Decline codes
Card issuer response codes: what 05, 51, 54 and the rest mean
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Issuer response codes are the two-character answers a card's bank sends back through Visa or Mastercard, defined by the ISO 8583 standard. A decline code explains why the bank said no, such as 05 do not honor or 51 not sufficient funds. Visa sorts decline codes into four categories that decide whether a merchant may try again. Processors like Stripe and PayPal pass these raw codes on beside their own labels.
| Code | Meaning |
|---|---|
| 01 | Refer to card issuer: the bank wants the cardholder to contact it before it approves. |
| 02 | Refer to card issuer, special condition: the bank wants the cardholder to call before approving. |
| 03 | Invalid merchant: the issuer would not accept the payment from this merchant setup. |
| 04 | Pick up card: the bank wants the card taken out of use. Never retry it. |
| 05 | Do not honor: the bank refused the payment and gave no reason. |
| 06 | Error: the issuer returned a general error instead of an approval. |
| 07 | Pick up card, special condition: the account is flagged for fraud. Never retry. |
| 12 | Invalid transaction: the issuer will not accept this kind of transaction on the card. |
| 13 | Invalid amount: the issuer rejected the amount or the currency conversion. |
| 14 | Invalid account number: no such card number exists at the bank. |
| 15 | No such issuer: the card number does not belong to any known bank. |
| 19 | Re-enter transaction: the issuer asks for the payment to be sent again. |
| 21 | No action taken: the issuer did not process the request. |
| 41 | Lost card, pick up: the card was reported lost. Never retry it. |
| 43 | Stolen card, pick up: the card was reported stolen. Never retry it. |
| 46 | Closed account: the card's account has been closed. Never retry it. |
| 51 | Not sufficient funds: the balance or credit limit couldn't cover the payment. |
| 54 | Expired card: the card is past its expiry date, or the date was missing. |
| 55 | Incorrect PIN: the PIN entered was wrong or missing. |
| 57 | Transaction not permitted to cardholder: this card isn't allowed to make this purchase. |
| 58 | Transaction not allowed at terminal: the merchant setup can't accept this transaction. |
| 59 | Suspected fraud: the bank's fraud system declined the payment. |
| 61 | Exceeds approval amount limit: the payment is over a limit the bank set on the card. |
| 62 | Restricted card: the card can't be used here, often because of region or country. |
| 63 | Security violation: the bank declined for a security reason. |
| 65 | Exceeds withdrawal frequency limit: too many payments on the card in a short time. |
| 75 | PIN tries exceeded: too many wrong PIN entries locked the PIN. |
| 78 | Blocked, first used: a new card wasn't activated, or the account is temporarily blocked. |
| 82 | Negative card verification result on Visa; invalid transaction or merchant on Mastercard. |
| 91 | Issuer or switch inoperative: the bank's system couldn't be reached. |
| 92 | Unable to route: the network couldn't find the bank to send the payment to. |
| 93 | Transaction can't be completed: completing it would violate law. |
| 94 | Duplicate: the request matched one the issuer had already received. |
| 96 | System malfunction: an error in the issuer or network system stopped the payment. |
| 1A | Additional customer authentication required: the bank wants 3-D Secure / SCA. |
| 5C | Transaction not supported or blocked by issuer. |
| 6P | Verification data failed: cardholder ID details didn't match the bank's records. |
| 9G | Blocked by cardholder: the cardholder set a block. Contact the cardholder. |
| N7 | Decline for CVV2 failure: the security code didn't match. |
| R0 | Stop this payment: the cardholder asked the bank to stop this payment. |
| R1 | Stop all future payments: the cardholder revoked recurring payments to this merchant. |
| R3 | Stop all merchants: the cardholder revoked recurring payments to every merchant. |
Visa's four decline categories
Visa's rules (Visa Core Rules, 24 October 2026 edition, Table 7-2) tell merchants how often they may resubmit after each decline code. Category 1 codes must never be resubmitted for the same card. Categories 2, 3 and 4 allow up to 20 reattempts in 30 days. Older guides still say 15; the current rulebook says 20.
Visa also forbids changing details of the original request, such as the merchant category code or the entry mode, to push a declined payment through.
| Category | Meaning | Example codes | Reattempts allowed |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Issuer will never approve | 04, 07, 12, 14, 15, 41, 43, 46, 57, R0, R1, R3 | Never on the same card |
| 2 | Issuer cannot approve at this time | 03, 19, 51, 59, 61, 62, 65, 75, 78, 91, 93, 96, 5C, 9G | Up to 20 in 30 days |
| 3 | Data quality: revalidate payment details | 54, 55, 82, 6P, N7 (1A in CEMEA and Europe) | Up to 20 in 30 days |
| 4 | Generic response codes | All other codes, e.g. 01, 02, 05, 06, 13, 21, 58, 63, 92, 94 | Up to 20 in 30 days |
How these codes reach a store
Stores rarely see raw issuer codes in their dashboard. Stripe translates them into its own decline codes (do_not_honor, insufficient_funds…) and keeps the raw code in the charge's network decline code. The same code can mean different things on different networks: Visa 82 is a failed card verification check, Mastercard 82 is an invalid transaction or merchant. Mastercard adds Merchant Advice Codes that say whether and when to retry.
What PlatformDTC does with them
PlatformDTC reads the raw issuer code as well as the processor's label, so a vague do_not_honor that is really Visa 59 (suspected fraud) is never retried, and a generic_decline that is really 51 is timed to payday. It is stricter than Visa on 58, 59, 62, 63, 75, 78 and 93. A never-retry code stops renewal retries at the first decline on the default fixed schedule as well as with Smart retry: the subscription is held past due and the customer gets an email with a one-click link to update the card. Before every card renewal it counts declines on that card and pauses before Visa's 20-in-30-days or Mastercard's 10-in-24-hours and 35-in-30-days limits.
Frequently asked questions
- What is an ISO 8583 response code?
- ISO 8583 is the message standard card networks use for authorizations. The response code is the issuer's short answer to an authorization; on a decline it names the reason, such as 51 for not sufficient funds.
- How many times can I retry a declined Visa card?
- Never for Category 1 codes such as 04, 14, 41, 43, 46, 57, R0, R1 and R3. Up to 20 times in 30 days for all other decline codes, under the 24 October 2026 Visa rules.
- Why does Stripe show do_not_honor when the bank sent something else?
- Stripe groups many raw issuer codes under its own decline codes. The raw code stays on the charge as the network decline code, which is where the real reason, such as Visa 59, shows up.
- Do Mastercard codes mean the same as Visa codes?
- Mostly, but not always. Mastercard 82 and 83 differ from Visa, and Mastercard adds Merchant Advice Codes: 03 and 21 mean do not try again, 24 to 30 name a wait from 1 hour to 10 days.
Sources
- Visa Core Rules and Visa Product and Service Rules (24 October 2026), Table 7-2 Decline Response Code Use — Visa
- Network decline codes (Visa and Mastercard tables) — Stripe
- Visa response codes and decline categories — Checkout.com
- Mastercard Merchant Advice Codes — Braintree (PayPal)
- Declines: Visa and Mastercard retry rules — Braintree (PayPal)