Stripe test card numbers for every outcome you need to rehearse.
Any future expiry date, any three-digit CVC (four for American Express), any name and postcode. These numbers only work with Stripe test keys; Stripe's terms prohibit real card details in test mode and test cards in live mode. Copied from Stripe's testing documentation and checked on the date below.
Test cards
Successful payments, by brand
Use these to walk a checkout through to a completed order. The Visa 4242 card is the one everyone remembers; the rest let you see brand-specific behaviour such as Amex's four-digit CVC.
- 4242 4242 4242 4242Visa
- 4000 0566 5566 5556Visa (debit)
- 5555 5555 5555 4444Mastercard
- 2223 0031 2200 3222Mastercard (2-series)
- 5200 8282 8282 8210Mastercard (debit)
- 5105 1051 0510 5100Mastercard (prepaid)
- 3782 822463 10005American Express4-digit CVC
- 6011 1111 1111 1117Discover
- 3056 9300 0902 0004Diners Club
- 3566 0020 2036 0505JCB
- 6200 0000 0000 0005UnionPay
Declines
Each card fails with a specific decline code, so you can check what your buyer sees and what your systems record when a payment is refused.
- 4000 0000 0000 0002Generic declinecard_declined · generic_decline
- 4000 0000 0000 9995Insufficient fundscard_declined · insufficient_funds
- 4000 0000 0000 9987Lost cardcard_declined · lost_card
- 4000 0000 0000 9979Stolen cardcard_declined · stolen_card
- 4000 0000 0000 0069Expired cardexpired_card
- 4000 0000 0000 0127Incorrect CVCincorrect_cvc
- 4000 0000 0000 0119Processing errorprocessing_error
- 4242 4242 4242 4241Incorrect numberincorrect_number
- 4000 0000 0000 6975Velocity limit exceededcard_declined · card_velocity_exceeded
- 4000 0000 0000 0341Decline after attachingAttaches to a customer, then every charge fails
3D Secure authentication
Required for most European cards under Strong Customer Authentication. These cards let you test the authentication step, including the case where a card authenticates and then declines.
- 4000 0027 6000 3184Always requires authenticationEvery payment triggers 3D Secure
- 4000 0025 0000 3155Authenticate unless set up3DS on first use; off-session charges succeed once saved
- 4000 0000 0000 32203DS required, succeedsIssuer requires authentication; completes
- 4000 0000 0000 30553DS supported, optionalRadar decides whether to request it
- 4000 0082 6000 3178Insufficient funds after 3DSAuthenticates, then declines
Radar risk levels
Stripe's fraud tooling scores every payment. These cards simulate risk levels so you can see how your Radar rules respond.
- 4100 0000 0000 0019Always blockedRisk level highest; Radar blocks
- 4000 0000 0000 4954Highest riskBlocked depending on your rules
- 4000 0000 0000 9235Elevated riskMay be queued for review
Source: docs.stripe.com/testing, read 16 September 2026. Stripe adds and retires test cards; if one here behaves differently, their page is the authority and we would like to know.
What a test purchase does and does not do.
Test mode is a per-product switch. With it on, you buy your own product with one of the cards above and see exactly what a customer would see.
Does not happen
- No real charge: test purchases run on test credentials, not your connected Stripe account.
- No subscription record, so nothing is chased by dunning emails.
- No order bumps, upsells or downsells are offered.
- No abandoned-cart record and no affiliate commission.
- Nothing counts towards revenue, analytics or exports.
Still happens
- A real order appears in your orders list, marked as a test.
- A real licence key is issued if the product uses them.
- A working download link is generated.
- A real confirmation email is sent, with the product name prefixed “[TEST]”.
- Real customers cannot buy the product while the switch is on.
So use an email address you control, and turn the switch off before launch. The full detail is in rehearsing a purchase with test mode.
Rehearse the whole checkout, then go live.
Build a product on the free plan, buy it with a test card, read the email. Connect your Stripe account when it looks right.