Troubleshooting payments
What to check when a card declines, a deposit fails, or a payout is delayed.
Payments fail. Mostly it's the customer's bank, sometimes it's a config issue, occasionally it's Stripe. Here's how to tell which is which.
Card declined at booking
The card-validation step happens instantly at checkout. Common reasons:
| Stripe code | What it means | What to tell the customer |
|---|---|---|
card_declined | Issuing bank declined | Call your bank, try another card |
insufficient_funds | Self-explanatory | Use a different card |
incorrect_cvc | CVC wrong | Re-enter the 3-digit code on back |
expired_card | Card expired | Update with current expiry |
processing_error | Stripe glitch | Try again in 1 minute |
Customers can retry directly from the booking page — no action needed from you.
48-hour deposit authorization failed
Most common cause: customer changed cards or their bank issued a replacement between booking and the 48hr mark. Kowbi handles this automatically:
- Customer gets a "Payment Issue" email with a one-click retry link
- You get a warning admin notification
- The booking status flips to
payment_failed
You decide whether to:
- Wait — most customers retry within a few hours
- Cancel — if you can't risk the slot going unfilled
You can also retry the auth from Admin → Bookings → [booking] → Retry Auth if the customer says they fixed it on their end.
Balance charge failed after session
Different problem — usually the card on file expired between booking and check-out. Options:
- Resend pay-balance link — customer can update their card via the portal
- Manual invoice — Stripe lets you send an emailed invoice for the balance
- Last resort — call the customer
Payouts to my bank delayed
This is on Stripe's side, not Kowbi. Check:
- dashboard.stripe.com → Payouts — Stripe will show you exactly why
- Identity verification incomplete — Stripe sometimes asks for additional ID. They'll email you.
- Bank holiday / weekend — Stripe doesn't process payouts on weekends or US bank holidays
If Stripe shows "Payouts paused," follow their instructions exactly. Kowbi can't override Stripe's verification process.
Stripe shows a charge but Kowbi doesn't show the booking
This usually means a webhook failed. Check:
- Stripe Dashboard → Developers → Webhooks — look for failed deliveries to your Kowbi endpoint
- If you see failures, click Retry — Kowbi will pick it up
- Still missing? Email support@kowbi.io with the Stripe payment intent ID
Customer claims they paid but you don't see it
99% of the time: they entered card info but didn't complete the redirect step. Their bank may show a pending auth that drops off in a few days.
Check Admin → Bookings for their email — if there's no booking, payment wasn't completed regardless of what their card statement says. Ask them to retry.
When to contact support
Email support@kowbi.io with:
- The booking ID (or customer email)
- The Stripe payment intent ID (starts with
pi_) if you have it - A screenshot of the error if one's shown
We can pull the full request trace and tell you exactly what went wrong.