faker-ruby/faker · error · ArgumentError

Invalid credit cards argument can be left blank or include #

Error message

Invalid credit cards argument can be left blank or include #{invalid_cards.join(', ')}

What it means

Raised by Faker::Stripe.invalid_card when card_error is not a key under faker.stripe.invalid_cards in the loaded locale (keys named after Stripe's decline error codes, e.g. :addressZipFail, :incorrectNumber...). The argument is symified then checked against the locale keys; note these keys are camelCase like Stripe's docs, so 'address_zip_fail' or :incorrect_number fail.

Source

Thrown at lib/faker/default/stripe.rb:75

      ##
      # Produces a random invalid card number.
      #
      # @return [String]
      #
      # @example
      #   Faker::Stripe.invalid_card #=> "4000000000000002"
      #   Faker::Stripe.invalid_card(card_error: "addressZipFail") #=> "4000000000000010"
      #
      # @faker.version 1.9.0
      def invalid_card(card_error: nil)
        invalid_cards = translate('faker.stripe.invalid_cards').keys

        if card_error.nil?
          card_error = sample(invalid_cards).to_s
        else
          unless invalid_cards.include?(card_error.to_sym)
            raise ArgumentError,
                  "Invalid credit cards argument can be left blank or include #{invalid_cards.join(', ')}"
          end
        end

        fetch("stripe.invalid_cards.#{card_error}")
      end

      ##
      # Produces a random month in two digits format.
      #
      # @return [String]
      #
      # @example
      #   Faker::Stripe.month #=> "10"
      #
      # @faker.version 1.9.0
      def month
        format('%02d', rand_in_range(1, 12))

View on GitHub (pinned to cca4184947)

Solutions

1. Omit card_error to get a random invalid card number.
2. Pass the exact camelCase key shown in the error message, e.g. card_error: 'addressZipFail' (string or symbol).
3. For decline codes the gem does not ship, take the card number from the error's listed keys or hardcode the number from Stripe's testing docs.

Example fix

# before
Faker::Stripe.invalid_card(card_error: :address_zip_fail) # ArgumentError

# after
Faker::Stripe.invalid_card(card_error: :addressZipFail)

valid_errors = I18n.translate('faker.stripe.invalid_cards').keys.map(&:to_s)
card_error = nil unless card_error.nil? || valid_errors.include?(card_error.to_s)
Faker::Stripe.invalid_card(card_error: card_error)

def known_stripe_card_error?(card_error)
  I18n.translate('faker.stripe.invalid_cards').key?(card_error.to_s.to_sym)
end

begin
  Faker::Stripe.invalid_card(card_error: card_error)
rescue ArgumentError
  Faker::Stripe.invalid_card # random decline
end

When it happens

Trigger: Faker::Stripe.invalid_card(card_error: 'addressZipFail') works; card_error: 'address_zip_fail' (snake_case), card_error: 'rateLimit' (if absent from the locale) or any other unknown key raises at lib/faker/default/stripe.rb:75.

Common situations: Snake_casing Stripe's camelCase error names (a very common Ruby habit); using a decline code added in newer Stripe docs than the gem's locale data covers; tests iterating over all Stripe decline codes.

Related errors

• Valid credit cards argument can be left blank or include #{v
• Valid credit cards argument can be left blank or include #{v
• Supported colorizations are #{SUPPORTED_COLORIZATIONS.join('
• Supported formats are #{SUPPORTED_FORMATS.join(', ')}
• Familial connections can be left blank or #{familial_connect

AI-assisted analysis of faker-ruby/faker@cca4184947 (2026-08-21). Data as JSON: /api/errors/56af4a6bf8bcdf7f. Report an issue: GitHub.