What it means
The payment needs 3D Secure authentication from the customer.
← All Stripe decline codes
RetryableRetryable decline
authentication_required
3D Secure authentication required
Category
Retryable decline
Retryable
Yes, with timing
Suggested retry
~2 hours
Why it happens
The card requires extra verification for this charge.
How to recover the payment
Send the customer a link to authenticate. Do not blindly retry.
Category tip: Retryable with exponential backoff.
Recovery email preview
Subject: Action needed — your payment did not go through
Your bank needs to verify this payment. Tap here to approve it.
Update payment methodSent automatically by churnguardian the moment this code appears.
How churnguardian handles it
churnguardian retries on an exponential backoff schedule and escalates to a payment-update email if it keeps failing.
- Decline-aware retries timed to recovery odds
- Branded recovery emails with a one-click card update
- Stops automatically the moment the charge clears
At a glance
- Retryable
- Yes
- Retry window
- ~2 hours
- Card must be replaced
- No
Frequently asked
What does the Stripe decline code authentication_required mean?+
The payment needs 3D Secure authentication from the customer.
Is the Stripe decline code authentication_required retryable?+
Send the customer a link to authenticate. Do not blindly retry.
How do I recover a payment declined with authentication_required?+
Send the customer a link to authenticate. Do not blindly retry.
What should I send the customer for authentication_required?+
Your bank needs to verify this payment. Tap here to approve it.
Related retryable decline codes
configuration_errorConfiguration errorduplicateDuplicate transactionissuer_unavailableIssuer temporarily unavailablenetwork_errorNetwork errorprocessing_errorPayment processor errorrate_limitRate limited by processor
Browse the full list of Stripe decline codes or look one up with the free lookup tool.
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