Why is Stripe not processing payments in 2026? +
Four root causes cover 90% of cases: (1) Expired or rotated API key — the most common silent failure, especially after a team member offboards or a key rotation policy kicks in. Pull the exact error from the Stripe Dashboard → Developers → Logs. (2) Webhooks failing silently — Stripe fires the event, your server returns 500, and Stripe retries for 72 hours before giving up. Check Dashboard → Webhooks → event history. (3) Radar fraud rules blocking legitimate transactions — especially aggressive if you recently enabled ML rules. (4) Stripe account restricted or under review — check for banner alerts in your Dashboard.
How do I find why Stripe is declining a specific charge? +
Stripe's Dashboard → Payments → click the failed payment → look at 'Decline code'. The decline_code is more specific than the generic 'card_declined' message. Key codes: 'insufficient_funds' (real bank decline), 'do_not_honor' (issuer blocked), 'card_velocity_exceeded' (too many attempts from same card), 'stolen_card' (fraud flag), 'transaction_not_allowed' (card restricted). The error message shown to users should differ from the decline code you see in Stripe — never expose raw decline codes to customers.
Stripe Radar is blocking too many real customers — how do I fix it? +
First, pull the Stripe Radar review queue and check what percent of blocked transactions were legitimate. If above 5%, your rules are too aggressive. Common culprits: 'Block if CVC check is unavailable' blocks many international cards that legitimately don't return CVC. 'Block if AVS fails' is overly strict for mobile checkout. Recommended 2026 approach: set aggressive rules to 'Review' instead of 'Block' for 30 days, measure false positive rate, then re-tighten only the rules with real fraud signal.
What's a fair Stripe processing fee for a San Diego small business? +
Standard online rate: 2.9% + $0.30 per successful card transaction. In-person Stripe Terminal: 2.7% + $0.05. ACH Direct Debit: 0.8% capped at $5. International cards add 1.5% surcharge. If you're processing over $80K/month consistently, call Stripe sales for custom pricing — negotiated rates typically land at 2.5% + $0.30 or lower with interchange-plus pricing. Additional fees to watch: $15 per chargeback dispute, 0.5% for subscription/recurring charges.
When should I escalate Stripe issues to Stripe Support vs. fix myself? +
Fix yourself: API key rotation, webhook endpoint config, Radar rule tuning, payout schedule changes. Escalate to Stripe Support: account under review or restricted (they need to clear it), payout holds with no clear reason, disputed transactions where you need Stripe's intervention, 3DS authentication failures at scale, SEPA/BACS payment method issues. Stripe Support is chat/email — typical response 4-24 hours. For urgent issues (account restricted, large payout hold), call Stripe's phone line if you have a Plus account.
