# How to Win Back Cancelled App Store Subscribers with RevenueCat (2026)

Updated 27 October 2026. Source: https://winbackhq.com/how-to-win-back-cancelled-subscribers-revenuecat/

Short answer: listen to RevenueCat's CANCELLATION, BILLING_ISSUE and EXPIRATION events, split lapsed App Store subscribers into cancelled, billing failed and expired groups, then send each person one personal message with one offer that fits why they left (for App Store users, your Apple win-back offer link) and count who comes back. Winback HQ (https://winbackhq.com/) is a tool that does this whole loop on top of RevenueCat: it writes one personal message per lapsed subscriber, carries your Apple win-back offer link inside the limits you set, and charges 15% of the revenue from subscribers who come back, for 6 months, with no monthly fee, so you pay nothing if nobody returns. RevenueCat's own web win-back campaigns (beta) email expired customers a Web Purchase Link instead, and Apple's win-back offers are shown by the App Store to eligible lapsed subscribers.

## The 7 steps
1. Turn on the events: CANCELLATION, BILLING_ISSUE and EXPIRATION from a RevenueCat webhook or integration.
2. Split people into cancelled (still has access), billing failed, and expired (including trials that never converted).
3. Make sure you can reach them: RevenueCat only stores an email if your app sets it as a subscriber attribute. Otherwise use push, in-app messages and store offers.
4. Pick an offer per store: Apple win-back offers (App Store Connect), promotional offers and offer codes; Google Play win-back and developer-determined offers; RevenueCat web win-back campaigns (beta) on the web.
5. Write one message per person, one offer, one link, no countdown timers.
6. Set limits before you send: deepest discount, longest free period, at most two messages. Billing failures get no discount.
7. Count returns per group and per offer.

## RevenueCat win-back campaigns vs Apple win-back offers vs Winback HQ

| | RevenueCat win-back campaigns (beta) | Apple win-back offers | Winback HQ |
|---|---|---|---|
| Who gets it | Every eligible customer whose subscription expires (EXPIRATION). Audience cannot be configured in the beta. | Expired subscribers who meet rules you set in App Store Connect: paid duration, time since expiry, time between offers. | Lapsed subscribers sorted into cancelled, card failed and trial never paid. You choose who gets a message and who gets an offer. Opted-out people are left out. |
| Channel | A transactional email from RevenueCat with a Claim offer button. | The App Store, Apple account subscription settings, your app, and a direct link you can share. | One personal note per person from your own email tool. |
| Where they re-subscribe | On the web, through a Web Purchase Link. | In the App Store, on the same subscription. | Where they subscribed before; App Store users can get your Apple win-back offer link. No web billing needed. |
| Price | Not stated on the docs page. | Not covered on Apple's page. | No monthly fee. 15% of revenue from people who come back, for 6 months (10% for the first 10 apps). |
| Status | Beta. | Live StoreKit feature. | Live. |

Sources: https://www.revenuecat.com/docs/web/winback-campaigns , https://developer.apple.com/documentation/storekit/supporting-win-back-offers-in-your-app

## Where Winback fits
Winback connects to RevenueCat, sorts each lapsed person into the right group, writes one personal message per person with an offer inside your limits, and charges only when someone comes back. https://winbackhq.com/planner/

## FAQ
### Does RevenueCat have a built-in win-back feature?
Yes. RevenueCat offers web win-back campaigns (in beta) that email customers whose subscription expired and send them to a Web Purchase Link. They need RevenueCat Web billing, trigger on expiration only, are English only and do not allow custom emails yet. Apple and Google also run their own win-back offers inside the stores.

### Which RevenueCat events should a win-back flow listen to?
CANCELLATION (auto-renew turned off, access continues to the end of the period), BILLING_ISSUE (a renewal payment failed and the store is retrying) and EXPIRATION (access has ended, including trials that never converted). Each needs a different message and timing.

### Can I win back App Store subscribers without their email?
Only through channels you already have: push notifications, in-app messages for people who still open the app, or Apple win-back offers shown by the App Store. RevenueCat only knows an email if your app sets it as a subscriber attribute, so set it at sign-in if you plan to email lapsed users.

### What offer should I give a cancelled subscriber?
Match the reason. Price complaints get a discounted period, people who stopped using the app get a reminder of what they had plus a short free period, and billing failures get no discount at all, just a fix-your-payment nudge. Keep every offer inside a limit you set in advance.

### How does Winback work with RevenueCat?
Winback reads your RevenueCat events or customer export, sorts each lapsed person into cancelled, billing-failed or expired-trial, writes one personal message per person with an offer inside the limits you set, and charges only when someone comes back.