Reference
Credit card decline codes, and which ones you can retry
When a card is declined, the issuer sends back a two-character code. Some mean try again tomorrow. Some mean never try this card again, and retrying them costs you network fees. This table covers the codes ecom brands see most, with what to do about each.
Soft declines and hard declines
A soft decline is temporary. The money isn't there today, the issuer's system is down, or the bank wants extra authentication. The same card can work later. A hard decline is permanent: the card is lost, stolen, closed, or the number doesn't exist. Retrying a hard decline never works, and the card networks charge you for trying.
Visa puts 13 codes in a category where the issuer will never approve: 04, 07, 12, 14, 15, 41, 43, 46, 57, 93, R0, R1, R3. You can't resend those for the same card at all. Other Visa declines can be retried up to 20 times in 30 days. Mastercard bans retries on hard declines entirely and allows 10 retries in 24 hours and 35 in 30 days on soft ones. Past those limits, both networks charge per attempt.
Stripe recommends no more than eight retries for a charge that allows them, because issuers can read extra retries as fraud and start declining good charges too.
Decline code list
Visa codes. Mastercard uses most of the same numbers for the same reasons.
| Code | Meaning | Type | Retry? | What to do |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 01 | Refer to card issuer | Soft | Customer has to act | Ask the customer to call their bank, then try again. |
| 03 | Invalid merchant | Hard | Check your setup | Something is wrong with your merchant account or routing. Contact your processor. |
| 04 | Pick up card (no fraud) | Hard | Never retry | Ask for a different card. |
| 05 | Do not honor | Soft | Retry later | The issuer gave no reason. Retry sparingly; if it keeps failing, the customer has to call their bank or use another card. |
| 07 | Pick up card, special condition (fraud account) | Hard | Never retry | Ask for a different card. |
| 12 | Invalid transaction | Hard | Never retry | The issuer will not approve this transaction type on this card. |
| 13 | Invalid amount or currency conversion problem | Hard | Fix the details, then retry | Check the amount and currency you sent. |
| 14 | Invalid account number (no such number) | Hard | Never retry | Ask the customer for a valid card number. |
| 15 | No such issuer | Hard | Never retry | The card number is not valid. Ask for another card. |
| 19 | Re-enter transaction | Soft | Retry later | Try the payment again. |
| 41 | Lost card | Hard | Never retry | Ask for a different card. |
| 43 | Stolen card | Hard | Never retry | Ask for a different card. |
| 46 | Closed account | Hard | Never retry | Ask for a new card. A card updater may have the replacement. |
| 51 | Not sufficient funds | Soft | Retry later | Retry later, within the network limits, or offer another payment method. |
| 54 | Expired card or missing expiration date | Hard | Fix the details, then retry | Get the new expiration date from a card updater or the customer. Mastercard treats this as a hard decline: never resend the same card number and expiry. |
| 57 | Transaction not permitted to cardholder | Hard | Never retry | The card cannot be used for this purchase. Ask for another card. |
| 59 | Suspected fraud | Hard | Customer has to act | Don't retry blindly. The customer has to confirm the charge with their bank. |
| 61 | Exceeds approval amount limit | Soft | Retry later | Retry later, or ask for another card. |
| 62 | Restricted card (for example, not valid in this region) | Hard | Customer has to act | Ask for another card. |
| 63 | Security violation | Hard | Customer has to act | The customer has to contact their bank. |
| 65 | Exceeds withdrawal frequency limit | Soft | Retry later | Retry later. On Mastercard it can also mean 3D Secure authentication is required. |
| 78 | Blocked, first use (card not activated) | Soft | Customer has to act | The customer has to activate the card. |
| 91 | Issuer or switch unavailable | Soft | Retry later | A temporary outage. Retry soon. |
| 93 | Transaction cannot be completed: violation of law | Hard | Never retry | Don't retry. |
| 96 | System malfunction | Soft | Retry later | A temporary error. Retry soon. |
| 1A | Additional customer authentication required | Soft | Fix the details, then retry | Run 3D Secure, then retry. |
| N7 | Decline for CVV2 failure | Hard | Fix the details, then retry | Ask the customer to re-enter the security code. |
| R0 | Stop payment order | Hard | Never retry | The customer stopped this payment. Do not resubmit. |
| R1 | Revocation of authorization (stop all future payments) | Hard | Never retry | The customer revoked your recurring authorization. Treat it as a cancellation. |
| R3 | Revocation of all authorizations | Hard | Never retry | The customer revoked recurring payments on the card. Treat it as a cancellation. |
Decline code 51
Decline code 51: not sufficient funds
The card doesn't have enough money or credit left. It's a soft decline, so it can work later, after a payday or a statement date. For a subscription, retrying a few days later usually beats retrying the same day. Stay inside the network limits, and offer another payment method if it keeps failing.
