Stripe decline codes / do_not_honor

Stripe do_not_honor: what it means and how to respond

do_not_honor means the issuing bank refused the payment and gave no specific reason. Despite the wording, it does not necessarily mean the card is bad: banks use it as a catch-all response for many different situations.

Decline code: do_not_honor
Type: Temporary refusal
Who can fix it: The bank (time)
Will a retry help?: Likely: let Smart Retries run

What it means

An opaque 'no' from the bank, often a temporary lock, a spending rule or a risk score on their side. Despite the name, retries recover a majority.

The bank said no without a lasting reason. Stripe's Smart Retries recover a large share of these within a few days; a gentle reminder helps.

Why it happens

A temporary hold, spending limit or velocity rule on the customer's account.
A risk or fraud score on the bank's side at the moment of the charge.
A card or account restriction the bank does not disclose.
A transient issuer-side refusal that clears on a later attempt.

What to do

Wait for a retry on Stripe's schedule, or retry manually after a few days, rather than immediately.
Send the customer a neutral email with a card-update link.
If it fails again, ask them to contact their bank: only the issuer can say why.
If the bank confirms it released the hold, retry the payment.
If it keeps failing, request a different card.

Should you retry?

A later retry can succeed when the cause was temporary, but two failures in a row usually mean the customer needs to speak to their bank or switch cards.

Customer email template

Neutral wording for this situation. Replace {name}, {product}, {link} and {company}.

Hi {name},

Your bank declined our latest payment for {product}. This is usually temporary. We will retry automatically over the next few days, but you can also update or re-confirm your card here: {link}

Thanks,
{company}

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Frequently asked questions

Why does the bank say do_not_honor without a reason?

Issuers use it as a general-purpose refusal and card networks do not require them to explain. Stripe passes the code along but cannot see the underlying reason.

Is do_not_honor a fraud signal?

Not necessarily. It can come from fraud checks, but it also covers limits and temporary holds. Treat it as unexplained rather than as proof of fraud.