What does "This transaction requires chip and PIN" mean?

Short answer: the customer's bank wants this card inserted and a PIN entered, and a tap can't do that. Use a different card, or take the payment on a card reader that accepts a chip.

Why does it happen?

Some cards need a PIN typed on a device the card is physically inserted into. It's set by the card's bank, not by you or the app. It's most common with cards from:

• The UK. For some cards, the bank asks for the card to be inserted as an extra security check, so a tap is declined before any PIN screen appears.
• Canada and Finland. Many cards there are "offline PIN only": the PIN can only be checked with the card inserted, which Tap to Pay doesn't support.

Phone wallets like Apple Pay and Google Pay usually don't need a PIN, so they tend to go through.

What should I do?

1. Ask the customer to pay with a phone wallet or a different card.
2. If you have a card reader with a chip slot and PIN entry (like the BBPOS WisePad 3 or a Stripe Reader S700), have them insert the card and enter their PIN there.
3. No reader handy? Send a payment link they can pay from their own phone.

Tap to Pay on iPhone can take PINs for many cards (iPhone with iOS 16.4 or later). This message means this particular card needs the chip inserted too.

New to Payment? Take in-person card payments with your Stripe account. Download the app