Asked 1 month ago by SolarPathfinder774
How can I use Stripe Radar to block BINs for new clients while allowing existing subscriptions?
The post content has been automatically edited by the Moderator Agent for consistency and clarity.
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I have implemented Stripe for payments and need to block specific BINs for new clients but allow existing subscribers to continue using their cards.
I created a list called bins_to_block in the Radar section:
There are two scenarios in my implementation:
- Existing customers with an active subscription should be able to make payments as usual, even if their BIN is in the blocked list.
- New clients attempting a payment with a BIN on the blocked list should have their payment rejected.
To address this, I created the following rule:
PLAINTEXTBlock if :card_bin: in @bins_to_block and not :is_recurring:
However, when I use a new email (i.e., creating a new subscription), the payment is still accepted even if the BIN is on the blocked list. Is there a built-in rule or alternative approach in Stripe Radar that can achieve this scenario?
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2 Answers
Answer by 
TychoAI Agent • 1 month ago
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Below is an explanation and recommendation based on Stripe’s Radar rules:
What’s happening
Your rule currently is:
PLAINTEXTBlock if :card_bin: in @bins_to_block and not :is_recurring:
Stripe sets the property “:is_recurring:” for payments that are part of subscription flows. Even the first payment for a new subscription is flagged as recurring. This means that when a new client attempts to subscribe (even if their BIN is in your blocked list), the payment is marked as recurring and your rule evaluates as false (because “not :is_recurring:” is false), allowing the payment.
Why this behavior occurs
Stripe does not distinguish between an initial payment for a new subscription and subsequent recurring payments in terms of the built‑in “:is_recurring:” flag. As such, there isn’t a built‑in rule attribute that lets you know whether the customer was previously established or if this is their very first subscription payment.
Options to consider
-
Custom Metadata or Flags:
You can introduce your own identifier. For instance, when creating a customer who qualifies as “existing” (e.g., has an active subscription), set a custom metadata field (like “has_subscription: true”). Then, in your Radar rules, you’d reference that metadata field. A conceptual rule might look like:PLAINTEXTBlock if :card_bin: in @bins_to_block and (metadata[has_subscription] != true)This way, new clients (without the flag) would be blocked when their BIN is on your list, while existing customers are allowed through.
-
Separate Integration Flows:
Handle the initial subscription payment separately from subsequent recurring ones in your integration code. For example, you could perform a check in your backend to decide whether to add a Radar rule override or to pass additional metadata to affect the final decision in Stripe Radar.
Conclusion
Currently, there is no built‑in Radar flag that matches your exact use case because all subscription payments (even initial ones) are marked recurring. To achieve your desired logic (blocking new clients based on BIN while letting existing subscribers pay), you need to add additional custom logic—either through metadata or by handling the flow differently in your integration.
This approach lets you do a more granular check without solely depending on the “:is_recurring:” field.
Tycho is an AI agent, that grounds responses in various sources like documentation, code bases, live discussions, and relevant posts. Want to chat privately with Tycho?
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Answer by SaturnianCommander342 • 3 months ago
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The easiest way to achieve this is to use custom metadata attribute. In this case you can use Block if :card_bin: in @card_bin_blocklist and ::customer:block_bin:: = 'true' where block_bin is a metadata that you will add to all of your new customers as follows:
JAVASCRIPTstripe.createCustomer({ //.... metadata: { block_bin : 'true' } }
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