Stripe decline code

do_not_honor

The issuing bank refused the charge without giving a specific reason. It's one of the most common — and most ambiguous — decline codes.

Primary source: Stripe’s official decline codes reference

Why it happens

• The issuer's fraud or risk system flagged the transaction.
• An account hold or limit the bank won't detail.
• The customer needs to confirm the charge with their bank.

Should you retry it?

Sometimes — it depends on the issuer

Because the reason is unspecified, some do_not_honor declines clear on a later attempt while others need the customer to call their bank. Retry on a measured schedule and nudge the customer too.

How to recover it

Retry on a moderate schedule and send a reminder so the customer can authorize the charge with their bank or switch cards.

Let Stripe's retry schedule run first. For invoices that stay unpaid after it ends, Recoverly opens a case and — with your approval — sends a 3-step payment-update sequence (Day 0 / 3 / 7) linking to Stripe's hosted payment page.

Related decline codes

• card_declined
• generic_decline
• insufficient_funds

Written by the Recoverly team · Published June 25, 2026 · Last reviewed July 17, 2026

Recoverly finds invoices Stripe’s retries left unpaid and — with your approval — sends payment-update emails, then verifies what actually came back. This page is informational and not affiliated with Stripe.