Decline Codes

Last updated 24 October 2026. Copy page as text

This page covers decline codes, the reason a card was turned down at the moment of sale, so no money ever moved. Looking for a chargeback notice or a returned bank transfer?

If money already reached you and is now being taken back, that's a chargeback reason code, not a decline. If the payment ran on a routing and account number instead of a card, it's a bank transfer.

TL;DR

• A decline code is the issuer telling you why it said no. They follow ISO 8583, with per-network variations
• Soft declines (91, 92, 96, 19, 22, 68) may be temporary. Test a backoff schedule only for retry-eligible responses; the example below is a starting setting. On Mastercard, MAC 02 means wait 24 hours and MAC 03 or 21 means stop
• Hard declines (14, 15, 41, 43, 54, 56) mean stop. For an expired card (54), get the new expiry date or another card; don't retry the same details
• 51 insufficient funds sits in between. Tell the customer, don't auto-retry
• Track declines by channel, issuer and payment type against your own history. A higher CNP rate alone doesn't identify the cause

When a transaction gets declined, the issuing bank returns a response code saying why. The codes follow the ISO 8583 standard, though each network's added its own variations.

Quick Reference: Most Common Codes

Code	Meaning	Retry?	What to Tell Customer
05	Do Not Honor	Maybe after 24h	"Please contact your card issuer"
51	Insufficient Funds	After customer action	"Card declined - check available balance"
54	Expired Card	Only with a new expiry date or card	"Check your expiry or use a different card"
14	Invalid Card Number	No	"Please verify your card number"
41/43	Lost/Stolen Card	No	"Card cannot be used - contact issuer"
65	Activity Limit Exceeded	After 24h	"Daily limit reached - try tomorrow"
91	Issuer Unavailable	Yes, retry shortly	"Temporary issue - please try again"

CP vs CNP

Decline codes apply to both card-present and card-not-present transactions. Compare each channel with its own issuer and customer mix. Some codes are CP-only, like the PIN ones. Others you'll only see in CNP, like the 3DS authentication codes.

New to payments?

Looking up a specific code? You're in the right place. Want to understand the bigger picture (how money moves, why transactions fail, and what to do about it)? Start The Guide, 15 lessons, ~105 minutes total.

Also in This Section

• Soft vs Hard Declines - Which declines to retry and which to stop
• Mastercard Merchant Advice Codes - Avoid fees by respecting MAC 03/21 rules
• Visa-Specific Codes - Credential-on-file and authentication codes
• Processor Messages - Stripe's generic_decline, Braintree's 2000 Do Not Honor and others

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ISO 8583 Standard Codes (All Networks)

These are the ISO 8583 codes, and you'll see them across Visa, Mastercard, Discover and (partially) American Express.

Jump to: Approval | Card issues | Fraud and security | Funds and limits | Authorization | PIN | Technical | Other

Approval Codes

Code	Description	Action
00	Approved	Transaction successful
08	Honour with identification	Approved, verify ID
10	Partial approval	Approved for partial amount only
11	Approved (VIP)	Approved
16	Approved, update track 3	Approved, card data update needed

Card Issues

Code	Description	Retry?	Merchant Action
14	Invalid card number	No	Ask customer to verify card number
15	No such issuer	No	Card prefix doesn't match any issuer
33	Expired card (alternate)	No	Request different card
54	Expired card	Only with a new expiry date or card	Check expiry or request different card
56	No card record	No	Card not on issuer's file

Fraud/Security

Code	Description	Retry?	Merchant Action
04	Pick up card	No	Do not return card (CP only)
07	Pick up card, special condition (fraud)	No	Do not return card (CP only)
34	Suspected fraud	No	Do not proceed
41	Lost card	No	Card reported lost
43	Stolen card	No	Card reported stolen
59	Suspected fraud	No	Do not proceed
63	Security violation	Maybe	CVV/CVC mismatch possible - verify

