Email a billing receipt when a Recurly subscription renews

Each time Recurly renews a subscription, FlowMattic sends the subscriber a billing receipt email through WordPress mail or your SMTP account, written the way you want it.

Recurly

Download this workflow Browse more workflows

2 steps Setup ~5 min Used on 3.2k sites Free to import

The Email a billing receipt when a Recurly subscription renews workflow on the FlowMattic canvas, with 2 steps across Recurly, Email — The workflow as it appears in the builder after import. Each step opens for editing.

What this workflow does

Subscribers like a clear note each time they are billed again, and a receipt sent in your own words and from your own domain can say more than a generic billing notice: what the renewal covers, how to get help, where to change the plan. This workflow sends that email from FlowMattic whenever a renewal happens in Recurly.

The Recurly trigger fires when a subscription is renewed and passes the renewal data to the next step. What it includes depends on Recurly's event, so run a test renewal, or wait for the first real one, and check Task History to see which account and subscription fields arrive, such as the plan and the subscriber's email.

The Email step sends the receipt using WordPress's built-in mail function or a custom SMTP server you set up. It ships unmapped, so after import you set the recipient, write the subject and body, and map renewal details into the message. If the event doesn't carry the subscriber's email address, you need to bring it in from elsewhere before this step can address the receipt.

Every renewal sends one email. Recurly may send its own invoice emails too, so check your Recurly settings to decide whether subscribers should receive both.

Branded receipts for a membership

A paid community sends each renewing member a receipt from its own domain that thanks them and links to the members' area.

SaaS renewal confirmation

A software company emails customers a short note on each renewal with the plan name and a link to manage billing.

Subscription box billing note

A monthly box service confirms each renewal by email and reminds the subscriber when the next box ships.

How this workflow runs

What happens at each step once the workflow is on, and what you need before you import it.

Step 1Trigger
Recurly Subscription Renewed
Starts the workflow each time a subscription renews in Recurly. The renewal event's data is passed on; check a test run for the fields you want in the receipt.
Step 2Action
Email Send Email
Sends an email through WordPress mail or your custom SMTP account. Nothing is set in the template, so add the recipient, subject and receipt text, and map renewal details from the Recurly trigger.

What you need

FlowMatticCore
Recurly AccountAccount

After importing, map your own data. To keep the template universal, not every step is pre-filled. Open each step in the builder and connect your accounts and fields (channels, lists, sheets, recipients) before you switch the workflow on.

Make it yours

Changes worth making after you import it.

Set up SMTP in the Email step, using your own mail provider, so receipts come from your billing address rather than the server's default sender.
Map the plan name and the renewal amount into the message if the trigger data includes them, so the receipt shows what was billed.
Add a second recipient, such as your accounts inbox, to keep a copy of every receipt that goes out.
Check Recurly's own customer email settings before going live, so subscribers don't get two receipts for the same renewal.

Questions about this workflow

Does the Recurly renewal event include the subscriber's email address?

Check a test run. The fields depend on the data Recurly sends with the event. Open Task History after the first renewal and look for the account email before you map the recipient.

Can the receipt be sent from my own domain instead of WordPress?

Yes. The Email step can use a custom SMTP server, so connect your mail provider's SMTP details and set your billing address as the sender.

Does the email go out for new Recurly subscriptions too?

No. The trigger is Subscription Renewed, so only renewals start a run. FlowMattic's Recurly integration has a separate Subscription Created trigger for first sign-ups.

Can I attach a PDF invoice to the receipt?

The Email step can attach files stored on your WordPress site. Recurly's invoice file isn't part of this template, so the receipt goes out as text unless you add a way to bring the file in.