Is 2006 different from an expired card?

Yes. 2004 means the date has passed; 2006 means the date entered is wrong or does not match.

Should I retry Braintree 2006?

Not with the same details. Ask the shopper to correct the date first.

Braintree · Decline codes

What does Braintree 2006 “Invalid Expiration Date” mean?

Checked October 31, 2026

Braintree 2006 “Invalid Expiration Date” means the expiry month or year entered does not match the card, or is not a real date. It is a hard decline: resending the same date will fail. The shopper should check the date on the card and enter it again. If the correct date still fails, Braintree says they should contact their bank.

Type: Hard decline
Who declined: The shopper's bank
Retry: Only after the date is corrected
Shopper action: Re-enter the expiry month and year
Merchant action: Ask the shopper to check the date

What PlatformDTC does

PlatformDTC does not connect to Braintree. On its Stripe checkout this shows up as invalid_expiry_month or invalid_expiry_year; PlatformDTC shows a hint to recheck the date and never retries those codes on renewals.

Why it happens

Month and year swapped, the old card's date typed for a new card, or autofill entering a stale date.

What the shopper can do

Look at the card and enter the month and year exactly as printed.

What the store can do

Use a single MM/YY field with clear formatting, and let browser autofill work. Ask the shopper to check the date when this code appears.

For developers

Braintree returns processor_response_code 2006 with processor_response_text “Invalid Expiration Date” and processor_response_type “hard_declined” on the Transaction object.

Frequently asked questions

Is 2006 different from an expired card?: Yes. 2004 means the date has passed; 2006 means the date entered is wrong or does not match.
Should I retry Braintree 2006?: Not with the same details. Ask the shopper to correct the date first.

Sources

Declines: authorization decline codes — Braintree (PayPal)
Transaction response object — Braintree (PayPal)
Decline codes — Stripe