Can I retry a closed account later?

No. Visa Category 1 means never resubmit. The account will not reopen for your charge.

Why do subscriptions get code 46?

Saved cards outlive accounts. When a customer closes an account, every merchant holding that card sees 46 on the next charge.

Card issuer response codes (ISO 8583) · Decline codes

What does card decline code 46 mean?

Checked October 31, 2026

Code 46 is a Visa issuer response code in the ISO 8583 set meaning "closed account". The account behind the card is closed, so the bank will not approve any payment on it. Visa lists 46 in Category 1, "issuer will never approve": never resubmit the same card. It shows up most on subscriptions, where a saved card outlives the account. The customer needs to add a new card.

Type: Hard decline
Who declined: The card's issuing bank
Visa category: Category 1 (issuer will never approve): never resubmit the same card
Retry: Never
Shopper action: Add a new card
Merchant action: Stop charging; send an update-card request
PlatformDTC renewal (fixed or Smart retry): Never retried; customer asked for a new card

What PlatformDTC does

PlatformDTC stops on a raw 46. On either retry schedule, fixed or Smart retry, a renewal declined 46 is never retried; the subscription is held past due (not cancelled), the card is marked blocked and the customer gets a signed one-click update-card link, re-sent up to 4 times per billing cycle at least 3 days apart. A Visa checkout declined 46 is never moved to a backup processor.

Why it happens

The cardholder closed the account, switched banks, or the bank closed it. The card number on file no longer leads anywhere.

What the store can do

Ask the customer for a new card rather than retrying. A clear, friendly update-card email with a direct link recovers more subscribers than repeated failed charges.

For developers

On Stripe the raw issuer code arrives in charge.outcome.network_decline_code (here "46"), 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. 46 is in Stripe's Visa table and in Visa's Category 1 list; Mastercard's table does not list it.

Frequently asked questions

Can I retry a closed account later?: No. Visa Category 1 means never resubmit. The account will not reopen for your charge.
Why do subscriptions get code 46?: Saved cards outlive accounts. When a customer closes an account, every merchant holding that card sees 46 on the next charge.