Decline Reasons: Payments - Bank Cards only
Description
This section provides a list of decline reason codes specific to bank card payments. These codes are returned when a payment is rejected by the issuing bank or payment network, rather than by the platform itself.
Purpose of Decline Reason Codes
Decline reason codes serve to explain why a payment was not authorised by the external card infrastructure. These codes are crucial for diagnosing card-related issues that occur during payment attempts and are typically returned by:
- The card-issuing bank
- The acquiring bank
- The card network (e.g., Visa, Mastercard)
These codes are distinct from system error codes, which originate from the payment platform itself.
Why Decline Reason Codes Are Separate from Error Codes
Decline reason codes reflect external, business-level rejections, while error codes indicate internal, technical issues.
- Error Codes refer to validation or integration problems such as missing fields, signature verification errors, or system timeouts.
- Decline Reason Codes refer to transaction-specific decisions made by the issuer, such as card expired, insufficient funds, or suspected fraud.
Keeping these categories separate ensures clearer communication, better troubleshooting, and more accurate end-user messaging.
Interpreting Decline Reasons
Each decline reason record contains multiple fields that provide detailed context about the rejection. These fields help developers, support teams, and product owners understand why a bank card payment was declined and how best to respond or inform the user.
The fields include:
| Field | Description | Language |
|---|---|---|
code | A unique identifier for the decline reason | English |
shortName | A compact label summarising the issue. | English |
reason | A clear, human-readable explanation, describing why the payment was declined | English |
solution | Recommended next steps or handling instructions, such as retrying, requesting a different card, or contacting the issuer. | English |
rawProviderMessage | The original decline message received from the payment processor, typically in the local language used by the provider or acquiring bank. | Local Language |
Decline Reason Codes Table
The table below provides the full list of bank card decline reason codes, with descriptions and handling recommendations.
| Code | Short Name | Reason | Suggested Solution |
|---|---|---|---|
| 01 | Refer to Card Issuer | The card issuer declined the transaction | Ask the customer to use a different card or contact their issuing bank |
| 02 | Refer to card issuer (special condition) | The card issuer declined the transaction for a special reason | Ask the customer to use a different card or contact their issuing bank for more information |
| 03 | Invalid merchant | There’s a problem with your merchant account or ID | Contact your payment processor for assistance |
| 04 | Pick up card (no fraud) | The card is reported lost or stolen but not flagged for fraud | Retain the card and request the customer to contact their card issuer |
| 05 | Do not honour | The card issuer declined the transaction due to suspected fraud or insufficient funds | Ask the customer to use a different card or contact their issuing bank |
| 06 | Error | The transaction was blocked by the issuer | Contact the issuer to resolve the issue |
| 07 | Pick up card (fraud account) | The card issuer flagged the account for fraud and stopped the transaction | Retain the card and contact the card issuer |
| 12 | Invalid transaction | The card issuer flagged the payment as an invalid transaction | Verify payment information and try again. If the issue persists, contact the card issuer. |
| 13 | Invalid amount | The transaction amount is invalid, typically due to a typo, such as a negative value or an ineligible symbol | Double-check the payment amount and retry the transaction with valid values |
| 14 | Invalid card number | The card number is incorrect or the bank account cannot be found | Request the customer to re-enter their card details correctly. |
| 15 | No such issuer | The card number was entered incorrectly and the issuer cannot be identified | Verify the card number, especially the first digit, which identifies the card network/issuer, and try again |
| 17 | Customer Cancellation | Customer cancelled the transaction before completion | Confirm cancellation with the customer and halt further processing |
| 19 | Re-enter transaction | An unknown error occurred | Try again, and if the issue persists, contact the acquiring bank or merchant account provider |
| 21 | No action taken | Unable to reverse or complete the transaction as requested | Inform the user; manual intervention may be required to resolve |
| 25 | Record Not Found | Requested data or transaction record could not be located | Verify transaction reference and try again; contact the issuer if necessary |
| 27 | File Edit Error | Data edit on file failed due to format or rules error | Check data format or request and resubmit after correction |
| 28 | File temporarily unavailable | A connection issue interrupted the authorisation process | Wait and retry the transaction. If the issue persists, contact your acquiring bank or provider |
| 30 | Format Error | Message format is invalid or not understood by the receiving system | Check the request format, correct any structural issues, and retry the transaction |
| 33 | Expired Card (Pick-Up) | Card has expired; pick-up requested | Retain the card if possible and advise the customer to contact their issuer |
| 38 | PIN Tries Exceeded | Cardholder exceeded the maximum number of allowed PIN entry attempts | Inform the customer; card may be blocked—advise contacting the issuer |
| 39 | No Credit Account | Account type requested does not exist (e.g., no credit account linked) | Confirm account details with the customer; request alternative payment method |
| 40 | Function Not Supported | Function Not Supported | Requested transaction is not supported by the system |
| 41 | Lost card | The card owner has reported their card as lost | Retain the card and contact the card issuer |
| 43 | Stolen card | The card owner has flagged their card as stolen. Fraud is suspected. | Retain the card and contact the card issuer |
| 46 | Closed Account | The account specified has been closed | Request alternative payment details from the customer |
