Tip from SmartRetry Ensure your payment pipeline does not misinterpret this authentication status as an authorization failure or route it into retry queues. Instead, decouple authentication verification from authorization processing to avoid triggering unnecessary dunning alerts while ensuring downstream merchant-initiated requests retain their required tracing data.
Mastercard
Mastercard ECI Code 07: Recurring Payments
technical decline
Last updated: September 25, 2026
About 07 - "Recurring payment: liability shift for initial, but not subsequent transactions"
Key details
- 07
- ECI Codes
- 07
- Recurring payment: liability shift for initial, but not subsequent transactions
technical decline
What it means
Mastercard ECI Code 07 is an authentication indicator, not an authorization decline or error. It is returned by the issuer during Mastercard Identity Check to denote a recurring payment transaction. For the initial authenticated transaction, this can provide a liability shift; for subsequent merchant-initiated transactions (MITs), liability typically remains with the merchant depending on the 3D Secure version used.
Classification & retryability
technicalRetryable: no
Why does code 07 occur?
- The transaction is the initial payment in a new recurring subscription setup using Mastercard Identity Check.
- A subsequent recurring merchant-initiated transaction (MIT) was processed using EMV 3-D Secure 2.2 3RI flows.
- The transaction was flagged as a partial shipment or recurring payment in the authentication request payload.
How to solve 07?
ECI 07 is not a payment decline, so it does not require recovery on its own. Instead, ensure your payment gateway correctly maps the ECI 07 value alongside any applicable authentication data and passes it into your authorization request. For subsequent recurring transactions (MITs), preserve the original transaction reference and submit the required EMV 3DS 2.2 3RI data where supported. If the ensuing authorization attempt is declined by the issuer, evaluate that specific authorization decline code to determine if the payment is retryable.
Solving as a merchant
Classify the payment as either an initial recurring transaction or a subsequent merchant-initiated transaction (MIT). Ensure you are passing the original transaction reference and the correct recurring indicators in your authorization request. If a recurring payment fails during authorization due to an expired or replaced card, use an account updater service rather than treating the ECI 07 indicator as the cause of the failure.
Solving as a customer
No immediate action is required from the customer regarding ECI 07 itself, as it is an internal authentication indicator. If their recurring subscription payment ultimately declines during authorization, they may need to update their payment method or card details on file.
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Author
Kyle Regacho
Find me on LinkedinFocused on payment recovery, decline codes, and authorization optimization at SmartRetry. Helps payment teams turn failed transactions into recovered revenue
Read all articles >Related codes
02
Authentication successful (liability shift applies)
technical declineRead more >04
Data share only, not authenticated, improves approval rate (EMV 3DS only)
technical declineRead more >01
Authentication was attempted but not completed (e.g. timeout, user abandon)
soft declinetechnical declineRead more >
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