S
StripeStripe insufficient_funds
Insufficient Funds
Soft Decline
Temporary failures that may succeed on retry
Retryable
This decline may succeed on retry
Description
The card has insufficient funds to complete the purchase.
Recommended Action
Ask the customer to use an alternative payment method.
Common Causes
- Low account balance
- Pending transactions blocking available funds
- Credit limit reached
Recovery Tips
- Retry 1-2 days after typical pay dates (1st, 15th)
- Send a friendly reminder before retry
- Consider offering payment plan options
Quick Reference
Code
insufficient_funds
Category
Soft Decline
Retryable
Yes
Source
Stripe
Recoverability verdict
This is a soft decline. This revenue is often recoverable.
Payments failing with code insufficient_funds are often recoverable with the right retry timing and routing. Slicker recovers up to 70% of soft declines with smart retries.
Related Decline Codes
authentication_requiredRetryable
Authentication Required
The card was declined because the transaction requires authentication such as 3D Secure.
authentication_not_handledRetryable
Authentication Not Handled
The payment required authentication but the authentication flow was not performed before proceeding.
approve_with_idRetryable
Approve with ID
The payment cannot be authorised.
call_issuerRetryable
Call Issuer
The card was declined for an unknown reason. The customer needs to contact their card issuer for more information.