If your Stripe account is registered in India, a customer paying with an American Express card in a currency other than INR may see this error on the payment page: A valid Importer/Exporter Code (IEC) is needed to present in USD. Visa and Mastercard payments in the same currency go through normally. This article explains why American Express is affected and how to accept these payments.
Why only American Express payments fail
Stripe treats a payment in a foreign currency to an India-registered business as an export. For India-registered businesses, Stripe requires an Importer Exporter Code (IEC) to process American Express payments from international customers in currencies other than INR. If your Stripe account doesn't have an IEC, Stripe declines the payment and shows the error above.
The IEC is a code issued by India's Directorate General of Foreign Trade (DGFT) to businesses that export from India. Stripe explains this requirement in its guides on accepting international payments from India and American Express support for India-based businesses.
This requirement is specific to American Express. Visa and Mastercard do not need an IEC for the same service payments.
Stripe also does not support American Express cards issued in India on India-registered accounts. Adding an IEC does not change this. Customers using an India-issued American Express card need to pay with a different card.
How the failed attempt appears in NeetoCal
When Stripe declines the payment, NeetoCal records the attempt under the Incomplete booking on the Bookings page. The booking shows the payment as declined along with the reason reported by Stripe.
The meeting is not confirmed until the payment succeeds.
Accepting the payment right away
Ask the customer to try again with a Visa or Mastercard. These cards do not need an IEC for service payments, so the customer can pay in the same currency.
If the customer is using an American Express card issued in India, they need to use a different card.
Accepting American Express going forward
If your business does not have an IEC yet, apply for one on the DGFT website.
Go to the Host (Self) tab.
Click the Stripe Standard payment card.
Click Manage Stripe.
Click Dashboard. Your Stripe Dashboard opens in a new tab.
Open your account details page in the Stripe Dashboard.
Enter your IEC in the export details and save.
Once Stripe has your IEC on file, international customers using American Express can make payments in currencies other than INR on your NeetoCal booking pages.