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Understanding decline codes and their procedures within the back office
Understanding decline codes and their procedures within the back office

This article will assist you in understanding the error/decline code and the procedure.

Kevin Bagayoko avatar
Written by Kevin Bagayoko
Updated over 3 years ago

Understand the meaning of decline codes and how to resolve them when a charge is declined.

If a card issuer declines a payment, they can explain why by using a decline code.

The list of possible decline codes that can be returned is provided below, along with suggestions for the next steps to take in order to complete the payment.

DECLINE CODE

DESCRIPTION

NEXT STEPS

authentication_required

The card was declined as the transaction requires authentication.

The customer should try again and authenticate their card when prompted during the transaction. If the card issuer returns this decline code on an authenticated transaction, the customer needs to contact their card issuer for more information.

approve_with_id

The payment cannot be authorized.

The payment should be attempted again. If it still cannot be processed, the customer needs to contact their card issuer.

call_issuer

The card has been declined for an unknown reason.

The customer needs to contact their card issuer for more information.

card_not_supported

The card does not support this type of purchase.

The customer needs to contact their card issuer to make sure their card can be used to make this type of purchase.

card_velocity_exceeded

The customer has exceeded the balance or credit limit available on their card.

The customer should contact their card issuer for more information.

currency_not_supported

The card does not support the specified currency.

The customer needs to check with the issuer whether the card can be used for the type of currency specified.

do_not_honor

The card has been declined for an unknown reason.

The customer needs to contact their card issuer for more information.

do_not_try_again

The card has been declined for an unknown reason.

The customer should contact their card issuer for more information.

duplicate_transaction

A transaction with an identical amount and credit card information was submitted very recently.

Check to see if a recent payment already exists.

expired_card

The card has expired.

The customer should use another card.

fraudulent

The payment has been declined as Stripe suspects it is fraudulent.

Do not report more detailed information to your customer. Instead, present as you would the generic_decline described below.

generic_decline

The card has been declined for an unknown reason.

The customer needs to contact their card issuer for more information.

incorrect_number

The card number is incorrect.

The customer should try again using the correct card number.

incorrect_cvc

The CVC number is incorrect.

The customer should try again using the correct CVC.

incorrect_pin

The PIN entered is incorrect. This decline code only applies to payments made with a card reader.

The customer should try again using the correct PIN.

incorrect_zip

The postcode is incorrect.

The customer should try again using the correct billing postcode.

insufficient_funds

The card has insufficient funds to complete the purchase.

The customer should use an alternative payment method.

invalid_account

The card, or account the card is connected to, is invalid.

The customer needs to contact their card issuer to check that the card is working correctly.

invalid_amount

The payment amount is invalid or exceeds the amount that is allowed.

If the amount appears to be correct, the customer needs to check with their card issuer that they can make purchases of that amount.

invalid_cvc

The CVC number is incorrect.

The customer should try again using the correct CVC.

invalid_expiry_month

The expiration month is invalid.

The customer should try again using the correct expiration date.

invalid_expiry_year

The expiration year is invalid.

The customer should try again using the correct expiration date.

invalid_number

The card number is incorrect.

The customer should try again using the correct card number.

invalid_pin

The PIN entered is incorrect. This decline code only applies to payments made with a card reader.

The customer should try again using the correct PIN.

issuer_not_available

The card issuer could not be reached, so the payment could not be authorized.

The payment should be attempted again. If it still cannot be processed, the customer needs to contact their card issuer.

lost_card

The payment has been declined because the card is reported lost.

The specific reason for the decline should not be reported to the customer. Instead, it needs to be presented as a generic decline.

merchant_blacklist

The payment has been declined because it matches a value on the Stripe user’s block list.

Do not report more detailed information to your customer. Instead, present as you would the generic_decline described above.

new_account_information_available

The card, or account the card is connected to, is invalid.

The customer needs to contact their card issuer for more information.

no_action_taken

The card has been declined for an unknown reason.

The customer should contact their card issuer for more information.

not_permitted

The payment is not permitted.

The customer needs to contact their card issuer for more information.

offline_pin_required

The card has been declined as it requires a PIN.

The customer should try again by inserting their card and entering a PIN.

online_or_offline_pin_required

The card has been declined as it requires a PIN.

If the card reader supports Online PIN, the customer should be prompted for a PIN without a new transaction being created. If the card reader does not support an Online PIN, the customer should try again by inserting their card and entering a PIN.

pickup_card

The card cannot be used to make this payment (it is possible it has been reported lost or stolen).

The customer needs to contact their card issuer for more information.

pin_try_exceeded

The allowable number of PIN tries has been exceeded.

The customer must use another card or method of payment.

processing_error

An error occurred while processing the card.

The payment should be attempted again. If it still cannot be processed, try again later.

reenter_transaction

The payment could not be processed by the issuer for an unknown reason.

The payment should be attempted again. If it still cannot be processed, the customer needs to contact their card issuer.

restricted_card

The card cannot be used to make this payment (it is possible it has been reported lost or stolen).

The customer needs to contact their card issuer for more information.

revocation_of_all_authorizations

The card has been declined for an unknown reason.

The customer should contact their card issuer for more information.

revocation_of_authorization

The card has been declined for an unknown reason.

The customer should contact their card issuer for more information.

security_violation

The card has been declined for an unknown reason.

The customer needs to contact their card issuer for more information.

service_not_allowed

The card has been declined for an unknown reason.

The customer should contact their card issuer for more information.

stolen_card

The payment has been declined because the card is reported stolen.

The specific reason for the decline should not be reported to the customer. Instead, it needs to be presented as a generic decline.

stop_payment_order

The card has been declined for an unknown reason.

The customer should contact their card issuer for more information.

testmode_decline

A Stripe test card number was used.

A genuine card must be used to make a payment.

transaction_not_allowed

The card has been declined for an unknown reason.

The customer needs to contact their card issuer for more information.

try_again_later

The card has been declined for an unknown reason.

Ask the customer to attempt the payment again. If subsequent payments are declined, the customer should contact their card issuer for more information.

withdrawal_count_limit_exceeded

The customer has exceeded the balance or credit limit available on their card.

The customer should use an alternative payment method.

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