Stripe Email Integration: Automate Billing-Based Sequences

Stripe is the billing backbone for most SaaS companies. Connecting Stripe to your email platform unlocks powerful lifecycle sequences: trial conversion, payment recovery, churn prevention. This guide covers how to set up the integration.

Why Stripe Integration Matters

Stripe knows critical information about your customers:

• Trial status: When trials start and end
• Payment status: Successful, failed, upcoming
• Subscription status: Active, canceling, churned
• Plan data: Which tier, monthly/annual
• Revenue data: MRR, LTV, payment history

With this data in your email platform, you can trigger sequences that directly impact revenue.

Integration Approaches

Native OAuth Integration (Best)

Platforms like Sequenzy offer native Stripe integration via OAuth:

How it works:

1. Connect Stripe account with one click
2. Platform syncs customer and subscription data automatically
3. Billing events trigger sequences in real-time
4. MRR and revenue data available for attribution

Advantages:

• No code required
• Automatic sync of all subscription data
• Real-time event triggering
• Full revenue attribution
• No maintenance needed

Webhook Integration

Most platforms require custom webhook setup:

How it works:

1. Configure webhooks in Stripe dashboard
2. Point to your email platform or middleware
3. Map Stripe events to platform actions
4. Test thoroughly

Challenges:

• Technical setup required
• Need to handle webhook security
• Manual event mapping
• Ongoing maintenance
• Limited data without additional work

Segment/Zapier Middleware

Tools like Segment can relay Stripe events to email platforms:

• Adds another system to maintain
• Additional cost
• Can introduce latency
• Useful if already using Segment

Key Stripe Events for Email

Trial Events

• customer.subscription.trial_will_end: Trial ending soon
• customer.subscription.created: New trial started

Payment Events

• invoice.payment_succeeded: Successful payment
• invoice.payment_failed: Failed payment (dunning trigger)
• invoice.upcoming: Payment coming soon

Subscription Events

• customer.subscription.updated: Plan changes
• customer.subscription.deleted: Churn

Building Billing-Based Sequences

Trial Conversion

Trigger emails at:

• Trial start (welcome + activation)
• Trial midpoint (value reinforcement)
• Trial ending soon (conversion push)
• Trial end (final conversion + expiry)

Payment Recovery

Trigger emails on failed payments:

• Immediate notification
• Reminder after 3 days
• Final warning before suspension

Churn Prevention

Trigger on cancellation initiated:

• Acknowledgment + feedback request
• Value reminder
• Retention offer (carefully)

Platform Recommendations

For easiest Stripe integration:

Sequenzy - Native OAuth integration with full subscription sync, MRR tracking, and revenue attribution. No code required.

Customer.io - Webhook integration with good documentation. Requires technical setup.

Userlist - Native Stripe integration for B2B SaaS.

Get Started

Stripe integration transforms your email from generic to revenue-connected. Start with a platform like Sequenzy that handles integration natively, then build your trial and payment sequences.