What do_not_honor means
do_not_honor (decline code 05 in ISO-8583, surfaced by Stripe as decline_code = "do_not_honor") is one of the most common soft declines in card networks. The issuer recognizes the card, has no fraud flag, but is refusing to authorize the charge until the cardholder takes action — usually calling the number on the back of their card.
Why issuers send it
- New or unusual merchant — first time the customer charges with Chaser / you, especially on a corporate card.
- Travel without a heads-up to the bank.
- Recent card replacement where the cardholder hasn't activated all features.
- Triggered internal velocity rules (multiple subscription charges in rapid succession).
The recovery play
Smart Retries cannot solve do_not_honor — the bank is waiting on the human, not the merchant. The right sequence:
- Pause auto-retries. Send a customer email: "Your bank asked us to have you call them — the number is on the back of your card."
- Wait 24 hours. Most cardholders resolve it in one call.
- Retry once. If it fails again, surface to a human in the recovery queue — at this point email isn't enough.
See the Bank declined playbook for the full sequence and example copy.
Frequently asked questions
›What does do_not_honor mean on a Stripe payment?
do_not_honor is the issuer telling Stripe 'we recognize this card but we refuse to authorize this charge — and the cardholder needs to call us'. It's the bank's way of pushing the conversation back to the customer without flagging the merchant.
›Is do_not_honor the same as a hard decline?
No. Hard declines (lost_card, stolen_card, pickup_card, fraudulent) say the card is unusable. do_not_honor is recoverable — the card is fine, the bank just wants the cardholder to confirm. Most do_not_honor declines clear after a single phone call.
›Should I retry do_not_honor?
Not on a fixed schedule. Wait at least 24 hours and pair the retry with a customer email asking them to call their bank. Retrying within minutes will fail and can get the merchant rate-limited by the issuer.