Retry: Retry later. Soft decline.
Decline code 05
Decline code 05: do not honor
Do not honor is the issuer saying no without saying why. It's the most common generic decline. Retrying once or twice is allowed, but if it keeps coming back, the customer has to call their bank or use a different card. A spike in 05s across many customers can also point to a problem with how your payments are set up, so look at the pattern before you blame the cards.
Retry: Retry later. Soft decline.
Decline code 57
Decline code 57: transaction not permitted to cardholder
The card isn't allowed to make this kind of purchase. It's common with corporate cards, prepaid cards, and FSA or HSA cards that only work at certain kinds of merchants. Visa puts 57 in the category that can never be retried, so ask for another card.
Retry: Never retry. Hard decline.
Decline code 59
Decline code 59: suspected fraud
The issuer's fraud system flagged the charge. Retrying without changing anything tends to look worse to the issuer, not better. The customer has to confirm the charge with their bank. On your side, collecting the CVC and postal code and running 3D Secure can lower these.
Retry: Customer has to act. Hard decline.
Decline code 61
Decline code 61: exceeds approval amount limit
The charge is over the card's limit for a single transaction or a period of time. It can go through later, or at a smaller amount, and it's a soft decline. Large orders and annual plans see it more often.
Retry: Retry later. Soft decline.
Decline code 63
Decline code 63: security violation
A security check failed at the issuer. You can't fix this from your side. The customer needs to contact their bank before the card will work.
Retry: Customer has to act. Hard decline.
Mastercard merchant advice codes
Mastercard sends a merchant advice code (MAC) alongside many declines. It tells you what to do next, and ignoring it can cost you fees.
- MAC 01: New account information available. Get the updated card details (an account updater can supply them), then retry.
- MAC 02: Can't approve now. Wait 72 hours before you try again.
- MAC 03: Do not try again. Mastercard charges a fee if you retry and it's declined with 03 again within 30 days.
- MAC 21: The cardholder cancelled the recurring payment agreement. Do not resubmit.
Stripe decline codes
Stripe translates network codes into its own names, and adds an advice code: do_not_try_again, try_again_later, or confirm_card_data. The ones you'll see most:
- generic_decline: Declined for an unknown reason, or blocked by Stripe Radar or Adaptive Acceptance.
- insufficient_funds: Not enough funds on the card.
- do_not_honor: Declined for an unknown reason.
- expired_card: The card has expired.
- incorrect_cvc: The CVC is incorrect.
- incorrect_number: The card number is incorrect.
- lost_card / stolen_card: The card was reported lost or stolen.
- card_velocity_exceeded: Over the balance, credit limit, or transaction limit on the card.
- fraudulent: Stripe suspects the payment is fraudulent.
- authentication_required: The issuer wants authentication such as 3D Secure.
- transaction_not_allowed: Declined for an unknown reason.
- new_account_information_available: The card or its account is invalid; updated details may exist.
- stop_payment_order / revocation_of_authorization: The customer stopped the payment or revoked the authorization.
Most issuers report declines as generic, so the decline code alone often won't tell you why. The raw network code and the advice code tell you more.
What declines cost you
Every decline at checkout is an order you paid to acquire and didn't get. On a subscription, a decline at renewal is a customer who didn't mean to leave. Most brands never break their declines down by code, so they can't tell which ones a better setup would have saved. If you run subscriptions, the guide to recovering failed payments covers the renewal side.
Questions
What's the difference between a soft and a hard decline?
A soft decline is temporary and the card can work later: low funds, an issuer outage, or a request for authentication. A hard decline is permanent: lost, stolen, closed, or invalid cards. Only soft declines are worth retrying.
How many times can I retry a declined card?
Never for Visa's category 1 codes or Mastercard hard declines. Otherwise, Visa allows up to 20 retries in 30 days, and Mastercard 10 in 24 hours and 35 in 30 days. Stripe suggests stopping at eight.
Why do most declines say "do not honor" or "generic decline"?
Issuers usually don't share the reason with merchants, for privacy and fraud reasons. They'll tell the cardholder, which is why the customer often has to call their bank.
Sources: Stripe's network decline codes, decline codes and card declines documentation, and PayPal's summary of Visa and Mastercard retry rules. Network rules change, so check with your processor before changing retry logic. Checked October 2026.