Decline code 05: do not honor

What decline code 05 means

The issuer declined without giving a specific reason. It is a catch-all that can cover suspected fraud, risk rules, a temporary block or an issuer system rule. On Mastercard it is often accompanied by a Merchant Advice Code that says whether to retry.

Should you retry?

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.

Equivalent codes

• Stripe decline code: do_not_honor Do not honor
• Stripe decline code: generic_decline Generic decline

Frequently asked questions

Is decline code 05 a soft or hard decline?

Soft decline (retryable). The issuer declined without giving a specific reason. It is a catch-all that can cover suspected fraud, risk rules, a temporary block or an issuer system rule. On Mastercard it is often accompanied by a Merchant Advice Code that says whether to retry.

Should I retry a payment that failed with decline code 05?

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.

Other response codes

• 96 System malfunction
• 51 Insufficient funds
• 61 Exceeds withdrawal amount limit
• 65 Exceeds withdrawal frequency limit
• 01 Refer to card issuer
• 03 Invalid merchant
• 04 Capture card
• 12 Invalid transaction
• All decline codes

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