What Happens When a Learner Defaults on an Installment Plan
Installment plans aren't interest-free forever — if a learner's card can't be charged after repeated attempts, their access to the course is paused until they catch up. Here's exactly how that plays out.
The default trigger
After the daily auto-debit worker has retried a failed installment charge 3 times (once per day) with no success, the plan is marked as defaulted.
What the learner experiences
The learner's enrollment status changes to SUSPENDED. They can no longer open lessons or continue the course. If they've opted in, they receive an "Installment plan defaulted" notification explaining that access is paused pending payment.
A defaulted plan shows clearly against the original order so the learner knows what's outstanding.
Catching up and restoring access
Once the learner settles the outstanding installment (typically by updating their card and the charge succeeding, either automatically on the next cycle or via a manual retry path), access restores automatically — there's no separate admin action required to un-suspend them.
Access restoration happens as soon as the outstanding charge clears; no manual re-enrollment needed.
Notes
Suspension only affects course access, not the learner's account itself — they can still sign in, see other courses, and check their order history while one plan is suspended.