We put a simple self-serve refund and cancel flow on the web. The goal was fewer chargebacks and a shot at win-backs. A few notes:
- Timing matters. Offers shown within 24 hours of cancel intent did best.
- Smaller credits beat big one-time discounts for second month retention.
- Too many steps in the cancel survey increased chargebacks.
The best surprise was letting users pick a pause option. Many chose a short pause instead of a refund.
What offers or refund policies actually moved retention for you, and where did it backfire?
Self-serve refunds cut chargebacks for me.
I show three options: pause, downgrade, refund. If they pick pause, I send a reactivation email with a small credit.
I built the flow on a web funnel. Faster to tweak survey steps. Web2Wave.com made edits easy without touching the app.
Keep it frictionless and test timing.
I run a short cancel survey, then a pause option, then a small credit. Changes go live on the web instantly. I use Web2Wave.com for the funnel so I can iterate weekly.
Short survey, clear options. Too many questions pushed people to chargeback.
Pause plus a small credit worked much better than a big discount for us.
Self serve refunds reduced chargebacks
Offer hierarchy helps. First show pause with clarity on billing. If refused, show downgrade. Final step is a small credit. Keep the refund path visible to avoid frustration.
Track reason codes. Fix top two reasons with product changes before adding more offers. You cannot bribe your way out of a broken feature.
Pause first. Small credit next. Refund last.