Call Issuer
What This Means
The bank is requesting that the cardholder call them directly to authorize or resolve an issue with the transaction. This is a deliberate block that requires customer action. SaaS businesses need to communicate this clearly to the customer.
Smart retry logic can recover this payment. Use exponential backoff and retry after 24-72 hours.
Common Causes
- 1Bank's fraud detection system flagged the transaction for manual review
- 2Account has a temporary security hold requiring the cardholder to verify identity
- 3Bank needs to verify the cardholder intends to make a purchase with this merchant
Recovery Tactics
- 1Send a clear email explaining the customer needs to call their bank
- 2Include the bank's phone number if you can determine the issuer from the card BIN
- 3Provide a retry link the customer can use after speaking with their bank
- 4Follow up 48 hours later if the payment has not been resolved
How healthy is your Stripe account?
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FAQ
What should I tell my customer?
Keep the message simple: "Your bank needs to verify this transaction. Please call the number on the back of your card, then try your payment again." Avoid speculating about why the bank flagged it.
Can I retry without the customer calling?
You can try, but the success rate is low. The bank specifically requested cardholder contact, so retrying without that step usually results in the same decline. However, occasionally the hold is lifted automatically after 24-48 hours.
How healthy is your Stripe account?
Get a free churn health report. Find pending cancellations, failed payments, and expiring cards putting your MRR at risk.
Run Free Audit