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Response Code 43: Stolen card, pick up

HARD DECLINE DO NOT RETRY ISO 8583 FIELD 39

Reported stolen. Higher fraud risk than code 41.

What Does Code 43 Mean?

Response code 43 is the stolen card equivalent of code 41 (lost card). The cardholder has reported this card as stolen, which carries a higher fraud risk than a lost card because it implies someone else may be actively using it.

Merchants should treat code 43 with more caution than other hard declines. If you see this code frequently for the same customer, it could indicate account takeover or fraud ring activity targeting your platform. Unlike code 41 which is often just a misplaced wallet, code 43 suggests the cardholder believes someone else has physical possession of their card.

Why You Should Not Retry

Terminal Decline

Never retry. Contact your fraud team if this appears frequently.

Common Causes

Network Behavior

The same response code can mean different things depending on the card network. Here is how each network treats Code 43:

Network Retry? Limit Notes
Visa No No retries permitted Visa Category 1: issuer will never approve. Higher fraud signal than Code 41. Retrying could trigger fraud monitoring thresholds on your merchant account.
Mastercard
MAC 03		 No Do not retry MAC 03 (do not try again). Elevated fraud risk. Review your account if you see this code frequently.
Amex No Amex almost never returns Code 43 to merchants. They mask fraud-related declines as Code 05 to avoid revealing their fraud detection signals.
Discover No Permanent decline. Higher fraud risk than Code 41. Discover may issue a chargeback if a charge was previously authorized on this card.

Platform Mappings

This code surfaces under different names depending on the payment platform:

ISO 858343 - Stolen card, pick up
Stripestolen_card

Related Decline Codes

04 Pick up card The issuer has flagged this card for capture 41 Lost card, pick up Reported lost by the cardholder

Related Guides

Visa Decline Code Categories Explained Visa's 4-category decline system: which codes are retriable, retry limits, excess reattempt fees, and how to map Stripe network_decline_code to Visa categories Hard vs Soft Declines: The Complete Guide How to classify hard and soft declines across Visa, Mastercard, and Amex

See This Code in Action

Watch how response code 43 flows through a complete ISO 8583 authorization lifecycle.

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