiving future messages.
How Payment Failures Affect Your Subscription Plan
Whether you are on a free trial or a paid tier, payment status directly affects how automations behave.
| Account Status | Grace Period Duration | What Happens to SMS Requests? | Integration Sync Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| 14-Day Free Trial | None (Card required at end) | Stops immediately if card charge fails at trial end. | Paused until valid card added. |
| Starter Plan | 3 Days | Continues sending during grace period; pauses on Day 4. | Logs job triggers; holds sending. |
| Growth Plan | 3 Days | Continues sending during grace period; pauses on Day 4. | Logs job triggers; holds sending. |
| Pro Plan | 3 Days | Continues sending during grace period; pauses on Day 4. | Logs job triggers; holds sending. |
Note: SoTrustworthy never uses review gating on any plan level. All active review flows send customers directly to your public Google Business Profile link regardless of your billing status, ensuring full compliance with Google's guidelines.
How to Fix a Failed Payment and Reactivate Instantly
Resolving a payment issue takes less than two minutes from your SoTrustworthy dashboard.
Step 1: Log in to Your Account
Open your browser and sign in to your SoTrustworthy account. If your billing has failed, you will see a notification bar at the top of the screen.
Step 2: Navigate to Billing Settings
- Click on Settings in the left-hand navigation menu.
- Select Billing & Plans.
- Locate the Payment Method section.
Step 3: Update Payment Details
- Click Update Card or Change Payment Method.
- Enter your new credit or debit card information (Visa, Mastercard, Discover, or American Express).
- Ensure the billing address matches the details registered with your card issuer.
Step 4: Retry Payment
Click Save & Pay Invoice. Our system will immediately attempt to process the unpaid balance through Stripe.
Once the charge is approved:
- The alert banner will disappear immediately.
- Your account status will instantly return to Active.
- Any throttled or pending review requests will begin releasing according to your set daily limits.
Common Reasons Payments Fail (And How to Avoid Them)
For small business owners, payment failures usually aren't due to a lack of funds—they're often caused by routine banking controls:
- Expired Corporate Cards: Business credit cards are frequently replaced every 2–3 years. Ensure your new expiration date is updated in SoTrustworthy.
- Bank Fraud Alerts: Banks often block recurring software charges if they detect an unfamiliar billing merchant. Contact your bank to authorize charges from SoTrustworthy.
- Zip Code Mismatch: Ensure the billing postal code entered in the portal matches the physical address associated with your credit card account.
- Credit Limit Reached: Equipment purchases, supplier invoices, or fuel expenses can temporarily cap out your business card limit.
Frequently Asked Questions
Will my existing Google reviews be deleted if my payment fails?
No. Your Google reviews are stored directly on your Google Business Profile, not on SoTrustworthy servers. Any reviews you earned while using SoTrustworthy are yours permanently and cannot be affected by your account status.
Do my custom templates or campaign settings get erased when paused?
No. All your custom SMS templates, delay rules, job triggers, Jobber/HubSpot field mappings, and customer contact histories remain safe and stored in your account indefinitely.
Will my customers receive duplicate texts after I pay the bill?
No. SoTrustworthy’s deduplication system checks customer history before sending any request. Even if a job was logged multiple times while your account was paused, each customer will only receive a single, properly timed review request.
Next Steps
- [Check your current billing status] in your dashboard settings to ensure your payment details are up to date.
- [Review your sending throttles] to verify how many review requests are delivered daily once your account reactivates.
- [Verify your Jobber or HubSpot connection] to confirm your completed jobs are syncing smoothly.
Ask every customer for a review—without review gating.
SoTrustworthy sends a compliant, perfectly-timed review request to every customer after the job — no filtering, no gating, just more honest 5-star reviews on Google.