Funds/Limits

Code	Description	Retry?	Merchant Action
51	Insufficient funds	After customer action	Customer needs to add funds
52	No checking account	No	Wrong account type
53	No savings account	No	Wrong account type
61	Exceeds withdrawal amount limit	After 24h	Daily limit reached
65	Exceeds withdrawal frequency limit	After 24h	Too many transactions today

Authorization Issues

Code	Description	Retry?	Merchant Action
01	Refer to card issuer	No	Customer must call issuer
02	Refer to card issuer (special condition)	No	Customer must call issuer
03	Invalid merchant	No	Check merchant ID configuration
05	Do not honor	Maybe after 24h	Generic decline - customer should call issuer
06	Error	No	Check transaction details
12	Invalid transaction	No	Transaction type not allowed
13	Invalid amount	No	Check amount formatting
57	Transaction not permitted to cardholder	No	Card restricted from this transaction type
58	Transaction not permitted to terminal	No	Terminal not configured for this type
62	Restricted card	No	Card has restrictions

PIN-Related (Card-Present Only)

Code	Description	Retry?	Merchant Action
55	Incorrect PIN	Yes (limited)	Customer can retry with correct PIN
75	Allowable PIN tries exceeded	No	Card locked - customer must call issuer
86	Cannot verify PIN	Yes	Technical issue with PIN verification

Technical Issues

Code	Description	Retry?	Merchant Action
19	Re-enter transaction	Yes	Retry the transaction
22	Suspected malfunction	Yes	Retry shortly
30	Format error	No	Check message format
31	Bank not supported by switch	No	Routing issue
68	Response received too late	Yes	Timeout - retry
90	Cutoff is in process	Yes	Batch processing in progress
91	Issuer or switch inoperative	Yes	Retry in a few minutes
92	Financial institution cannot be found	Yes	Routing issue - retry
96	System malfunction	Yes	Retry shortly

Other

Code	Description	Retry?	Merchant Action
17	Customer cancellation	No	Customer cancelled
21	No action taken	No	No specific reason provided
93	Transaction cannot be completed - violation of law	No	Cannot proceed
94	Duplicate transmission	No	Already processed

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Visa-Specific Codes

Visa has network-specific responses as well as the standard codes. Code 83 below is an authorization response. It isn't a chargeback reason.

Code	Description	Retry?	Notes
1A	Authentication required	Yes	3DS authentication needed
6P	Customer ID verification failed	Correct details first	Visa Category 3
83	Fraud/security, Visa use only	Ask your processor before another attempt	STIP declined a high-risk or potentially fraudulent transaction; Category 2 from July 25, 2026
N4	Exceeds issuer withdrawal limit	After 24h	Similar to code 61
N7	CVV2 failure	Yes	Re-enter security code
P1	Issuer not available	Yes	Retry shortly
R0	Stop payment order	No	Recurring payment stopped by cardholder
R1	Revocation of authorization order	No	Cardholder revoked authorization
R3	Revocation of all authorizations	No	All recurring authorizations cancelled
Z1	Offline declined	No	Card declined offline
Z3	Unable to go online, offline declined	No	Could not connect, declined locally

Source: Visa rules, edition April 18, 2026, summary p. 47 and section 7.3.6.3, Table 7-2, pp. 538-541. Checked October 21, 2026. Category 1 stops resubmission on the same credential. Categories 2-4 permit up to 20 attempts in 30 days. Correct Category 3 data before another attempt. Ask for the original network code if your processor translates it.

Visa Credential-on-File Codes

Code	Description	Retry?	Action
R0	Customer requested stop recurring	No	Remove customer from billing
R1	Revocation of specific authorization	No	Contact customer for new payment method
R3	Revocation of all authorizations	No	Contact customer - all stored credentials invalid

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Mastercard-Specific Codes

Standard Mastercard Codes

Code	Description	Retry?	Notes
70	Contact card issuer	Yes	Customer should verify with bank
78	No account	No	Account doesn't exist
79	Life cycle decline	No	Card status changed (closed, blocked)
82	CVV/CVC check failed	Yes	Re-enter security code
83	Fraud/security decline	No	High-risk transaction blocked

Mastercard Merchant Advice Codes (MAC)

Read Mastercard's response code and Merchant Advice Code together. MAC 03 or 21 means do not resubmit. The 30-day fee test below doesn't make a later retry permissible.

