Dunning / Retry
The scheduled process of re-attempting failed payments and prompting the customer to fix them so a transaction eventually succeeds.
Definition
Dunning is the practice of recovering failed payments through a planned sequence of retries and customer communications. When a charge fails for a recoverable reason, such as insufficient funds or an expired card, the system waits and retries on an optimised schedule, and may email or notify the customer to update their details. Dunning originated in subscriptions but applies wherever charges can fail and be recovered. Because uncontrolled retries can trip scheme limits and fees, and because in a gambling context repeated automated attempts to make a payment succeed could push a struggling customer to keep funding play, retry logic should respect scheme rules and responsible-gambling signals rather than simply maximising recovery.
Worked example
A failed deposit triggers a retry two days later plus a prompt to update the card, and the second attempt clears once funds are available.
Why it matters
For learners, dunning explains why a failed payment may retry on its own. For professionals, retry scheduling balances recovery against scheme limits, cost, and, in gambling, the duty not to nudge harmful spend.