---
title: "Automatic cancellation of unpaid subscriptions"
description: "Set up the automatic cancellation of subscriptions unpaid for several cycles, the emails to the customer and the merchant, and reactivation by link."
url: https://www.ciklik.academy/en/abonnements/resiliation-automatique-des-abonnements-impayes/
lang: en
lastUpdated: 2026-10-09
---

# Automatic cancellation of unpaid subscriptions

> Box and PrestaShop
>
> This page applies to both box stores and PrestaShop stores.

The automatic cancellation feature allows you to automatically cancel subscriptions whose payments have failed for several consecutive cycles. It includes a notification system for customers and merchants, as well as a simplified reactivation mechanism.

## How It Works

### Principle

On the **15th of each month at 10:00 PM**, the system analyzes all active subscriptions whose expiration date (`end_date`) has been exceeded for a configurable number of payment cycles.

### Calculating Unpaid Cycles

The system takes into account the subscription’s billing interval:

- **Monthly subscription**: 1 cycle = 30 days
- **Bimonthly subscription**: 1 cycle = 60 days
- **Quarterly subscription**: 1 cycle = 90 days
- **Annual subscription**: 1 cycle = 365 days
- **Weekly subscription**: 1 cycle = 7 days

If the subscription doesn’t have a directly defined interval, the system uses the interval from the associated plan.

### Example

For a monthly subscription with a threshold of 3 cycles:

- The subscription must have been expired for at least **90 days** (3 × 30 days) to be automatically cancelled.

## Configuration

The feature is configured for each site in **Settings > Sites**: open the site record, **Advanced** tab.

| Option                         | Description                                                          | Default Value |
| ------------------------------ | -------------------------------------------------------------------- | ------------- |
| **Enable Auto-Cancellation**   | Enables or disables the feature for this site                        | Disabled      |
| **Cycles Before Cancellation** | Number of missed payment cycles before cancellation (1-12)           | 3             |
| **Notify Customer**            | Sends an email to the customer upon cancellation                     | Enabled       |
| **Send Report to Merchant**    | Sends an Excel report to the merchant with the list of cancellations | Enabled       |

## Notifications

### Customer Notification

When a subscription is cancelled, the customer receives an email containing:

- The name of the affected subscription
- The number of unpaid cycles
- The cancellation date
- A secure link (signed URL, valid for 7 days) to reactivate their subscription

**Email template**: “Résiliation automatique” (type `SubscriptionAutoCanceled`), in **Content > Email Templates**.

The template is **disabled by default**. The merchant must review it and manually enable it in **Content > Email Templates**.

> Template missing from your list
>
> On recently opened sites, this template is not created, and the “Résiliation automatique” type is not in the list of types offered when creating a template. Without a template, your customer receives no email, even with **Notify Customer** checked. If you cannot find it in **Content > Email Templates**, ask Ciklik support to add it.

**Available variables**:

- `{*shop*}`: Store name
- `{*logo*}`: Store logo
- `{*domain*}`: Store domain
- `{*first_name*}`: Customer’s first name
- `{*last_name*}`: Customer’s last name
- `{*email*}`: Customer’s email
- `{*subscription_name*}`: Subscription/plan name
- `{*end_date*}`: Subscription expiration date
- `{*cancellation_date*}`: Cancellation date (current date)
- `{*cycles_unpaid*}`: Number of unpaid cycles
- `{*update_payment_link*}`: Secure reactivation link

### Merchant Notification

The merchant receives an email with an attached Excel file containing:

- Subscription UUID
- Customer email
- Customer first and last name
- Plan
- Expiration date
- Number of unpaid cycles
- Cancellation date

## Reactivation Process

### Customer Journey

1. The customer receives the notification email with a reactivation link

2. By clicking the link (signed URL), they are automatically logged into their account

3. A page displays the details of their cancelled subscription

4. They are prompted to update their payment information in “My Information”

5. They can confirm reactivation via the dedicated button

### Security

- The reactivation URL is **cryptographically signed**
- Valid for **7 days** after cancellation
- Secure automatic customer login

## Important Notes

1. **Email template activation**: The customer template is disabled by default. Remember to enable it after reviewing its content.

2. **Billing interval**: The system prioritizes the subscription’s interval, then uses the plan interval if not defined. If you are a Box customer, the plan value will be used.

3. **Monthly execution**: The command runs once per month. Subscriptions that expire between executions will be processed during the next run.

## See also

[Payment retry: Rebill](https://www.ciklik.academy/en/paiements/tentatives-de-prelevements-rebill/)

[Payment errors](https://www.ciklik.academy/en/paiements/les-erreurs-de-paiements/)

[Expiring credit card management for your subscribers](https://www.ciklik.academy/en/paiements/gestion-des-cartes-bancaires-de-vos-abonnes-arrivant-a-expiration/)