MAC	Meaning	Action
01	New account information available	Get updated account details from the customer or Account Updater before another attempt
02	Try again later	Wait 24 hours; check the response code too
03	Do not retry	Stop; ask for another payment method
21	Payment cancelled	Do NOT resubmit

Two separate fees:

• Excessive Authorization Attempts (TPE): After 10 issuer declines on the same card and acceptor in 24 hours, or 35 on the same account, acceptor and amount in a rolling 30 days. US rate: $0.50 from January 1, 2025
• MAC 03/21: PayPal lists US $0.03 per transaction when another attempt within 30 days also declines with MAC 03/21 after an earlier MAC 03/21 decline

These are fee tripwires, not retry allowances. Your billed amount can vary by region and acquirer. Ask your processor for its schedule.

Sources: Global Payments PMB 1311, p. 19; PayPal's separate fee tables; Mastercard rules, section 3.3; Moneris fee history. Checked October 21, 2026.

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American Express Codes

American Express doesn't follow the same structure. Its codes are mostly three digits.

Approval Codes

Code	Description	Action
000	Approved	Transaction successful
001	Approve with ID	Approved, verify identification
002	Partial authorization	Approved for partial amount

Decline Codes

Code	Description	Retry?	Notes
100	Deny	Yes	General decline
101	Expired card / invalid expiration date	No	Card expired
106	PIN tries exceeded	Yes (with PIN reset)	Card locked for PIN
109	Invalid service establishment	Yes	Merchant setup issue
110	Invalid amount	Yes	Check amount formatting
111	Invalid account	No	Account doesn't exist
115	Requested function not supported	No	Transaction type not allowed
117	Incorrect PIN	Yes	Retry with correct PIN
119	Transaction not permitted (PIN)	No	Restriction on account
122	Invalid keyed card security code	Yes	CID incorrect - re-enter
125	Additional customer identification required	Yes	Need more verification
130	Invalid effective date on card	Yes	Check card dates
181	Format error	Yes	Message format issue
183	Invalid currency code	No	Currency not supported
187	Deny - new card issued	Yes	New card exists, get from customer
200	Deny - pick up card	No	Card reported lost/stolen
911	Card issuer timed out	Yes	Retry shortly
912	Host unavailable	Yes	Retry shortly
D2	Invalid service code, restricted	No	Card restricted
D4	Invalid transaction	No	Transaction type not allowed

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Discover Codes

Discover primarily uses the standard ISO 8583 codes (00-99). Key Discover-specific behaviors:

Code	Discover-Specific Notes
05	Generic decline - common on Discover
51	Insufficient funds - same as other networks
54	Expired card
57	Transaction not permitted - may indicate international restriction
62	Often means Discover not accepted at terminal

Discover Stop Payment Codes

Code	Description	Action
R0	Stop payment order	Customer requested stop - do not retry
R1	Revocation of authorization	Remove stored credential

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Processor Messages: Stripe and Braintree

Your processor may show its own message instead of the network's code. Stripe's decline codes and Braintree's processor responses are two you'll see often. Neither list says which network code sits behind each message, so you can't match them one for one to the rows above. Before you set retry rules on one, ask your processor for the original network response code.

Stripe Decline Codes

Stripe says its codes cover many of the same reasons as the issuer's codes, with more detail.

