PayPal · Decline codes
What does PayPal processor response code 5400 mean?
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PayPal processor response code 5400 (EXPIRED_CARD) means the card has expired and the bank won't approve payments on it. Retrying will never work. The shopper should use their replacement card or another payment method. For subscriptions, the merchant should ask the customer to add a current card.
- PayPal label
- EXPIRED_CARD
- Type
- Hard decline
- Who declined
- The card's bank (via PayPal)
- Similar Visa code
- 54 (Expired card or expiration date is missing): Visa Category 3 (revalidate payment information)
- Retry
- No, a new or updated card is needed
- Shopper action
- Use the replacement card or another method
- Merchant action
- Ask for updated card details; never retry
- PlatformDTC renewal
- No retry; one-click update-card link and reminders
What PlatformDTC does
PlatformDTC records PayPal 5400 as an expired card (expired_card). Expired cards are never retried automatically: on either retry schedule (the default Fixed schedule or Smart retry), the renewal is held past due, the card is marked blocked, and the customer is emailed a signed one-click link to add a new card, with no login. The link is re-sent up to 4 times per billing cycle, at least 3 days apart.
Why it happens
Every card has an end date. After it, the bank declines the old card, even if the account behind it is still open.
What the shopper can do
Use the new card your bank sent, or another card or your PayPal balance.
What the store can do
Email subscribers before their saved card's expiry month so they can update it in time.
After a decline, send a direct link to update the card instead of retrying.
For developers
PayPal returns 5400 in processor_response.response_code on the capture (purchase_units[].payments.captures[]) or authorization of a card payment. PayPal's own name for it is EXPIRED_CARD.
Visa has a similarly named raw response code, 54 ("Expired card or expiration date is missing"); in the Visa Core Rules (24 October 2026, Table 7-2) that code is category 3 (revalidate payment information). PayPal's code list doesn't map its codes to Visa's, so treat this as context, not a translation.
Keep the raw code with the order. PayPal's label is the only official meaning, and the exact code tells support which branch of PayPal's table fired.
Frequently asked questions
- Can an expired card ever be charged?
- No. The customer needs to enter their replacement card's details.
- Why did the card expire if the customer got a new one?
- The saved card details still hold the old expiry date; the customer has to update them.
Sources
Related
- 1380 — Invalid expiration: the expiry date sent doesn't match a valid card.
- PPEX — Expiry date: the payment was refused over the card's expiry date.
- PPEF — Expired funding instrument: the card or account used to pay has expired.
- 5950 — Updated account: an updated card has been issued, so the old details were declined.
- 5650 — SCA required: the bank needs the cardholder to authenticate the payment.
- 5700 — Transaction not permitted: outside the scope of accepted business for this card.
- 5710 — Attempts exceed limit: too many payment attempts on this card.
- 5910 — Issuer not available, not retriable: the bank couldn't be reached and PayPal says don't retry.