Is code 91 the customer's fault?

No. It means the bank's system was unavailable.

How soon can I retry code 91?

Within minutes at checkout. PlatformDTC spaces renewal retries 2, 5 and 8 days out so they never pile up.

Card issuer response codes (ISO 8583) · Decline codes

What does card decline code 91 mean?

Checked October 31, 2026

Code 91 is an ISO 8583 issuer response code meaning the issuer or switch is inoperative. Visa uses it when the bank could not be reached and no stand-in approval was available; Mastercard calls it "authorization system or issuer system inoperative". It says nothing about the card or funds. Visa lists 91 in Category 2, allowing up to 20 reattempts in 30 days. A retry shortly afterwards usually succeeds.

Type: Soft decline (system outage)
Who declined: No decision: the bank's system was unavailable
Visa category: Category 2 (issuer cannot approve at this time): up to 20 reattempts in 30 days
Retry: Yes, shortly
Shopper action: Try again in a few minutes
Merchant action: Allow retries; check processor status if widespread
PlatformDTC renewal (Smart retry): Retried 2, 5 and 8 days after the decline (4 attempts max)

What PlatformDTC does

PlatformDTC files a raw 91 as temporary. With Smart retry on, the renewal is retried 2, 5 and 8 days after the decline, four attempts at most, and the customer's email says the bank couldn't be reached. At checkout, Stripe's issuer_not_available can be offered to the store's backup card processor when one is set up.

Why it happens

The issuing bank or a network switch was down or timed out, and Visa's stand-in processing could not answer for it.

What the store can do

Let customers retry. A burst of 91s across one bank's cards is an outage on their side.

For developers

On Stripe the raw issuer code arrives in charge.outcome.network_decline_code (here "91"), 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. Stripe's issuer_not_available decline code covers this case and PlatformDTC treats it as temporary.

Frequently asked questions

Is code 91 the customer's fault?: No. It means the bank's system was unavailable.
How soon can I retry code 91?: Within minutes at checkout. PlatformDTC spaces renewal retries 2, 5 and 8 days out so they never pile up.