Stripe code	What Stripe says it means	What Stripe says to do
generic_decline	Declined for an unknown reason, or Stripe's Radar or Adaptive Acceptance blocked it	Customer contacts their card issuer. If Stripe blocked it, see risk blocked
do_not_honor	Declined for an unknown reason	Customer contacts their card issuer
insufficient_funds	Not enough funds on the card for the purchase	Customer uses another payment method
card_velocity_exceeded	Over the card's balance, credit limit or transaction amount limit	Customer contacts their card issuer
expired_card	The card has expired	Customer uses another card
incorrect_cvc	The security code is wrong	Customer tries again with the right code
incorrect_number	The card number is wrong	Customer tries again with the right number
authentication_required	The issuer wants authentication such as 3D Secure	Stripe's own checkout usually starts authentication. For an off-session payment, you may need to ask the customer to come back and try again
fraudulent, lost_card, stolen_card	Stripe suspects fraud, or the card's reported lost or stolen	Show the customer the same message as generic_decline
issuer_not_available	The issuer couldn't be reached	Try again. If it still fails, customer contacts their card issuer
processing_error	An error came up while processing the card	Customer tries again. If it still fails, they contact their card issuer

Braintree Processor Responses

Braintree labels each one soft or hard. Those labels are Braintree's own. Visa's retry categories and Mastercard's advice codes, above, still decide whether you may resubmit.

Braintree code and text	Braintree's label	What Braintree says
2000 Do Not Honor	Soft	The bank won't accept it and gives no specific reason. Customer contacts their bank
2001 Insufficient Funds	Soft	Not enough funds at the time. A later attempt may succeed
2004 Expired Card	Hard	Customer uses a different payment method
2005 Invalid Credit Card Number	Hard	Customer corrects the details and tries again, then contacts their bank if it persists
2010 Card Issuer Declined CVV	Hard	Security code wrong or mistyped. Customer tries again, then contacts their bank
2014 Processor Declined - Fraud Suspected	Hard	The bank suspects fraud. Customer contacts their bank
2015 Transaction Not Allowed	Hard	Unspecified, possibly the card itself. Customer contacts their bank
2038 Processor Declined	Soft	The bank won't accept it, for reasons that vary. Customer contacts their bank
2044 Declined - Call Issuer	Hard	Customer tries again, then contacts their bank
2046 Declined	Soft	The bank won't accept it. Customer contacts their bank
2047 Call Issuer. Pick Up Card	Hard	Reported lost or stolen. Ask for another payment method
2057 Issuer or Cardholder has put a restriction on the card	Soft	Customer contacts their bank
2099 Cardholder Authentication Required	Soft	3D Secure wasn't run at checkout. Authenticate, then try again
3000 Processor Network Unavailable - Try Again	Soft	Possibly a processing network problem, not the card

Sources: Stripe decline codes and network decline codes; Braintree authorization responses. Checked October 23, 2026.

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Soft vs Hard Declines

Soft Declines (Retriable)

These are temporary. They'll often clear on their own, or on a retry:

Category	Codes	Strategy
Issuer unavailable	91, 92, 96	Retry immediately, then with backoff, unless the MAC says wait or stop
Processing errors	19, 22, 68	Retry once immediately, unless the MAC says wait or stop
Timeout	911, 912	Retry in 30-60 seconds, unless the MAC says wait or stop
Authentication needed	1A	Redirect to 3DS

Example backoff to test: immediately, 30 minutes, 4 hours, 24 hours, only for eligible temporary failures. Check provider limits and the advice code first: MAC 02 means wait 24 hours, and MAC 03 or 21 means stop. Measure recovered payments and duplicate attempts before keeping the schedule.

Hard Declines (Not Retriable)

These are conservative stops, not Visa's Category 1 list. Ask for a different payment method rather than retrying unchanged data.

Category	Codes	Strategy
Invalid card	14, 15, 56	Request different payment method
Lost/Stolen	41, 43, 200	Do not proceed, contact security if needed
Fraud blocks	04, 07, 34, 59	Do not proceed
Card restrictions	57, 62, 119	Customer must contact issuer
Insufficient funds	51	Notify customer, don't auto-retry

Strategy: Don't auto-retry these. Ask the customer for another payment method. For an expired card (54), get the new expiry date or another card first.

Gray Area Declines: What Does Do Not Honor Mean? Should I Retry?

