Payment errors

If you are trying to make a payment, but receive information that the payment has been declined, it can be frustrating and confusing.  This article will outline some variables that can lead to a payment being declined, as well as some troubleshooting steps to resolve the issue.

Payments processed through Stripe can fail for a variety of reasons.  The most common causes of a payment being declined are payments that are declined by the card issuer, and blocked payments.  

Payments declined by card issuers: 

When a charge is submitted to the issuer of your customer’s card, they have automated systems and models in place that determine whether or not to authorize it. These systems analyze various signals, such as your customer’s spending habits, account balance, and card information such as the expiration date, address information and CVC.

If your customer’s card issuer declines a payment, Stripe will share with you as much information as possible to explain why the decline was received. In some cases, card issuers will also provide Stripe with helpful explanations, such as the card number or expiration date being incorrect, or that the customer does not have enough funds available to make the payment. The card issuer may provide one of these more specific reasons to Stripe through the use of a decline code:

Unfortunately, most payment declines received by the card issuer are “generic” so it’s not always possible to know exactly why a payment was declined. If all of the card information seems correct, it is best to have your customer contact their card issuer and ask for more information. For privacy and security, card issuers can only discuss the specifics of a declined payment with their cardholders–they cannot discuss this with the organization, or even with Stripe.

Card issuer declines can also arise from the customer entering incorrect card information (e.g., incorrect card number or expiration date) and are best handled by guiding your customer to correct the error or even to have them try using another card or payment method.

Blocked Payments:

Stripe’s automated fraud prevention toolset, Radar, blocks any payments that they identify as being high-risk. Radar can help you most effectively combat fraud, with features such as rules that block payments if the CVC or ZIP code doesn’t match the information on file with your customer’s card issuer.

A blocked payment could be initially authorized by the card issuer and could be potentially processed successfully. However, in these cases, Stripe does not charge the card as the payment could be fraudulent and result in a dispute.

Depending on the type of card being used, some customers may see the card issuer’s authorization for the payment amount on their statement. This amount has not been charged and no funds have been taken. With blocked payments, the authorization is removed from their statement by the card issuer within a few days.

For more information on Payment errors, you can view Stripe's policies here!