Summer Credit Card Declines on the Rise—Here’s Why (and What to Do)

As seasons change, so do spending patterns and payment behavior. Many businesses—especially in the fitness and membership space—notice a bump in credit card declines during the summer months. Understanding and preparing for this can solidify revenue and retention.

☀️ Why Declines Increase in Summer

1. Vacation spending fatigue
   People travel more, spend more, and often run up their credit card balances, leading to an increase in failed payments.
2. Temporary low balances
   “Do not honor” and insufficient funds responses are more common when customers are juggling seasonal expenses or bills hit at awkward times.
3. More card replacements
   Lost or stolen cards while traveling means payment methods on file can quietly expire without warning.

🔁 What to Do About It

• Retry smartly
  Many failed payments aren't permanent. Retrying the charge a few days later often works.
• Give customers a heads up
  Friendly reminders about upcoming payments or expired cards can prevent a lot of failures.
• Make it easy to update payment info
  A fast, mobile-friendly flow to update card details can drastically reduce churn.

✅ Already Covered by ManageMemberships

The good news? If you're using ManageMemberships, this is already handled. We automatically retry soft declines and send helpful emails or texts to the customer to recover the payment without you lifting a finger.

So if you’re seeing more declines than usual right now, you’re not alone—and yes, we’re already on it.

📅 Also: Fixing Empty Class Slots

Declines aren’t the only summer issue. Class attendance can dip too. Learn how to fill empty classes without slashing prices in this quick guide:
👉 How to Fill Empty Classes Without Slashing Prices