Stripe decline codeStripe: card declined with do_not_honor

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What do_not_honor means, and what to do

1. 01

   The bank gave no reason

   “The card was declined for an unknown reason.” Stripe, Decline codes (do_not_honor)

   do_not_honor works like generic_decline. The issuer said no and didn’t say why.

2. 02

   Only the customer can get the reason

   “The customer needs to contact their card issuer for more information.” Stripe, Decline codes (do_not_honor)

   Banks don’t explain declines to the merchant. Tell the customer to call the number on the back of the card, then try again once the bank clears it.

3. 03

   Check CVC and address results first

   “For example, if CVC or Address Verification Service (AVS) checks fail when your customer adds a card, ask your customer to verify both of these details before initiating another charge.” Stripe, Card declines

   Open the payment in the Dashboard. If the CVC or postal code check failed, the customer may have typed a detail wrong, and fixing it may be enough.

4. 04

   Read the advice code before retrying

   The decline code arrives on the error as decline_code. The charge behind it, the PaymentIntent’s latest_charge, can also carry an advice_code: do_not_try_again means stop charging that card for this payment, and try_again_later means a retry can work.

   // after a failed confirm
   console.log(err.decline_code); // 'do_not_honor'
   
   const pi = await stripe.paymentIntents.retrieve(paymentIntentId);
   const charge = await stripe.charges.retrieve(pi.latest_charge);
   console.log(charge.outcome?.advice_code); // e.g. 'try_again_later'

5. 05

   Retrying renewals too often

   “Stripe recommends a maximum of eight retries for charges that permit retries.” Stripe, Card declines

   For subscriptions, let Smart Retries or a set retry schedule handle it, and email the customer to update the card.

Checked against the vendor’s docs on November 9, 2026: Stripe docs: Decline codes; Stripe docs: Card declines.

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Related: Stripe incorrect_cvc · Stripe card declined (generic_decline) · Stripe insufficient_funds · Stripe authentication_required decline