restricted_cardhighAffects MRR

Stripe restricted_card Error — Causes, Fix & MRR Impact

The Stripe restricted_card error occurs when the card is restricted (e.g. reported lost or stolen) and cannot be used for the payment, causing the decline and MRR risk for SaaS businesses processing subscription payments.

What this means

This card cannot be used for this payment (it may be restricted, lost, or stolen). Ask the customer to use another card or contact their bank.

Why it happens

Card reported lost or stolen

The cardholder reported the card lost or stolen; the issuer restricted it.

Issuer restriction

The issuer placed a restriction on the card (e.g. fraud, account review).

Card product restriction

The card product has restrictions that block this type of transaction.

Pickup or block by issuer

The issuer has requested the card be picked up or blocked (e.g. fraud).

MRR Impact

Restricted card declines require another payment method; generic message and update flow protect MRR.

Restricted card should be shown as generic; update flow and alternatives protect MRR.

Avg. recovery rate: Recovery depends on customer adding another card or resolving with bank.

Urgency: within 24h

How to fix it

  1. 1

    Treat as generic in UI

    When decline_code is restricted_card, do not show it. Display a generic decline message and prompt for another card or payment method.

  2. 2

    Do not retry same card

    Do not retry the same PaymentMethod; the restriction will remain. Only recovery is another method or issuer resolving the restriction.

  3. 3

    Offer payment method update

    Provide a clear path to add a new card or select another payment method. Link to billing or payment settings.

  4. 4

    Send dunning email

    Email that the payment did not go through and ask the customer to update their payment method or contact their card issuer. Do not mention restricted.

  5. 5

    Log for analytics

    Log restricted_card for internal reporting; do not expose in customer-facing copy or support scripts.

Detect restricted_card automatically

Track restricted_card with lost_card and stolen_card for card-lifecycle analytics.

Monitor your Stripe health free →

FAQ

What is Stripe restricted_card?
restricted_card means the customer cannot use this card for this payment (it may have been reported lost or stolen, or otherwise restricted). Stripe recommends the customer contact their card issuer. For SaaS, present a generic decline message and ask them to use another card or update their payment method.
Should I show restricted_card to the customer?
Do not show the specific reason. Use a generic message like 'Your card was declined. Please try another card or contact your card issuer for more information.' This avoids confusion and is consistent with lost_card and stolen_card handling.
Should I retry restricted_card?
Retrying the same card typically will not help. The card is restricted; recovery requires the customer to use another card or resolve the restriction with their bank.
Does restricted_card affect MRR?
Yes. Prompting for another payment method or bank contact is the way to recover MRR; generic messaging keeps UX consistent.

Related errors

lost_card

The Stripe lost_card error occurs when the cardholder has reported the card as lost and the issuer has frozen it, causing declines and potential MRR loss for SaaS businesses processing subscription payments.

Affects MRRstolen_card

The Stripe stolen_card error occurs when the card has been reported stolen by the cardholder and the issuer declines all transactions, causing failed charges and MRR risk for SaaS businesses processing subscription payments.

Affects MRR