Card decline code
call_issuer: Call issuer
The bank declined for an unknown reason and asks the cardholder to contact them. The customer needs to call their bank or use another card.
What call_issuer means
call_issuer means the issuer will not say why it refused, but expects the cardholder to call.
It behaves much like do_not_honor in practice.
Should you retry the payment?
Retries rarely succeed until the cardholder has spoken to the bank.
How to recover a subscription payment declined with call_issuer
- Email the customer right away: the bank declined the charge and only they can find out why.
- Ask them to call the number on the back of the card and approve future charges from your business, or to switch to another card.
- Retry once or twice after they confirm, spaced at least a day apart. Do not hammer the card.
- If nothing changes, escalate to a WhatsApp message (or a phone call) before the subscription is cancelled.
What to tell the customer
Ask them to call the number on the back of their card, or to switch to another card.
"Hi Sam, your bank asked that you contact them about this month's $49 Acme payment. You can call the number on your card, or update to another card here."
More wording for every situation is in our dunning email templates.
How Revnio handles call_issuer
Revnio records call_issuer on the failed payment, follows your retry schedule (by default 1, 3, 5 and 7 days, adjusted for the customer's value and plan, and moved to weekday business hours), and emails the customer a secure link to pay or update their card. WhatsApp (Pro plan) reminders follow if the email is not clicked. The Insights page shows how often each decline code recovers for you. On Paddle, Paddle runs the payment retries itself and Revnio handles the customer outreach.
Decline codes are returned by the card issuer through your payment processor. Code names here follow Stripe's; Chargebee and Paddle surface the same issuer reasons with their own wording. Last reviewed 2026-10-15.
Frequently asked questions
What does decline code call_issuer mean?
The bank declined for an unknown reason and asks the cardholder to contact them. The customer needs to call their bank or use another card.
Should I retry a payment declined with call_issuer?
Not until the customer calls. Retries rarely succeed until the cardholder has spoken to the bank.
Can Revnio recover payments declined with call_issuer?
Revnio picks up the failed payment from Stripe, Chargebee or Paddle, adjusts retry timing to the decline code, and reaches the customer by email and WhatsApp (SMS is coming soon) with a secure link to pay or update their card.
Recover failed payments on autopilot
Revnio retries failed payments at the right time and reaches customers by email and WhatsApp until the card is fixed. Works with Stripe, Chargebee and Paddle.
Related
- do_not_honorThe issuing bank declined the payment without giving a reason. It is a catch-all code: the cause might be a fraud check, an account restriction or the bank's own rules.
- generic_declineThe payment was declined for an unspecified reason. Stripe also returns generic_decline when its own fraud screening blocks a charge, and for lost, stolen or fraudulent cards it reports to customers.
- approve_with_idThe payment could not be authorized. Stripe recommends trying again; if it is declined again the customer should contact their bank.
- All decline codesEvery common card decline code, grouped by what to do next.
- Dunning email templatesCopy-ready emails for each kind of failed payment.