Card issuer response codes (ISO 8583) · Decline codes
What does card decline code R3 mean?
Checked
Code R3 is a Visa issuer response code meaning "stop all merchants": the cardholder has asked the bank to stop recurring payments on the card to every merchant. Checkout.com describes it as a revocation order for all authorizations. Visa lists R3 in Category 1, "issuer will never approve", so the card must never be resubmitted. The customer needs to give the store a new payment method to continue.
- Type
- Hard decline (revocation)
- Who declined
- The bank, on the cardholder's instruction
- Visa category
- Category 1 (issuer will never approve): never resubmit the same card
- Retry
- Never on this card
- Shopper action
- Add a new payment method to continue
- Merchant action
- Stop charging; ask for a new card
- PlatformDTC renewal (fixed or Smart retry)
- Never retried; customer asked for a new card
What PlatformDTC does
PlatformDTC treats R3 as a hard stop. On either retry schedule, fixed or Smart retry, the renewal is not retried; the subscription is held past due and the customer receives a signed update-card link, re-sent up to 4 times per billing cycle at least 3 days apart. A Visa checkout declined R3 is never sent to a backup processor.
Why it happens
The cardholder stopped all recurring payments on the card, not just yours. It often happens when a card is compromised or the customer is cutting every subscription.
What the store can do
Ask for a new payment method. Because the block covers every merchant, it is less likely to be about your store specifically.
For developers
On Stripe the raw issuer code arrives in charge.outcome.network_decline_code (here "R3"), 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. PlatformDTC's renewal table also lists Stripe's revocation_of_all_authorizations decline code as hard.
Frequently asked questions
- Is code R3 about my store?
- Not specifically. It stops recurring payments to all merchants on that card.
- Can the customer keep subscribing after R3?
- Yes, with a different card or payment method.
Sources
Related
- R1 — Stop all future payments: the cardholder revoked recurring payments to this merchant.
- R0 — Stop this payment: the cardholder asked the bank to stop this payment.
- 46 — Closed account: the card's account has been closed. Never retry it.
- 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.