Payment reminder messages: 28 friendly examples for stores

What every payment reminder message needs

Most unpaid orders are not refusals. The customer forgot, lost the bank details or is waiting for payday. A good reminder removes every reason to put it off, so the customer can pay in one tap without asking you a question first.

• The order number, so the customer knows which order you mean.
• The exact amount and currency. Never write just the balance.
• The due date, written as a date (15 October), not a phrase like soon.
• How to pay: the payment link, or the bank details and the reference to use.
• One link only. Several links look like spam, and on SMS they look like phishing.
• A way out: reply here if you have already paid or need more time.
• Your store name in the first line, and a real name to sign off if you are a small team.

When to send each payment reminder

A fixed schedule is fairer than reminders sent whenever someone remembers, and it keeps you from messaging too often. Send during the customer's daytime hours, never late at night, and stop the moment the order is paid.

7 friendly payment reminders before and on the due date

• Hi {name}, a quick heads-up from {store}: payment of {amount} for order {order} is due on {due date}. You can pay here: {link}. Thank you!
• Hello {name}, just a friendly reminder that your order {order} ({amount}) is due on {due date}. If you've already paid, please ignore this message.
• Hi {name}, your order {order} is ready and waiting for payment of {amount} by {due date}. Pay securely here: {link}
• Hi {name}, this is {first name} from {store}. Your invoice for order {order}, {amount}, is due in 3 days ({due date}). Any questions, just reply here.
• Good morning {name}! Payment of {amount} for order {order} is due today. Here's your payment link: {link}. Thanks for shopping with {store}.
• Hi {name}, a gentle reminder that today is the due date for order {order} ({amount}). Once it's paid, we'll ship the same day.
• Hello {name}, your payment of {amount} for order {order} is due today, {due date}. If you need a different payment method, reply and we'll sort it out.

6 overdue payment reminders: first, second and final

Overdue reminders get shorter and clearer, not angrier. The final one states what happens next, for example that the order will be cancelled, and gives a date. Only say it if you will actually do it.

• First: Hi {name}, we haven't received payment of {amount} for order {order}, which was due on {due date}. It may have slipped through, so here's the link again: {link}
• First: Hello {name}, a gentle reminder that order {order} ({amount}) is now past its due date. If you've paid in the last day or two, thank you, and please ignore this.
• Second: Hi {name}, order {order} is still unpaid ({amount}, due {due date}). Could you let us know when you expect to pay? We're happy to help if something went wrong.
• Second: Hello {name}, this is {first name} from {store}. Payment for order {order} is now 7 days overdue. Pay here: {link}, or reply if you'd like to change or cancel the order.
• Final: Hi {name}, this is our last reminder about order {order} ({amount}). If we don't receive payment by {date}, we'll cancel the order and release the items. Reply here if you need more time.
• Final: Hello {name}, order {order} has been unpaid since {due date}. To keep it, please pay {amount} by {date}: {link}. After that date, the order will be cancelled. Thank you for understanding.

8 reminders for bank transfers, COD balances, deposits and wholesale orders

Polite payment reminder SMS and email versions

A single SMS fits 160 standard characters; longer texts are split and billed as several. Put the store name first so the message is not mistaken for a scam, and keep one link. For email, the subject line does most of the work.

• SMS: {store}: Hi {name}, payment of {amount} for order {order} is due {due date}. Pay here: {link}
• SMS: {store}: Friendly reminder, order {order} ({amount}) is due today. Already paid? Thank you, please ignore.
• SMS: {store}: We haven't received {amount} for order {order}, due {due date}. Pay: {link} or reply HELP.
• SMS: {store}: Last reminder for order {order} ({amount}). Unpaid orders are cancelled on {date}. {link}
• Email subject: Friendly reminder: order {order} is due on {due date}
• Email subject: Payment due today for order {order} ({amount})
• Email subject: Order {order}: payment overdue, can we help?

What not to do in a payment reminder

Rules on debt collection and consumer messages differ by country, so check what applies where you sell before sending overdue reminders on a schedule; this guide is not legal advice.

• No threats or pressure words like legal action or final warning unless a real, lawful next step is behind them.
• No public shaming: never post unpaid customers in a group, a status or on social media, and never message their family or employer.
• No excessive frequency. Five reminders spread over about two weeks is the ceiling; daily messages feel like harassment.
• No late-night or weekend-morning messages.
• No promotions in the same message. A discount next to an overdue notice confuses the request. If you send from the WhatsApp Business Platform, payment updates fall under utility templates, and Meta says utility templates must be non-promotional.
• No guessing: check that the order is really unpaid in Shopify before every reminder, and stop as soon as it is paid.

• WhatsApp Business Platform: Template category guidelines

Payment pending orders in Shopify: payment terms, reminders and invoices

When a customer checks out with a manual payment method such as bank transfer or cash on delivery, Shopify creates the order as unpaid, shown as Payment pending, until you record the payment. The payment instructions you write for that method in Settings > Payments appear on the order confirmation page after checkout.

For B2B or large orders, Shopify payment terms set a due date: Due on receipt, Due on fulfillment, Net 7 to 90 days, or a fixed date. An order not paid by its due date becomes Overdue, and Shopify can email up to five scheduled payment reminders, from the due date to 30 days after. As of October 2026, Shopify's B2B plan comparison lists net terms and payment reminders on Basic, Grow, Advanced and Plus, while deposits and partial payments are Plus only. Payment reminders are not sent for subscriptions, pre-orders or try before you buy orders.

1. Add payment terms: go to Orders, open the order, and in the Payment pending section open the horizontal menu and click Add payment terms. Choose a term and click Save.
2. Turn on payment reminder emails: go to Settings > Notifications, then in the Orders section click Manage payment reminders and Add payment reminder.
3. Send an invoice for an unpaid order: open the order, click Collect payment > Send invoice, write your message, then Review invoice and Send invoice. The customer gets an email with a checkout link.
4. For a draft order: go to Orders > Drafts, open the draft and click Send invoice in the Payments section. To send the checkout link on WhatsApp instead, click Share > Copy link and paste it into your reminder.
5. When the money arrives outside Shopify (bank transfer, cash): open the order, click Collect payment > Mark as paid.
6. Create a saved order view filtered to Due, so you see every order that is due today or overdue in one list.

• Shopify Help Center: Manual payment methods
• Shopify Help Center: Managing orders with deferred payments
• Shopify Help Center: B2B payment terms
• Shopify Help Center: Sending invoices for draft orders
• Shopify Help Center: B2B features by plan

Sending payment reminders on WhatsApp from a Shopify store

WhatsApp Pilot does not send payment reminders and does not track whether an order has been paid. What it can do is set the expectation early: the Order Confirmation (Pro) goes out from your own WhatsApp number when the order is created, and your template can include the order number, the order total and the order status link. If many of your orders are bank transfer, add one neutral line to the confirmation, because the same template goes to every order.

Follow-ups are manual. Check Payment pending orders in Shopify, then message the customer from the same WhatsApp chat, so they see the confirmation right above your reminder. In the WhatsApp Business app, save your reminders as quick replies (up to 50) and insert one by typing / in the chat. Message History in WhatsApp Pilot shows whether the confirmation was sent or skipped for each order, which helps when a customer says they never got the details. If an unpaid order is finally cancelled in Shopify, the Order Cancellation notice can tell the customer.

Shoppers who prefer to ask before paying can reach you through the widget on your store, and you can build a payment chat link with /tools/whatsapp-link-generator or start from /tools/whatsapp-message-templates.

• WhatsApp Help Center: How to use quick replies