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Stripe Error: Authentication Required — What It Means & How to Fix It

Issuer requires additional customer authentication (usually 3D Secure/SCA) before approving payment.

Common causes

  • Off-session payment requiring step-up authentication
  • Regulatory SCA requirement in customer region
  • Issuer risk policy triggered challenge flow

How to fix it

  1. Bring customer on-session to complete authentication.
  2. Use Stripe PaymentIntents with proper next_action handling.
  3. Store authenticated payment method for future off-session billing where allowed.

Should you retry this Stripe error?

Soft decline: Soft decline with customer interaction required. RetryKit can trigger a targeted email to complete authentication and recover the invoice.

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