Card Velocity Exceeded
What This Means
Too many transactions have been attempted on this card in a short period, exceeding the bank's velocity limits. This can be triggered by your retry logic or by the customer using the card at many merchants. SaaS businesses should space out retry attempts.
Smart retry logic can recover this payment. Use exponential backoff and retry after 24-72 hours.
Common Causes
- 1Your retry logic is too aggressive, sending multiple attempts in quick succession
- 2Customer is making many purchases across different merchants in a short time
- 3Failed payment retries combined with the customer's own transactions exceeded the limit
Recovery Tactics
- 1Space out retry attempts by at least 24 hours
- 2Review your retry schedule to ensure you are not hammering the card
- 3Wait 48-72 hours before the next attempt to let the velocity window reset
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FAQ
How do velocity limits work?
Banks track the number and frequency of transaction attempts (both successful and declined) within rolling time windows (e.g., hourly, daily). When the count exceeds their threshold, additional attempts are automatically declined.
Are my retry attempts counting against the velocity limit?
Yes. Every authorization attempt, including failed retries, counts toward the velocity limit. This is why spacing out retries is critical. Rapid-fire retries can lock the card out for 24 hours or more.
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