This article covers the most common card decline reasons, what they mean and how you can resolve them.
Checking the portal should always be the first step when a payment attempt fails. Where a payment has failed due to a declined authorisation, the decline reason will show on the card transaction history. The table below shows the common decline reasons and action you can take to resolve them.
Common decline reasons
Decline Reasons |
What does it mean? |
Resolution |
|
Authorisation would exceed card limit |
The attempted authorisation is more than the limit set when the card was created |
Confirm the correct amount with the supplier. If needed you can increase the card limit on the existing card, or create a new card with a higher limit. You should include a buffer to accommodate FX rate fluctuations where applicable |
|
Processor declined: DR : card expiry check failed with Emboss Expiry date |
The card has expired |
A new card will need to be created on the portal. If the payment details remain the same you can use the “duplicate card” function |
|
Account has insufficient funds |
The account does not have sufficient balance to cover the authorisation amount |
Check the available balance on the portal to ensure there are sufficient funds. |
|
Processor declined: DR: Declined due to Card Status: Card Destroyed |
The card has been cancelled or frozen. Single use cards will automatically cancel after one successful authorisation |
Check the status of the card on the portal. If the card has been frozen you can unfreeze it. If the card has been cancelled, create a new one |
|
Processor declined: DR: exceeds withdrawal Amount Limits |
The value of the attempted authorisations is more than card velocity limits |
Create a new card, or raise a ticket with the Pax2pay Support Team |
|
Processor declined: Card CVV2 not matching with CVV2 in auth request |
The incorrect CVV2 (card security code) has been input and does not match that of the card |
Ask the supplier to retry the payment, taking care to use the correct security code |
|
Processor declined: EH Timeout - An error occurred while sending the request |
System issue with processor |
Ask the supplier to retry the payment. If the problem persists contact the Pax2pay support team with the card details |
|
Processor declined: DR: Declined due to Card Status: Short - term Debit BlokMerchants told to retry credits+refunds approved |
The card is temporarily blocked |
Check the status of the card on the portal, thaw the card if necessary and ask the supplier to retry the payment. |
|
0 - (reversed) |
Transaction has been reserved by the supplier |
Contact your supplier for an explanation |
|
Card declined due to SCA required |
Supplier has processed a card in a way that triggers SCA, typically a PIN. As VCCs don't have PINs, the authorisation is rejected |
This typically occurs when the supplier has processed the card incorrectly. Ensure the supplier is processing as a "Mail order - telephone order (MOTO)” or “card(holder) not present” |
|
MCC Code not allowed |
The supplier is using an MCC code that has not been approved for use on Pax2pay cards |
Travel related MCCs are enabled from set up. If you are paying a supplier outside of these MCCs you can request to enable it. Please see here. |
|
Processor declined: DR: Invalid Country
|
The card has been declined due to transaction being processed in a country on our card providers sanctions list. |
If you require any further information please raise a ticket with our support team. |
What if there are no attempted authorisations showing on the portal?
If your supplier is reporting a failed payment attempt but there is no declined authorisation showing on the portal, the transaction is failing at the supplier end, before reaching Pax2pay. Typically this is due to the card type not being accepted by the supplier and/or or their acquirer.
Your supplier will need to contact their acquirer to ask why the transaction is being blocked. They may be able to whitelist the card type (or card BIN) to allow payments to proceed. If this isn't possible, try one of the other card types available to you.
If you have tried all of the card types and still require assistance please raise a ticket with our customer support team here. Please be aware we have limited control over which card types a supplier will accept.