Reference

Decline code lookup for recurring payments

What each code means, whether it is a soft or hard decline, and when to retry. Built for subscription and recurring-billing teams, not cardholders.

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Mastercard response codes (ISO 8583 DE39)

The response code says what happened. Most of these values are shared across networks; Mastercard-specific groupings (79, 82, 83) are noted.

Code	Meaning	Type	Retry
`51`	Insufficient fundsMonitored	Soft decline	Retry, but only when funds are likely to be back. Blind schedules waste attempts and can trigger reattempt fees. If the issuer returned a Merchant Advice Code 24 to 30, respect its wait time. If the card is monitored by PaymentRetryAlert, wait for the RETRY_NOW alert.
`61`	Exceeds withdrawal amount limitMonitored	Soft decline	Retryable once the limit window resets, typically the next day. Covered by PaymentRetryAlert monitoring alongside code 51.
`65`	Exceeds withdrawal frequency limit	Soft decline	Retry after the frequency window resets. Do not stack multiple attempts in the same day, which makes it worse.
`05`	Do not honor	Soft decline	Check the Merchant Advice Code first: MAC 01 means update the card details, MAC 02 means try later, MAC 03 means do not retry. Without a MAC, one retry after 24 to 72 hours is reasonable; repeated attempts hurt your authorization rate.
`01`	Refer to card issuer	Soft decline	Do not machine-retry. Ask the customer to contact their bank or to supply another payment method.
`03`	Invalid merchant	Hard decline	Do not retry. Contact your acquirer or processor to check the merchant ID and MCC setup.
`04`	Capture card	Hard decline	Never retry. Remove the stored credential and request a new payment method.
`12`	Invalid transaction	Hard decline	Do not retry the same message. Fix the request format or transaction type with your processor first.
`13`	Invalid amount	Hard decline	Correct the amount before resubmitting. A retry with the same amount will fail again.
`14`	Invalid card number	Hard decline	Do not retry. Ask the customer to re-enter their card or run an account updater check.
`41`	Lost card	Hard decline	Never retry. Delete the stored credential and request a replacement card. Account updater services will often return the new card automatically.
`43`	Stolen card	Hard decline	Never retry. Retrying a stolen card can attract network non-compliance fees.
`54`	Expired card	Hard decline	Do not retry with the same details. Use an account updater to fetch the new expiry, or ask the customer to update their card.
`55`	Incorrect PIN	Soft decline	Ask the cardholder to re-enter the PIN. Not applicable to merchant-initiated retries.
`57`	Transaction not permitted to cardholder	Hard decline	Do not retry. Ask for a different card. The restriction is set on the card by the issuer.
`58`	Transaction not permitted to terminal	Hard decline	Do not retry. Contact your acquirer about the merchant configuration.
`62`	Restricted card	Hard decline	Do not retry. Request another payment method.
`63`	Security violation	Hard decline	Do not machine-retry. If the customer is present, ask them to re-enter their details.
`70`	Contact card issuer	Soft decline	Do not machine-retry. Prompt the customer to contact their bank.
`75`	Allowable number of PIN tries exceeded	Hard decline	Not applicable to merchant-initiated billing. The cardholder must unlock the card with their bank.
`79`	Life cycle	Hard decline	Do not retry with the same credentials. Query the account updater for replacement card details.
`82`	Policy	Hard decline	Do not retry without a change. Check the accompanying Merchant Advice Code; MAC 03 or 21 means stop.
`83`	Fraud / security	Hard decline	Do not retry. Retrying fraud-flagged cards damages your issuer reputation and can attract fees.
`85`	Not declined (verification only)	Informational	No action needed. The card can be stored and charged.
`91`	Issuer or switch inoperative	Soft decline	Retry after a short delay, such as an hour, then again the next day if needed. Cap attempts to stay within network reattempt limits.
`92`	Unable to route transaction	Soft decline	Retry after a delay. If it persists, raise it with your acquirer.
`94`	Duplicate transaction	Informational	Do not resend as is. Check whether the original attempt actually approved before generating a new transaction reference.
`96`	System malfunction	Soft decline	Retry after a short delay. Treat it like code 91.

Mastercard Merchant Advice Codes

The advice code says what the issuer thinks you should do. It travels alongside the response code on Mastercard declines and is the half most billing systems ignore.

Code	Meaning	Type	Retry
`01`	New account information available	Informational	Query the Mastercard Automatic Billing Updater (or your processor's account updater) before retrying. Retrying with the old details will keep failing.
`02`	Cannot approve at this time, try again later	Soft decline	Retry after a delay of at least a day. If code 51 accompanied it, timing the retry to when funds return is what matters.
`03`	Do not try again	Hard decline	Stop. Remove the stored credential and request a new payment method from the customer.
`04`	Token requirements not fulfilled for this token type	Hard decline	Fix the tokenised request with your processor before retrying.
`21`	Recurring payment cancelled (stop billing)	Hard decline	Stop billing this card immediately. Reach out to the customer to confirm whether they intended to cancel.
`22`	Merchant does not qualify for product code	Hard decline	Do not retry. Request another payment method.
`24`	Retry after 1 hourMonitored	Soft decline	Retry after one hour and not before. Retrying earlier wastes an attempt.
`25`	Retry after 24 hoursMonitored	Soft decline	Wait 24 hours, then retry once.
`26`	Retry after 2 daysMonitored	Soft decline	Wait two days, then retry once.
`27`	Retry after 4 daysMonitored	Soft decline	Wait four days, then retry once.
`28`	Retry after 6 daysMonitored	Soft decline	Wait six days, then retry once.
`29`	Retry after 8 daysMonitored	Soft decline	Wait eight days, then retry once.
`30`	Retry after 10 daysMonitored	Soft decline	Wait ten days, then retry once.
`40`	Consumer non-reloadable prepaid card	Hard decline	Do not retry on insufficient funds. Ask for a different payment method.
`41`	Consumer single-use virtual card number	Hard decline	Do not retry. The number is spent.
`42`	Consumer multi-use virtual card number	Informational	Follow the guidance for the accompanying response code.

Stripe decline codes

Stripe maps network codes to readable strings on the payment error. These are the ones recurring-billing teams meet most often.

Code	Meaning	Type	Retry
`insufficient_funds`	Insufficient fundsMonitored	Soft decline	Smart Retries will reattempt on a predicted schedule. To retry at the moment funds actually return, add a network signal: PaymentRetryAlert's RETRY_NOW webhook can trigger an immediate invoice pay call through Stripe.
`do_not_honor`	Do not honor	Soft decline	One retry after a day or two is reasonable. If it repeats, ask the customer to contact their bank or use another card.
`generic_decline`	Generic decline	Soft decline	Check Radar first. Otherwise treat like do_not_honor: one spaced retry, then customer outreach.
`card_velocity_exceeded`	Card velocity exceededMonitored	Soft decline	Retry after the limit window resets, usually the next day.
`try_again_later`	Try again later	Soft decline	Retry after at least 24 hours.
`new_account_information_available`	New account information available	Informational	Stripe's card account updater usually refreshes these automatically. If not, ask the customer for the new card.

Sources: ISO 8583 response codes as documented by Mastercard; Mastercard Merchant Advice Codes (DE48 SE84); Stripe decline codes. Network fee schedules and reattempt thresholds change; confirm current figures with your acquirer. Mastercard is a registered trademark of Mastercard International Incorporated, which does not sponsor or endorse this service.