A few codes sit in between. You'll have to use judgment:

Code	When to Retry	When Not to Retry
05 (Do Not Honor)	First occurrence, retry after 24h	Repeated declines on same card
65 (Activity Limit)	Next calendar day	Same day
51 (Insufficient Funds)	After customer confirms funds added	Never auto-retry
01 (Refer to Issuer)	After customer contacts bank	Until customer confirms resolution

Risk Blocked Transaction: What to Check Before Retrying

Open the payment's risk details before retrying. A provider's fraud screen can block a payment without an issuer decline. An issuer decline means the card issuer received the request and said no. Stripe's high-risk Radar example has a blocked outcome and wasn't sent to the card network. Its advice is do_not_try_again. Stripe's payment failure guide.

Retrying as-is doesn't change the rule that stopped it. Don't apply code 05's 24-hour suggestion to an active fraud block. Check the cause first.

If you've checked the customer is real and the payment is genuine:

• Stripe: Open the payment in the Dashboard. Read the outcome and any available risk insights. Use Add to allow list where available. This affects future matching attempts; it doesn't retry the payment. Missing the button? Contact Stripe. Stripe's risk outcomes and allow route.
• Square US: You'll need Risk Manager permissions. In the Dashboard, open Risk Manager > Blocked payments. Choose ... > Add to Allow List, select a reason, then Add to list. Square says to know, contact and trust the customer first. An issuer decline still stops the payment, even on this list. Square's Allow List guide.

Using another provider? Check its documented review or allow route for a real customer. Ask support which system blocked the payment, what needs to change and whether another attempt is allowed. Sources checked 23 October 2026.

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Decline Code Categories for Reporting

When building decline analytics, group codes into these categories:

Category	Codes	What to measure	Action
Funds or activity limits	51, 65, N4	Share of attempts in the same segment and window	Read the specific code before notifying the customer
Card Invalid	14, 54, 56, 101	Failures by credential and card-update status	Request corrected details or another card as appropriate
Do Not Honor	05, 100	Changes by issuer	Ask your processor for the underlying reason
Fraud/Security	04, 41, 43, 59	Changes by channel and issuer	Respect stop instructions
Technical	91, 92, 96, 911	Errors by route and incident window	Retry only where the response and advice code permit
Authentication	1A, 125	Failed or required authentication by flow	Use the supported verification flow
Other	All others	Counts and share of attempts	Review the actual code

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Test to Run

Weekly decline analysis:

1. Pull all declines from your processor for last 7 days
2. Group by response code
3. Count each category and divide by all authorization attempts in the same segment and window
4. Compare matched issuer, country and payment-type segments with their own history
5. Investigate unexplained changes and customer failures; choose alert settings from normal variation and payment counts

Monthly retry analysis:

1. Count retries per decline code
2. Calculate retry success rate per code
3. Identify codes you're retrying that never succeed (stop retrying those)
4. Check for Mastercard MAC 03/21 violations

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Scale Callout

Volume	Focus
Under $100K/mo	Know soft vs hard. Don't retry hard declines.
$100K-$1M/mo	Build decline reporting by category. Implement smart retry logic.
Over $1M/mo	Negotiate decline code visibility with processor. Build automated retry rules. Monitor MAC compliance.

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Where This Breaks

Processor code mapping: Your processor probably translates network codes into its own. Ask for the original network response code, not just their internal one.

Generic declines: Code 05 tells you nothing. Push your processor for a more specific code when they've got one.

International cards: The same code can mean different things at an international issuer. Code 57 especially varies by region.

Retry fees: Mastercard's MAC program penalizes retries on codes 03 and 21. Your retry logic needs to respect that, or you're paying for it.

Putting This to Work

Building decline handling?

1. Implement soft/hard classification
2. Set up smart retry logic with backoff
3. Build customer messaging by decline type

Subscription retry strategy?

1. Recurring billing guide - Dunning best practices
2. Respect Mastercard MAC codes - avoid fees
3. Don't retry hard declines ever

Do next

• Processor Management - Acquirer relationships
• Auth optimization playbook - Full guide
• Card Account Updater - Keep cards current

Look up

• Benchmarks - Target auth rates

Deeper

• Checkout Conversion - Reducing abandonment
• Card Testing - Fraud causing declines

Improving auth rates?

• 3D Secure - Handle authentication declines