Overview

Stripe has updated the Issuing Token API to make the network_data.visa.card_reference_id field optional (nullable). Previously, this field was required to always contain a string value.

Breaking Change

This change modifies the data type of the network_data.visa.card_reference_id property from a non-nullable string to a nullable string. Developers must update any code that accesses this property and assumes it always has a non-null value. Add null checks before using this field in your integration.

What's Changing

• The Visa card reference ID can now be null, allowing Issuing Token to support Visa tokens that don't have a reference ID
• No changes to the existing network_data.mastercard.card_reference_id field, which already supports null values
• SDKs for Java and Go are unaffected by this change

Action Items for Developers

1. Review your code for any assumptions that network_data.visa.card_reference_id is always present
2. Update your API version to 2026-03-25.dahlia (upgrade through Workbench or add Stripe-Version header)
3. Upgrade your SDK to the latest version for your language
4. Test your integration in Stripe's test environment
5. If using Connect, test your Connect integration as well
6. Perform the upgrade in Workbench (you have 72 hours to roll back if needed)