Stripe · Decline codes
What does the Stripe try_again_later decline code mean?
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The Stripe decline code try_again_later means the card was declined for an unknown reason. Stripe now marks it as deprecated. Its advice: ask the customer to attempt the payment again, and if later payments are also declined, the customer should contact their card issuer. Don't confuse it with the try_again_later advice code, a separate field Stripe still uses for retryable declines.
- Type
- Soft decline (temporary)
- Who declined
- The card's bank
- Retry
- Yes, later
- Shopper action
- Try again; contact the bank if it repeats
- Merchant action
- Allow a later retry
- Status
- Deprecated by Stripe
- PlatformDTC renewal
- Retried 2, 5 and 8 days after the first decline (Smart retry)
What PlatformDTC does
PlatformDTC treats try_again_later as a decline another processor may approve, so a store with PayPal card payments as its backup can offer that route at checkout. With Smart retry on it is a temporary renewal decline: retried 2, 5 and 8 days after the first decline, at most 4 attempts, at 14:00 subscriber-local time by default, with the email saying the bank couldn't be reached.
Why it happens
The bank refused without a reason but signalled that a later attempt could work. Stripe gives no specific reason.
What the shopper can do
Try again a little later, or use another card now. If the card keeps failing, call your bank.
For developers
Stripe lists decline_code try_again_later as deprecated. The newer signal is charge.outcome.advice_code = try_again_later, which Stripe describes as a decline you can retry. Check advice_code first and network_decline_code second when scheduling retries.
Frequently asked questions
- Is try_again_later still used?
- Stripe marks the decline code as deprecated. A separate advice code with the same name is still part of Stripe's decline data.
- How long should I wait before retrying?
- Stripe does not set a time. Spacing retries over days works better than repeating within minutes, and Stripe recommends at most eight retries for a charge that permits them.
Sources
- Stripe decline codes — Stripe
- Card declines — Stripe
Related
- issuer_not_available — The card's bank could not be reached, so the payment was never authorized.
- processing_error — An error occurred while processing the card. Usually temporary.
- reenter_transaction — The bank couldn't process the payment for an unknown reason; try it again.
- do_not_try_again — Deprecated code: declined for an unknown reason; don't charge this card again.
- withdrawal_count_limit_exceeded — The customer has gone over the balance or credit limit available on the card.
- mobile_device_authentication_required — The payment needs authentication; the customer should tap their phone again.
- card_declined — Stripe's error code for any declined card; the decline_code says why.
- payment_intent_authentication_failure — The card failed the bank's authentication check (such as 3-D Secure).