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Stripe decline code: invalid_cvc

Invalid CVC format — The CVC value didn't pass format checks (e.g. 4 digits for a Visa, which expects 3).

Common cause

Almost always a data-entry error.

Recovery strategy

Retry strategy	Don't retry
Customer-facing action	Send a card-update flow
Recovery rate (retry only)	~0%
Recovery rate (with customer flow)	~70%

What to do, in order

Same as incorrect_cvc — get the customer to re-enter.

Code example

The recommended Stripe Customer Portal session for the recovery flow:

session = stripe.billing_portal.Session.create(
    customer=customer_id,
    return_url="https://yourapp.com/billing/thanks",
    flow_data={"type": "payment_method_update"},
)
update_link = session.url

Where this fits in the bigger picture

invalid_cvc is one of dozens of decline codes Stripe returns; recovery rates vary by code by 5x or more. The recovery-rate reference covers the full set; the card-update flow article covers the customer-facing side; dunning emails covers how to write the messages.

DunningKit's open-source CLI parses your Stripe failed-charges CSV and gives you the breakdown by code, with recoverable-revenue estimates. pip install dunningkit.