How to fix card declined error in Stripe

1// Example error object structure
2{
3  type: 'StripeCardError',
4  code: 'card_declined',
5  decline_code: 'insufficient_funds',
6  message: 'Your card has insufficient funds.',
7  param: undefined
8}

1const stripe = require('stripe')(process.env.STRIPE_SECRET_KEY);
2
3async function createPayment(amount, currency, paymentMethodId, customerId) {
4  try {
5    const paymentIntent = await stripe.paymentIntents.create({
6      amount: amount,       // amount in cents
7      currency: currency,
8      customer: customerId,
9      payment_method: paymentMethodId,
10      confirm: true,
11      automatic_payment_methods: {
12        enabled: true,
13        allow_redirects: 'never',
14      },
15    });
16    return { success: true, paymentIntent };
17  } catch (err) {
18    if (err.code === 'card_declined') {
19      return {
20        success: false,
21        declineCode: err.decline_code,
22        userMessage: getUserMessage(err.decline_code),
23      };
24    }
25    throw err;
26  }
27}

1function getUserMessage(declineCode) {
2  const messages = {
3    insufficient_funds: 'Your card has insufficient funds. Please try a different card.',
4    card_not_supported: 'Your card does not support this type of purchase. Please try a different card.',
5    expired_card: 'Your card has expired. Please update your payment method.',
6    incorrect_cvc: 'The CVC number is incorrect. Please check and try again.',
7    incorrect_number: 'The card number is incorrect. Please check and try again.',
8    processing_error: 'An error occurred while processing your card. Please try again.',
9    // NEVER expose these fraud-related reasons to the user
10    fraudulent: 'Your card was declined. Please contact your bank or try a different card.',
11    lost_card: 'Your card was declined. Please contact your bank or try a different card.',
12    stolen_card: 'Your card was declined. Please contact your bank or try a different card.',
13    // Generic fallback
14    do_not_honor: 'Your card was declined. Please contact your bank or try a different card.',
15    generic_decline: 'Your card was declined. Please try a different payment method.',
16  };
17  return messages[declineCode] || 'Your card was declined. Please try a different payment method or contact your bank.';
18}

1app.post('/create-payment', async (req, res) => {
2  const { amount, currency, paymentMethodId, customerId } = req.body;
3
4  const result = await createPayment(amount, currency, paymentMethodId, customerId);
5
6  if (!result.success) {
7    return res.status(402).json({
8      error: result.userMessage,
9      decline_code: result.declineCode,
10    });
11  }
12
13  res.json({ clientSecret: result.paymentIntent.client_secret });
14});

1// Test card numbers for common declines (test mode only)
2// 4000000000000002 → generic_decline
3// 4000000000009995 → insufficient_funds
4// 4000000000009987 → lost_card
5// 4000000000009979 → stolen_card
6// 4000000000000069 → expired_card
7// 4000000000000127 → incorrect_cvc
8// 4242424242424242 → Always succeeds (use for happy path)