Not Permitted
What This Means
The bank does not allow this type of transaction on the card. This can mean the card is restricted from certain merchant categories, online purchases, or international transactions. SaaS businesses should guide the customer to contact their bank or use a different card.
Retrying will likely fail again. The customer needs to update their payment method or contact their bank.
Common Causes
- 1Card is restricted from online or card-not-present transactions
- 2Bank blocks transactions in your merchant category code (MCC)
- 3Corporate card has spending policy restrictions set by the employer
Recovery Tactics
- 1Ask the customer to contact their bank to enable online transactions
- 2Suggest the customer use a personal card if a corporate card was restricted
- 3Provide clear information about your merchant category for the customer to share with their bank
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FAQ
Can the customer fix this themselves?
Usually yes. The customer can call their bank to remove the restriction or authorize transactions with your merchant category. Some banks also allow customers to manage transaction permissions through their mobile app.
Is this related to my merchant category code?
It can be. Some banks restrict certain MCCs by default. If you see a pattern of not_permitted declines from a specific bank, it may be worth checking if your MCC is commonly restricted.
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