HTTP 402 Payment Required
Updated Free mock REST & WebSocket APIs
HTTP 402 Payment Required — Reserved for future use; some APIs use it when a payment or paid plan is required.
- Class
- 4xx Client Error
- Defined in
- RFC 9110 §15.5.3
- Official
- Yes (IANA registry)
- Cacheable by default
- No (unless Cache-Control/Expires say so)
- Safe to retry
- Not without changing the request
Try it: get a real 402 response
Our test endpoint answers every request with 402 Payment Required.
curl -i https://mockfox.dev/api/status/402Use it in tests, health-check monitors or to see how your client handles a 402. Add ?delay=2000 to slow it down.
What does HTTP 402 mean?
HTTP never standardised a payment scheme, so 402 has no defined semantics. In practice it's used ad hoc: Stripe returns 402 when a card is declined, Shopify and Vercel use it for stores or accounts with unpaid bills, and some SaaS APIs return it when a quota requires an upgrade. Treat it as "check the response body".
How to fix 402
- Visitors: Reload the page, check the address for typos, and clear the site's cookies. If it persists, the site owner needs to fix it.
- Developers: Read the response body and server logs for details, fix the request (method, headers, body, credentials) and return a clear error message to clients.
Example 402 response
HTTP/1.1 402 Payment Required
Content-Type: application/json
{"status":402,"error":"Payment Required"}4xx Client Error: The request contains an error or can't be fulfilled — fix the request before retrying. See the full list of HTTP status codes.
Related status codes
- 403 ForbiddenThe server understood the request but refuses to authorize it.
- 429 Too Many RequestsThe client sent too many requests in a given time (rate limiting).
- 401 UnauthorizedThe request lacks valid authentication credentials; it must include a WWW-Authenticate challenge.
Related tools
Frequently asked questions
What does HTTP 402 Payment Required mean?
Reserved for future use; some APIs use it when a payment or paid plan is required.
Is 402 a client or a server error?
402 is a 4xx code, so it signals a problem with the request (as seen by the server). Retrying the identical request usually gives the same result.
Where is 402 defined?
In RFC 9110 §15.5.3. It's listed in the IANA HTTP Status Code Registry.
How can I test how my app handles a 402?
Call https://mockfox.dev/api/status/402 — it responds with 402 to any method, with CORS enabled. Add ?delay=2000 to simulate a slow response.