What "Stripe test card CVV v5" means

There is no v5 Stripe test card and no special v5 CVV. Stripe publishes one list of test card numbers for test mode, and none of those numbers carry a version tag. The "v5" label comes from third-party pages and number generators that add version numbers to look new or current. Nothing in Stripe's docs matches it.

Top Choice for Stripe Test Card CVV V10: Best Practices

Test cards are free and public. A page that sells "v5 Stripe cards" or "verified CVV" is not selling Stripe test data, because Stripe gives that data away at no cost.

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Which CVC do you enter on a Stripe test card?

Any three digits. Stripe test mode accepts 123, 000, or 999 on a standard success card, along with any future expiry date and any postal code.

stripe test card cvv v9

Use four digits for American Express test cards, because the CID field on Amex is four digits long. The rest of the flow stays the same.

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Standard Stripe test card numbers

  • 4242 4242 4242 4242: Visa, charge succeeds.
  • 4000 0566 5566 5556: Visa debit, charge succeeds.
  • 5555 5555 5555 4444: Mastercard, charge succeeds.
  • 5200 8282 8282 8210: Mastercard debit, charge succeeds.
  • 3782 822463 10005: American Express, four-digit CVC.
  • 6011 1111 1111 1117: Discover, charge succeeds.
  • 3056 9309 0259 04: Diners Club, charge succeeds.
  • 3566 0020 2036 0505: JCB, charge succeeds.

Each of these takes any 3-digit CVC (4 for Amex), any future expiry, and any ZIP. Pick the brand that matches the checkout form you are building against.

Test cards that trigger a CVC error or a decline

Stripe ships numbers that fail on purpose so you can build error handling. The failure comes from the number itself, so the CVC you type does not change the outcome.

  • 4000 0000 0000 0127: charge declined, incorrect CVC.
  • 4000 0000 0000 0101: charge declined, CVC check fails.
  • 4000 0000 0000 0002: generic decline.
  • 4000 0000 0000 9995: insufficient funds.
  • 4000 0000 0000 0069: expired card.
  • 4000 0000 0000 0119: processing error.
  • 4000 0025 0000 3155: 3D Secure authentication required.
  • 4000 0000 0000 3220: 3D Secure 2 authentication required.

Stripe adds and retires numbers over time. Confirm the current list in the testing docs before you hardcode one into a test suite.

How to test a CVC failure step by step

  1. Switch your keys to test mode. PaymentIntents created with a live key ignore every number on this page.
  2. Create a PaymentIntent with card number 4000 0000 0000 0127 and any 3-digit CVC.
  3. Confirm the intent and read the result: your code should show incorrect_cvc as a card error, not a crash.
  4. Repeat with 4242 4242 4242 4242 to confirm the success path works.
  5. Check the cvc_check field on the charge object to see pass, fail, unavailable, or unchecked.

You can run the same flow from the Stripe CLI with stripe trigger payment_intent.succeeded or stripe trigger payment_intent.payment_failed.

Where the CVV shows up in the Stripe API

Stripe returns verification results on the charge object, never the raw CVC. The cvc_check field reports pass, fail, unavailable, or unchecked, and the same data sits under the payment method details on a PaymentIntent.

Do not store the CVC after authorization. PCI DSS bans keeping the card verification code once the transaction completes, and Stripe's token flow exists so the number never reaches your server.

Does a Stripe test card work in live mode?

No. Live mode sends the number to the card network, and the network declines it because no account sits behind it. Test numbers work only with test keys that start with sk_test_ or pk_test_.

If a charge fails in production with a number from this page, the cause is the key mode or the number itself, not the CVC you typed.

FAQ

Is there a special CVV for Stripe test cards?

No. Any 3 digits work on Visa, Mastercard, Discover, Diners, and JCB test cards, and any 4 digits work on Amex. The value matters only when you want a failure result.

Why does my test card return a CVC failure?

You are probably using a number built to fail, such as 4000 0000 0000 0127. Swap to 4242 4242 4242 4242 and the same CVC passes.

Does Stripe validate expiry or ZIP on test cards?

Test mode accepts any future expiry and any postal code on the standard success cards. Use the dedicated failure numbers when you need address or expiry errors.

Can I reuse one CVC across many test runs?

Yes. Test mode holds no state on the CVC, so the same 3 digits work on every run.