Understanding Stripe Payment Statuses

Many online stores use Stripe, a popular payment processing platform, to handle transactions smoothly and securely. You may visit your Stripe dashboard and see one of the errors below associated with an order. This article explains Stripe's payment statuses to help you manage transactions more efficiently and quickly resolve any issues.

Most common payment status terms

Failed

• Definition: The payment attempt was unsuccessful.

• Meaning: This could be due to insufficient funds, incorrect card details, or other issues preventing the transaction from going through.

Incomplete

• Definition: The payment process was started but not completed.

• Meaning: The customer may have abandoned the checkout process or encountered an error before finalizing the payment. It's common that some customers may leave the checkout page without completing their purchase, whether it is to save a product for later because they were just browsing or due to a payment issue with their card. This is a common occurrence and is reflected in the information you are seeing in Stripe.

Blocked

• Definition: This status indicates that the payment was blocked by Stripe.

• Meaning: Stripe identified the payment as potentially fraudulent or suspicious and automatically blocked it to prevent any potential issues.

Canceled

• Definition: The payment was canceled before it was completed.

• Meaning: This can occur if the customer decided not to proceed with the payment or if the payment was manually canceled by the seller or Stripe.

Succeeded

• Definition: The payment was successfully processed and completed.

• Meaning: The transaction went through without any issues, and the funds have been transferred to the seller's account.

Other payment status terms

Expired

• Definition: The payment authorization has expired.

• Meaning: The payment wasn't captured within the required timeframe, leading to expiration.

Disputed

• Definition: A dispute, or chargeback, has been raised by the cardholder.

• Meaning: The customer has contested the charge, and the funds are being held while the dispute is resolved.

Early Fraud Warning

• Definition: An alert that the payment may be fraudulent.

• Meaning: Issuing banks have flagged the transaction as potentially fraudulent, and it's under review.

Partially Paid

• Definition: Only part of the total payment amount was successfully processed.

• Meaning: The transaction isn't fully completed, and additional action may be required to collect the remaining balance.

Partially Refunded

• Definition: A portion of the original payment has been refunded to the customer.

• Meaning: The customer has received a partial refund, but not the entire amount of the original transaction.

Pending

• Definition: The payment is currently being processed.

• Meaning: The transaction is underway but hasn't been finalized yet. It might be waiting for confirmation or additional information.

Refund Pending

• Definition: A refund has been initiated but not yet completed.

• Meaning: The refund process has started, and the funds will be returned to the customer once the process is finished.

Refunded

• Definition: The full amount of the payment has been returned to the customer usually by the seller.

• Meaning: The transaction has been reversed, and the customer has received their money back.

Uncaptured

• Definition: The payment was authorized but not captured.

• Meaning: The transaction was approved, but the funds were not transferred, often requiring manual capture to complete the payment. You should be able to handle the uncaptured payment within your Stripe Dashboard but if you have trouble reach out to Stripe for help.

Waiting on Funding

• Definition: The payment is waiting for the required funds to be available.

• Meaning: The transaction is pending until the necessary funds are secured from the customer's account. This can be caused by bank-related delays like holidays or Account verification issues so check the Stripe Dashboard and your email to see if additional information is required to verify your account.

Understanding these statuses can help you manage your Stripe transactions more effectively, ensuring smoother operations and quicker resolutions to any payment issues. By staying informed, you can enhance your business's financial management and provide a better experience for your customers.