Stripe Error: Authentication Required — What It Means & How to Fix It
Issuer requires additional customer authentication (usually 3D Secure/SCA) before approving payment.
What authentication_required means in Stripe
The right recovery response depends on whether the decline is temporary, customer-actionable, or unlikely to succeed without a new payment method.
- Decline type
- Soft or potentially recoverable decline
- Retry guidance
- Use the decline type to decide whether to retry automatically, wait for customer action, or stop retrying this payment method.
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
- Bring customer on-session to complete authentication.
- Use Stripe PaymentIntents with proper next_action handling.
- Store authenticated payment method for future off-session billing where allowed.
Recovery email template
Use this as a starting point when the payment needs customer action.
Subject
Payment update needed for Authentication Required
Body
Hi {{customer_name}}, we could not process your latest payment. Please review or update your payment method here: {{billing_portal_link}}.
Related Stripe decline-code questions
What does authentication_required mean in Stripe?
It is a Stripe decline code that explains why the issuer or payment network rejected the payment.
Should I retry this failed payment?
Retry only when the decline is likely to recover. Hard declines usually need a new payment method first.
How can RetryKit help?
RetryKit classifies failed invoices, runs timed retries, sends dunning emails, and tracks recovered revenue.
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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