Payment declined: what to do and what to tell the customer

Card declined, 3-D Secure not completed, card limit reached or balance charge failed. How to identify why a payment was declined and what to say to the guest or client.

A declined payment almost always comes from the payer's bank, not from your site: 3-D Secure authentication not completed, card limit reached, expired card, or a refusal with no reason given. In GDA Kraft Booking, payment goes through the Stripe-hosted page, which shows the error to the payer; your job is to identify the case, offer a solution and send a simple message. If it is the automatic balance charge that fails, the guest receives the email "Your booking balance is due" and you receive an alert.

Was the payment declined at booking or on the balance?

When	What happens	Where to see it
At booking	The customer sees the error on the Stripe page and can try again; the booking is only confirmed once a successful payment comes back	The customer contacts you, or you see it in your Stripe Dashboard
On the balance charge	The plugin tries to charge the saved card, off-session	Email alert "Balance charge failed", and Kraft Console › "Bookings", "Payments to follow up" tab

First of all, check that your payments are active in Kraft Booking › Kraft GDA, "Online payments" card ("Payments active"): an "Action required" or "Charges suspended" status blocks charges (see Enable Stripe payments).

What are the most common causes?

Cause	What happens	Solution for the payer
Authentication not completed	The bank asks for a 3-D Secure confirmation that the payer did not finish	Try again with their phone and banking app to hand
Limit reached	The amount exceeds the card's payment or balance limit	Temporarily raise the limit with their bank, or use another card
Insufficient funds	There is not enough money in the account	Use another payment method
Expired card	Common for a balance charged several months after booking	Pay the balance by another method agreed with you (bank transfer, for example)
Incorrect details	Number, expiry date or security code entered wrongly	Re-enter the details
Generic decline	The bank declines without giving a reason	Contact their bank, or pay another way

Decline codes and recommended next steps are detailed in Stripe's documentation on decline codes (consulted on 12 October 2026). How authentication works is explained in Strong authentication and 3-D Secure.

What should you do when the balance could not be collected?

Find the failed booking: the "Balance charge failed" email contains an "Open booking" button, and Kraft Console › "Bookings", "Payments to follow up" tab, lists the balances to pay. The automatic charge is not retried.
If the bank asked for authentication, the guest received the email "Your booking balance is due", whose "Pay the balance" button opens the Stripe payment page to approve it: ask them to look for it, including in their spam folder.
In case of failure (expired card, decline), they received the same email inviting them to pay the balance. The guest area does not currently have a payment button: agree on another method with them, for example from the "03 Messages" tab of the booking file. The "Resend guest email" button of the booking file sends them the link to their area again.
If they pay by bank transfer, record the payment when it arrives, in Kraft Console ("Record a payment received offline") or in the "05 Payments" tab of the booking file ("Add an offline payment").
If nothing works as the arrival date approaches, apply what your terms and conditions say about an unpaid balance.

What should you tell the customer?

Stick to the facts and do not suggest they are under suspicion. Stripe in fact recommends not disclosing the precise reason when a decline is linked to suspected fraud or to a card reported lost or stolen, and presenting it as a generic decline. Example message:

Hello, the payment for your booking could not go through: your bank declined it. This kind of decline is common and is usually due to an unfinished bank verification or a card limit. You can try again using this link, with your banking app to hand, or contact your bank. If you prefer, we also accept bank transfer. Please complete the payment before (date to specify).

Never agree to receive a card number by email or over the phone so that you can enter it yourself: see PCI DSS: is your site compliant?.

Frequently asked questions

Can I find out the exact reason for the decline?

Sometimes. The payment details in your Stripe Dashboard may show a reason, but the bank does not always give one, and some reasons should not be passed on to the customer.

Is the decline caused by GDA Kraft Booking?

Rarely. The plugin passes the payment to Stripe, which submits it to the payer's bank; it is almost always that bank that declines. Just check that your payment status is active.

Can the customer pay with two cards?

That is not provided for on a single transaction. One solution is to set a lower deposit, or to accept part of the amount by bank transfer recorded as an offline payment.

Does a declined payment generate a service fee?

No. The service fee only applies to transactions actually collected online.

Payment declined: what should you do and what should you tell the customer?