Dunning Email Parameters Reference
Last updated on Aug 27, 2026
Each Dunning Schedule step's email editor, including the final step's email, accepts keywords that Advanced Billing replaces with real values before sending. Look up the available parameters below, and see how to use them conditionally in your email content. Custom parameters (also known as dynamic variables or liquid variables) are wrapped in double curly braces, like this: {{custom_parameter}}.
Parameter reference
The following parameters can be used in any dunning email.
| Parameter | Description |
|---|---|
failure_subject | The reason the transaction failed. e.g. 'Failed Credit Card Transaction', or 'No Credit Card On File' depending on whether or not the client has a Credit Card on file. |
from_address | The "from address" defined for your dunning emails. |
name | The customer's first name. e.g. Sue |
full_name | The customer's full name. e.g. Sue Smith |
product_price | The recurring price of the Subscription's current Plan. |
product_name | The name of the Plan. e.g. Basic Plan |
product_family_and_name | The Plan's name, qualified with its Plan Family. e.g. Acme Online - Free |
balance_in_cents | The amount, if any, they still owe. e.g. 0 (for $0.00) or 23100 (for $231.00). Useful for conditionally adding a reminder. |
balance | The amount, if any, they still owe in dollars. e.g. $0.00 or $2.31 |
merchant_name | Your merchant name. e.g. Acme Corp. |
update_url | The URL that the customer can use to update their payment method. |
masked_card_number | The customer's credit card, obscured to only show the last 4 digits, e.g. XXXX-XXXX-XXXX-1. Blank for a bank account payment profile; use payment_profile.payment_method_masked_number instead for ACH or Direct Debit dunning emails. |
reason_for_decline | The reason a transaction was declined at the gateway. Returns "None" when there's no failed payment to reference. |
payment_profile_exists | This returns true or false depending on whether or not the client has a payment profile on file. It can be used to conditionally display text, based on its value. |
days_until_card_expiration | The number of days until the customer's card on file expires. Blank when there's no card on file. |
Show conditional content with payment_profile_exists
Use payment_profile_exists in an if statement to check whether a payment profile is attached to the Subscription:
{% if payment_profile_exists %}
Update your card on file to avoid a lapse in service.
{% else %}
Add a payment method to avoid a lapse in service.
{% endif %}This is useful when the same email has to serve both cases. A subscriber whose card was declined and one who has no card on file at all need different wording, since what makes sense for one is wrong for the other.
Related information
To add these parameters to a Credit Card dunning email, see Configure Credit Card Dunning.
To add these parameters to an ACH dunning email, see Configure ACH Dunning.
To add these parameters to a Direct Debit dunning email, see Configure Direct Debit Dunning.
To add these parameters to a Manual Remittance dunning email, see Configure Manual Remittance Dunning.
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