Card decline code
merchant_blacklist: Merchant block list
The payment matched a value on your own Stripe block list. Stripe recommends presenting it to the customer as a generic decline.
What merchant_blacklist means
merchant_blacklist means one of your Radar block rules or lists stopped the payment, not the bank.
Should you retry the payment?
Review your block list. If the block is wrong, remove the entry; otherwise do not retry.
How to recover a subscription payment declined with merchant_blacklist
- Check which block list entry matched in Radar.
- Remove it if it was a mistake, then retry.
- Otherwise treat the customer as declined.
What to tell the customer
Show a generic decline message.
"Hi Sam, your payment was declined. Please update your payment method here."
More wording for every situation is in our dunning email templates.
How Revnio handles merchant_blacklist
Revnio never retries a card declined with merchant_blacklist automatically: the retry cannot succeed, and card networks can charge fees for reattempting declines like this one. Instead the customer gets a recovery email straight away with a secure link to add a new payment method, followed by WhatsApp (Pro plan) reminders if the email is not clicked. Once the customer adds a new card, the open invoice is collected.
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 merchant_blacklist mean?
The payment matched a value on your own Stripe block list. Stripe recommends presenting it to the customer as a generic decline.
Should I retry a payment declined with merchant_blacklist?
No. Review your block list. If the block is wrong, remove the entry; otherwise do not retry.
Can Revnio recover payments declined with merchant_blacklist?
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
- fraudulentStripe's fraud systems judged the payment likely fraudulent and blocked it. Do not retry the card; for a known subscriber, ask them to confirm their details or use another card.
- 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.
- stolen_cardThe card was reported stolen and has been cancelled by the bank. Stop retrying immediately; the only fix is a new payment method.
- All decline codesEvery common card decline code, grouped by what to do next.
- Dunning email templatesCopy-ready emails for each kind of failed payment.