HTTP 402 Payment Required

What is HTTP 402 Payment Required?

The 402 (Payment Required) status code is reserved for future use. While originally created for digital payment systems, it is not widely used. Some APIs use it to indicate that a paid subscription is required to access a resource.

Common Use Cases

• Digital payment gateways
• Subscription-based API access
• Paywalled content services

// Laravel - subscription required
if (! $user->subscribed()) {
    return response()->json([
        'error' => 'Payment required',
        'upgrade_url' => route('billing.plans'),
    ], 402);
}