Stripe Payment Intent Failed
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Payment failures are common in online transactions, but they can be frustrating when you’re relying on Stripe to complete a purchase or process payments on your platform. If you’ve encountered a “Payment Intent Failed” error in Stripe, this guide will help you understand the possible causes and how to resolve them.
What Is a Payment Intent?
A Payment Intent in Stripe is an object that tracks the lifecycle of a payment. It ensures compliance with regulations such as Strong Customer Authentication (SCA) and handles events like authentication, confirmation, and capture of payment.
When a payment fails, it’s usually due to an issue during one of these steps.
Common Reasons for Stripe Payment Intent Failures
- Insufficient Funds
The most straightforward reason—your customer doesn’t have enough balance in their account or credit card. - Card Declined
The issuing bank may reject the transaction for reasons like suspected fraud, incorrect CVV, expired card, or spending limits. - Authentication Failure (SCA)
If the customer does not complete 3D Secure authentication (via OTP or fingerprint), the payment will fail. - Incorrect Payment Method Details
Typing errors in card number, expiration date, CVV, or billing address can trigger a failed intent. - Network Errors or Timeouts
Poor connectivity or slow server response can interrupt the payment process. - Duplicate Payment Attempts
Stripe might block repeated identical payment requests within a short time frame. - Incorrect Integration Code
Errors in your code (e.g., not confirming the payment intent or missing steps in the client/server logic) can cause payment failures.
How to Troubleshoot and Fix It
Step 1: Check the Error Message
Log into your Stripe Dashboard, go to Developers > Logs, and review the failed event. Stripe provides detailed error messages like:
- card_declined
- insufficient_funds
- authentication_required
- processing_error
This will help you narrow down the exact issue.
Step 2: Inspect the PaymentIntent Object
Use the Stripe CLI or API to retrieve the Payment Intent:
stripe payment_intents retrieve pi_1234567890
Review fields like:
- status
- last_payment_error
- charges.data[0].failure_code
- next_action
These fields provide key insights into what went wrong.
Step 3: Implement Better Error Handling on Client-Side
Make sure your front-end properly handles:
- requires_action → prompt user for 3D Secure authentication
- requires_payment_method → ask the user to provide another card
- succeeded → confirm and show a success message
Example (JS/Stripe.js):
javascript
if (paymentIntent.status === “requires_action”) {
// Use Stripe.js to handle SCA
stripe.confirmCardPayment(clientSecret).then(result => {
if (result.error) {
// Handle authentication failure
} else {
// Payment successful
}
});
}
Step 4: Avoid Double Submissions
Make sure the client doesn’t send multiple requests to confirm the same payment intent.
Fix Tip:
Disable the Submit button once clicked, and use loading indicators until the request completes.
Step 5: Test in Stripe’s Test Mode
Simulate different payment failures using Stripe’s test card numbers. This will help you build a robust failure-handling system without affecting real payments.
Step 6: Update Your Backend Code
Ensure that your server:
- Creates the Payment Intent correctly
- Attaches the correct payment method
- Confirms the payment
- Handles any requires_action responses from the front-end
Node.js Example:
javascript
const paymentIntent = await stripe.paymentIntents.create({
amount: 2000,
currency: “usd”,
payment_method: “pm_card_visa”,
confirmation_method: “manual”,
confirm: true,
});
Step 7: Communicate with the Customer
brew doctor
If a transaction fails:
- Provide a clear error message
- Offer steps to retry with a different card
- Log the error for future reference
Final Thoughts
A failed Stripe Payment Intent doesn’t always mean something is broken—sometimes it’s due to card issues, user mistakes, or temporary outages. However, setting up proper logging, error handling, and clear feedback to users can drastically improve their experience and increase your payment success rates.
About Author
Bhavik Koradiya is the CEO / Co. Founder of Silver WebBuzz Pvt. Ltd. Having 18+ years Experience in LAMP technology. I have expert in Magento, Joomla, WordPress, Opencart, e-commerce and many other open source. Specialties: Magento, WordPress, OpenCart, Joomla, JQuery, Any Open source.
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