For businesses on StripeGuide · do_not_honor declineIndependent · not affiliated with Stripe
Failed Payment Check

Decline code guide · do_not_honor

Stripe do_not_honor decline: what it means and how to fix it.

When Stripe returns do_not_honor, the customer's bank refused the charge and didn't tell Stripe why. Only the bank knows the reason, so the fix usually starts with the customer, not with your Stripe settings.

See what to do next Get the Recovery Kit, 19 USD →
01What to do next

Take action on the decline.

Three steps, in this order, when a payment comes back do_not_honor.

  1. Ask the customer to contact their bank. The bank can tell them why it refused the charge and can lift a block on its side.
  2. Offer an alternative payment method: another card, or another way to pay that you already accept.
  3. Retry the payment after a short period. If the bank's issue was temporary, a retry may succeed. If it fails again, move the order to a pending state and follow up with the customer.

Don't retry the same card over and over: repeated declines won't change the bank's answer.

Action

Want to see how often it happens to you? Run the free check on your Stripe payments export →

03Recover revenue

Recover lost revenue.

The Failed-Payment Recovery Kit: a download on Whop, yours right after paying. No subscription, no account with us.

Failed-Payment Recovery KitDownload
  • Dunning email templates to send after a failed payment
  • A Stripe settings checklist
  • A recovery playbook
Total19 USD
Buy the Recovery Kit

One-time purchase · Files, not software