Understanding the 'Incomplete' payment status in your Stripe account
If you’ve noticed a payment showing as 'Incomplete' in your Stripe dashboard or in your account, don’t worry, this usually means the payment wasn’t successfully finalized by the customer. Below, we’ll explain what this status means, why it happens, and what you can do next.
What does 'Incomplete' payment mean?
An incomplete payment occurs when a customer starts the checkout process but doesn’t finish it. In Stripe, this typically means:
The customer opened the payment page but didn’t complete authorization.
The customer abandoned the checkout (for example, closed the tab or lost internet connection).
The payment requires additional authentication (e.g., 3D Secure) and was not completed.
The customer’s card was declined, and they didn’t try another method.
In these cases, Stripe creates a Payment Intent with the status 'Incomplete' or requires_payment_method, but no funds have been charged.
How to identify an Incomplete payment?
You can check the payment status directly in your Stripe Dashboard:
Log in to your Stripe Dashboard.
Go to Payments → Payment Intents.
Look for the status field; if it shows 'Incomplete', it means the payment was started but not completed.
Click the payment for more details (e.g., whether it failed authentication, was abandoned, or expired).
Common reasons for Incomplete payments, and what you can do:
Customer closed or left the page before confirming payment (Customer abandoned checkout)
You can reach out to remind them to complete checkout.
3D Secure or Strong Customer Authentication (SCA) wasn’t approved (Authentication failed)
Ask the customer to try again and complete authentication.
The customer’s card or bank declined the payment (Payment method declined)
Suggest trying a different payment method.
The checkout session was not completed within the allowed time (Session expired)
The customer can start a new checkout session.
If you’re unsure why a payment is incomplete or it seems stuck, please reach out to support@bookipi.com or contact Stripe Support directly at https://support.stripe.com/.