Invalid PIN
What This Means
The PIN entered was incorrect. While this is primarily a point-of-sale decline code, it can appear in online transactions for certain card types that require online PIN verification. SaaS businesses rarely encounter this for standard e-commerce.
Smart retry logic can recover this payment. Use exponential backoff and retry after 24-72 hours.
Common Causes
- 1Customer entered an incorrect PIN during a PIN-required online transaction
- 2Card requires online PIN verification common in some European markets
- 3Customer recently changed their PIN and entered the old one
Recovery Tactics
- 1Ask the customer to try again with the correct PIN
- 2If the customer forgot their PIN, suggest they contact their bank for a reset
- 3Suggest using a different card that does not require PIN for online transactions
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FAQ
Why is a PIN needed for an online transaction?
Some European debit cards and certain bank cards require PIN-based authentication even for online transactions. This is separate from 3D Secure and is more common with Maestro and V Pay cards.
How many PIN attempts before the card is locked?
Most banks allow 3 incorrect PIN attempts before temporarily locking the card. After the lockout, the customer typically needs to contact their bank to reset the PIN and unlock the card.
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