Stripe · Decline codes
What does the Stripe generic_decline decline code mean?
Checked
Stripe's generic_decline code means the card was declined for an unknown reason, or Stripe Radar or Adaptive Acceptance blocked the payment. Stripe says most issuer declines are categorised this way, and its advice is for the customer to contact their card issuer. The shopper's fastest fix is another card or payment method. Merchants should check the payment's risk outcome to see whether Stripe or the bank declined it before deciding on any retry.
- Type
- Soft decline (refer to issuer), unless Radar blocked it
- Who declined
- The card's bank, or Stripe's Radar / Adaptive Acceptance
- Retry
- Once at most if the bank declined; never if Radar blocked it
- Shopper action
- Use another card, or call the bank
- Merchant action
- Check whether Radar blocked it; offer another payment method
What PlatformDTC does
At checkout PlatformDTC shows "Your card was declined. Try another card or contact your bank." A bank decline can be offered to the store's PayPal card backup; a Radar block or highest risk level never is. With Smart retry on, a renewal gets one retry 48 to 72 hours later, then the customer is asked for a new card. If the raw bank code underneath is 51, it is treated as insufficient funds instead.
Why it happens
Banks often decline without giving a reason. Stripe also uses this code when its own Radar rules or Adaptive Acceptance blocked the payment before or instead of the bank's decision.
What the shopper can do
Pay with a different card or method, or contact your bank to ask why the card was declined.
What the store can do
Look at the payment in your Stripe dashboard: a blocked or high-risk outcome means Stripe stopped it, not the bank. Asking for CVC and postal code and using 3D Secure can lower bank declines.
For developers
charge.outcome.type of "blocked" or risk_level "highest" points to Stripe's screening. For bank declines, network_decline_code and outcome.advice_code carry the bank's own answer (on Visa, 51 is not sufficient funds, 05 don't honor, 59 suspected fraud).
Frequently asked questions
- What is the most common Stripe decline code?
- Stripe's card-declines guide says card issuers categorise most declines as generic_decline, which is why the exact reason is often unclear.
- Should I retry a generic_decline?
- If the bank declined, one later retry is reasonable; after that ask for another card. If Stripe Radar blocked it, do not retry.
- Does generic_decline mean fraud?
- Not necessarily. It can mean a bank decline with no reason, or a Radar block. The payment's risk outcome tells you which.
Sources
- Stripe decline codes — Stripe
- Card declines and retries — Stripe
- Network decline codes — Stripe
Related
- do_not_honor — The bank declined the card without saying why.
- call_issuer — The bank declined without a reason and wants the cardholder to contact it.
- card_declined — Stripe's error code for any declined card; the decline_code says why.
- fraudulent — Stripe's fraud checks suspected the payment was fraudulent and blocked it.
- insufficient_funds — The card doesn't have enough money or credit for this payment.
- incorrect_address — The billing address entered doesn't match the bank's records.
- incorrect_cvc — The card's security code (CVC) is wrong.
- incorrect_number — The card number entered is wrong.