Processing Error
What This Means
A generic error occurred while processing the transaction. This is usually a temporary issue in the payment network, not related to the customer's card or account. SaaS businesses should retry as these typically resolve quickly.
Smart retry logic can recover this payment. Use exponential backoff and retry after 24-72 hours.
Common Causes
- 1Temporary glitch in the card network (Visa, Mastercard, etc.)
- 2Communication error between Stripe and the issuing bank
- 3Payment processor experiencing intermittent issues
Recovery Tactics
- 1Retry immediately or within a few minutes
- 2If the immediate retry fails, wait 1-2 hours before trying again
- 3No customer notification needed for the first occurrence
- 4Monitor for patterns that might indicate a systemic issue
How healthy is your Stripe account?
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FAQ
Is this a problem with my Stripe account?
No. Processing errors occur in the payment network, not in your Stripe configuration. They are temporary and typically resolve within minutes. If they persist, check Stripe's status page for any ongoing incidents.
How often do processing errors happen?
Processing errors are relatively uncommon, typically affecting less than 0.5% of transactions. If you see a spike, it is likely a temporary network issue that will resolve. Check status.stripe.com for updates.
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