---
title: "Verify updating a failed payment method recovers the subscription"
description: "Replace a failing sandbox payment method, retry the overdue invoice through the product, and verify payment recovery restores the existing subscription."
canonical_url: "https://vostride.com/agent-library/billing-subscriptions/payment-method-recovery.md"
md_url: "https://vostride.com/agent-library/billing-subscriptions/payment-method-recovery.md"
content_kind: "recipe"
topic: "billing-subscriptions"
---

# Verify updating a failed payment method recovers the subscription

Replace a failing sandbox payment method, retry the overdue invoice through the product, and verify payment recovery restores the existing subscription.

## Risk

Updating the displayed card does not necessarily pay an overdue invoice. This journey connects method replacement, the intended retry, invoice settlement, and entitlement recovery while ensuring the system does not create a second subscription.

## Fixtures

- A sandbox subscription in the documented past-due state with one known unpaid invoice.
- A provider-supported failing test method and a distinct successful replacement test method.
- Hooks for invoice status, customer default payment method, subscription identity, and entitlements.

## Steps

1. Open Billing and verify the past-due notice, overdue amount, and existing subscription identifier.
2. Use the supported payment-method update flow with the successful sandbox fixture and verify the visible method summary changes.
3. Trigger the documented retry action, or wait for the documented automatic retry event through the sandbox fixture, and verify the interface acknowledges payment recovery.
4. Reload Billing and verify the invoice is paid, the warning is cleared, and a previously restricted paid capability works again.
5. Inspect billing hooks to confirm the original overdue invoice settled once using the intended method and the original subscription identifier remains active.

## Expected results

- The customer default payment method changes to the successful sandbox fixture.
- The specific overdue invoice transitions to paid exactly once.
- Entitlements recover on the existing subscription according to policy.

## False-pass traps

- A new card summary only proves method storage, not successful collection of the unpaid invoice.
- Creating a fresh subscription can hide an unresolved overdue invoice on the original contract.

## Cleanup

- Cancel the disposable sandbox subscription and remove stored test payment methods if fixture policy requires it.

## Use with agent-qa

Adapt this test design to your application's acceptance criteria and configured target using the [recipe execution guide](/agent-library/software-factory/turn-a-recipe-into-an-agent-qa-test.md). External fixture setup and non-UI checks require your own supported hooks or test tooling. Validate the authored test, execute it, and inspect the completed evidence; this recipe is not a recorded test result.

## References

- [agent-qa test](/docs/agent-qa/configuration/test.md)
- [agent-qa hooks](/docs/agent-qa/guides/hooks.md)
- [agent-qa auth state](/docs/agent-qa/guides/auth-state.md)

- [Billing and subscription QA recipes](/agent-library/billing-subscriptions.md)
- [Software factory QA library](/agent-library.md)