For a more in-depth overview on common credit card errors/declines, check out this helpful article.

Please note, the following applies directly to merchants using Stripe as their payment processor.

Why are customers receiving a CVC/CVV (security code) incorrect error?

If you are receiving reports from your customers that their CVC, CVV or security code is incorrect, the first thing you should do is check your Stripe Dashboard settings.

There is a setting on Stripe, where you can choose whether or not you'd like to require validation of the security code. 

If your customer insists that they are using the correct security code, but is still receiving an error, this may resolve the issue.

To change this setting on your Stripe Dashboard...

  1. First navigate to your Stripe Account settings (https://dashboard.stripe.com/account).
  2. Within those settings, select the 'General' Tab
  3. Then select 'Account Info'.

Scroll to the bottom of that section, and you will see the following option under the 'Decline' section: "Charges that fail CVC verification". This may potentially be the cause of your customer's issues, if selected.

From here, you will have to decide whether or not you'd like to continue requiring CVC validation.

As a reminder, if the issue you are experiencing is not directly addressed in this article, please check out this in-depth helpful article.