Overview
Most businesses don't find out about cancellations until they review Stripe at the end of the month. By then, the customer is long gone. This automation fires the moment a subscription is cancelled, routes an alert to the responsible team member, and optionally triggers a save sequence — giving you the best shot at win-back.
Before you start
- Stripe account with active subscriptions
- Zapier Multi-Step plan
- Slack workspace
- Email marketing tool for win-back sequence
Step-by-step guide (4 steps)
Set up the Stripe cancellation trigger in Zapier
In Zapier, create a Zap triggered by 'Stripe: Customer Subscription Deleted.' This fires any time a subscription reaches its end date due to cancellation (not just immediate cancellations).
Route the alert based on account value
Add a Zapier filter or path step. For subscriptions above your threshold (e.g., $200/month), route to a Slack DM to the account owner. For all cancellations, post to a #churn-alerts channel.
Include the customer's MRR, subscription start date, and a link to their Stripe profile in every alert. Context matters when you're making a save call.
Trigger a win-back email sequence
Add a second path: enroll the cancelled customer in a 3-email win-back sequence via your email tool (Mailchimp, ActiveCampaign). Email 1: 'We're sad to see you go' + survey. Email 2 (day 7): Re-engagement offer. Email 3 (day 21): Final discount offer.
Log the cancellation in your CRM
Add a HubSpot or Airtable step to log the cancellation: customer name, cancel date, plan cancelled, and reason (if collected via cancellation survey). Track churn reasons over time to find patterns.
What you'll get
Catch cancellations the moment they happen
Personal save attempts recover 10-20% of at-risk accounts
Win-back email sequences recover additional churned customers
Churn data helps identify product and service issues
Common mistakes to avoid
Waiting too long to reach out — the first 24 hours have the highest save rate
Not collecting a cancellation reason (add a quick survey link to the cancellation confirmation)
Sending generic win-back emails instead of personalizing to the customer's plan and history
Frequently asked questions
Do I need coding experience to set up this Stripe automation?
No coding is required. This guide walks you through everything using Stripe's built-in features and Zapier's visual interface. If you can follow a recipe, you can follow this guide.
How long does this automation take to set up?
Most users complete this setup in 30–60 minutes on their first try. Once set up, it runs completely automatically with zero ongoing effort.
What happens if the automation fails?
Zapier and Make both have error notifications and task history, so you'll know immediately if something goes wrong. We cover troubleshooting steps in the guide above.
Can I customize this automation for my specific business?
Absolutely. The guide includes notes on common customizations. Most automations have multiple variation points — timing, conditions, notification recipients, and more.