Stripe decline code
invalid_expiry_monthThe expiration month submitted is not a valid value (not between 1 and 12).
Type
Recoverable
Frequency
Rareinvalid_expiry_month is almost always a data entry bug or a malformed API request. It is not a customer-facing error in most cases; it points to a bug in your checkout form or an API integration that sent a bad value.
Do not retry. Investigate your integration first, then request re-entry from the customer if needed.
If this reaches the customer, apologize for the technical issue and ask them to re-enter their card.
Permanent issue. The card cannot be charged. Customer must provide a new payment method.
Integers 1 through 12. Some APIs accept zero-padded strings like "01" through "12".
How Rebounce handles invalid_expiry_month
Rebounce classifies every failed payment by its Stripe decline code and applies the optimal recovery strategy automatically. For invalid_expiry_month, that means a limited retry window combined with customer outreach. Multi-channel follow-up through email, SMS, WhatsApp, and in-app banners ensures the customer actually sees the message.