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

What the do_not_honor code means

When Stripe returns the do_not_honor decline code, the customer's bank refused the charge without giving Stripe a more specific reason.

What to do next

• Ask the customer to contact their bank for clarification or to resolve the issue.
• Offer the customer an alternative payment method (another card or a different payment provider).
• Retry the payment after a short period – if the bank’s issue is temporary, a retry may succeed.
• If the retry fails again, move the order to a pending state and follow up with the customer.

Example email to the customer

Hi [Customer name],

We tried to process your payment but the bank declined the transaction (code: do_not_honor). Please contact your bank to confirm the issue, or try a different card. If you need help, let us know.

Thanks,
Your Company

Spot this decline in your Stripe export

Download your Stripe payments export and look at the Decline Reason of failed payments for do_not_honor. Or upload the export to our free Stripe payments check to see the money lost to failed payments, refunds and disputes in seconds.

Recover lost revenue

Download our Full Failed‑Payment Recovery Kit – 6 emails, all 10 decline codes, and a worksheet to track recoveries.