Card issuer response codes (ISO 8583) · Decline codes
What does card decline code 43 mean?
Checked
Code 43 is an ISO 8583 issuer response code meaning the card was reported stolen: Visa says "stolen card, pick up (fraud account)", Mastercard "stolen card". The bank has blocked the card. Visa puts 43 in Category 1, so the card must never be resubmitted. Treat the attempt as a fraud signal, show only a generic decline message, and check the order before fulfilling anything.
- Type
- Hard decline (fraud signal)
- Who declined
- The card's issuing bank
- Visa category
- Category 1 (issuer will never approve): never resubmit the same card
- Retry
- Never
- Shopper action
- Use a different payment method
- Merchant action
- Do not retry; review the order and other orders from the same customer
- PlatformDTC renewal (fixed or Smart retry)
- Never retried; customer asked for a new card
What PlatformDTC does
PlatformDTC treats a raw 43 as a hard stop. A Visa checkout declined 43 is never offered to the backup processor. On either retry schedule, fixed or Smart retry, the renewal is not retried; the subscription is held past due and the customer receives an update-card link instead of further charges.
Why it happens
The card was reported stolen. A genuine customer using an old card after reporting a theft can see this too, but repeated attempts with several cards from one visitor point at card testing.
What the store can do
Do not retry, do not reveal the reason, and look at the rest of the order: email, shipping address, IP country and how many cards were tried.
For developers
On Stripe the raw issuer code arrives in charge.outcome.network_decline_code (here "43"), next to Stripe's own decline_code. Read it together with the card brand: the same two characters can mean different things on Visa and Mastercard.
Frequently asked questions
- Is a code 43 decline always fraud?
- Not always, but it is a strong signal. A real cardholder with a replaced card can hit it with an old saved number.
- Can I try a code 43 card on another processor?
- No. Category 1 means no issuer approval anywhere, and resubmitting breaks Visa's rules.
Sources
Related
- 41 — Lost card, pick up: the card was reported lost. Never retry it.
- 07 — Pick up card, special condition: the account is flagged for fraud. Never retry.
- 59 — Suspected fraud: the bank's fraud system declined the payment.
- 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.