Stripe revocation_of_authorization: What It Means and How to Handle It
revocation_of_authorization means the cardholder explicitly asked their bank to stop recurring charges from you. Handle this carefully. Continuing to charge creates chargeback risk.
Stripe call_issuer: What It Means and How to Fix It
call_issuer means the bank wants the cardholder to call before approving the charge. The customer needs to contact their bank and then update their payment details.
Stripe fraudulent: What It Means and How to Handle It
fraudulent is a hard decline from Stripe Radar. Do not retry. Do not send a standard dunning email. Review the account before taking any action.
Stripe do_not_try_again: What It Means and How to Handle It
do_not_try_again is an explicit network instruction that retrying will not work. It is a hard decline that requires immediate customer contact for new payment details.
Stripe transaction_not_allowed: What It Means and How to Fix It
transaction_not_allowed means the card or account cannot be used for this type of charge. The customer needs a different payment method.
Stripe incorrect_cvc: What It Means and How to Fix It
incorrect_cvc means the security code entered does not match the bank record. The card is valid but the data is wrong. Do not retry without updated details.
Stripe stolen_card: What It Means and How to Handle It
stolen_card is a hard decline that requires careful handling. Retrying risks network penalties. Emailing requires verifying the account belongs to the legitimate cardholder.
Stripe lost_card: What It Means and How to Handle It
lost_card is a hard decline. The card has been reported lost by the cardholder. Retrying will not work and may trigger penalties. Here is the correct response.
Stripe processing_error: What It Means and How to Recover It
processing_error is a technical failure, not a customer problem. The card is valid and the funds are there. A simple retry within a few hours resolves most cases.
Stripe insufficient_funds: What It Means and How to Recover It
insufficient_funds is one of the most recoverable Stripe decline codes. Timing your retry around payroll dates recovers a significant share without ever contacting the customer.
Stripe do_not_honor: What It Means and How to Recover It
do_not_honor sounds permanent but is usually temporary. It is one of the most common soft declines on Stripe subscription payments and recovers well with correct retry timing.
Stripe expired_card: What It Means and How to Recover It
expired_card failures are preventable. Proactive expiry emails sent 30 days out recover a large portion before the charge ever fails. Here is the full recovery playbook.
Stripe card_velocity_exceeded: What It Means and How to Recover It
card_velocity_exceeded is a soft decline caused by card network usage limits. It clears within 24 hours in most cases and does not require contacting the customer.
Stripe generic_decline: What It Means and How to Recover It
generic_decline is the most common Stripe failure code and one of the most recoverable. Here is what causes it, how to retry correctly, and when to email the customer.
Stripe Decline Codes: What They Mean and How to Fix Them
Stripe decline codes tell you exactly why a card payment failed and what to do about it. This guide covers every major code, whether it is recoverable, and the right response for each one.