| 51 | Insufficient funds | There are not enough funds in the account or the customer exceeded their credit limit | Request the customer to use a different card or payment method |
| 52 | No checking account | The cardholder does not have a cheque/current account linked to the card | Request a different account type or an alternative payment method |
| 53 | No savings account | The cardholder does not have a savings account linked to the card | Request a different account type or an alternative payment method |
| 54 | Expired card | The card is expired or the expiration date is missing | Ask the customer to use a different payment method or contact their bank. |
| 55 | Incorrect PIN | The customer entered an invalid PIN | Ask the customer to re-enter their PIN |
| 57 | Transaction not permitted (card) | The card isn’t configured for this type of transaction | Request the customer to use a different payment method |
| 58 | Transaction not permitted (terminal) | Your POS system or merchant account is not configured for this type of payment. | Contact your payment provider or suggest an alternative payment method. |
| 59 | Suspected fraud | The transaction has been flagged as potentially fraudulent | Do not proceed; advise the customer to contact their card issuer for clarification |
| 61 | Exceeds withdrawal limit | The transaction exceeds the daily withdrawal limit set by the issuing bank | Ask the customer to try another credit or debit card, or pay using a different payment method |
| 62 | Invalid/restricted service code | Your provider does not support the card type used or the customer tried paying online with a card that doesn’t support online transactions. | Ask the customer to use a different payment method or check with your provider about system compatibility. |
| 63 | Security violation | The entered security code (CVC/CVV) does not match the card details. | Request the customer to re-enter their card information correctly. |
| 64 | Transaction does not fulfill AML requirement | The transaction was flagged because it raised red flags for potential money laundering. | Ask the customer to contact their bank or use a different card. |
| 65 | Exceeds withdrawal limits | The customer exceeded their credit limit or this payment will put them over the limit | Request the customer to use another payment method |
| 67 | Pick Up Card (Fraud Suspected) | Card flagged for capture due to suspected fraud | Retain the card if possible and instruct the customer to contact their issuer |
| 75 | Allowable number of PIN entry tries exceeded | Number of incorrect PIN attempts exceeded | Inform the customer the card may be blocked; advise contacting their issuer |
| 76 | Unsolicited reversal | A request to reverse a transaction has been received, but there are no records of the transaction to be reversed. | Confirm the transaction details entered and retry the transaction. |
| 77 | Repeat Request Not Allowed | Transaction already processed; duplicate request not allowed | Inform customer transaction was already completed; no further action needed |
| 78 | Blocked, first use | Card is blocked and hasn't been activated properly | Advise the customer to contact their card issuer to activate the card |
| 79 | Account Not Activated | Account or card has not yet been activated | Ask the customer to activate the card or contact the issuer |
| 80 | No Financial Impact | The transaction was reversed because the original payment method was declined | Ask the cardholder to use another payment method |
| 81 | Cryptographic Error Found in PIN | The issuer or payment network’s security systems could not decrypt the PIN used in the transaction | Ask the cardholder to try again, or to use a different payment method (e.g. a crest card) that does not require a PIN |
| 82 | Negative CAM, dCVV, iCVV, or CVV results | The cardholder entered the wrong CAM, DCVV, ICVV or CVV | Retry the transaction after the cardholder identifies the correct security values |
| 83 | Unable to Verify PIN | PIN verification failed or was unavailable | Retry or suggest the customer try again later or contact issuer |
| 85 | No reason to decline | An unknown error occurred and the card issuer declined the transaction. | Ask the customer to retry the payment or use a different method. |
| 86 | Cannot verify PIN | The cardholder’s PIN could not be verified, possibly because it was entered incorrectly | Tell the cardholder to enter their PIN again. If the issue persists, ask them to try another payment method |
| 89 | Ineligible to Receive Financial Position Information (GIV) | The cardholder’s account information could not be accessed | Ask the cardholder to try again using the same payment method. If the problem persists, use a different card |
| 91 | Issuer system unavailable | The issuer couldn’t be reached or a network error occurred during authorisation. | Retry the transaction. If the issue persists, ask the customer to contact their issuing bank. |
| 92 | Unable to route transaction | Destination cannot be found for the transaction due to a routing issue | Retry later; if issue persists, escalate to technical support or the payment network |
| 93 | Illegal Transaction | The customer account has a violation and the issuing bank requires customer contact | Request the customer to contact their card issuer. If cleared, retry the transaction or use a different method |
| 94 | Duplicate Transmission | The transaction was blocked because it was already processed | Nothing. Do not reattempt transaction |
| 96 | System error | A temporary error occurred with the system and prevented transaction processing | Wait and retry the transaction. If the problem persists, ask the customer to contact their card issuer. |
| N0 | Force STIP | A card network stands in on behalf of the issuing bank and declines the transaction | Try again, or wait for the issuing bank’s authorization systems to come back online |
| N3 | Cash Service Not Available | The issuer blocked the transaction because the card involved is ineligible for cash or cashback | Ask the customer to use another card, or to proceed without receiving cash back |
| N4 | Cash Request Exceeds Issuer Or Approved Limit | The request exceeds the issuing bank or card’s credit limit | Ask the cardholder to try again with a different payment method |
| N5 | Ineligible For Resubmission | The issuer has blocked the transaction, and the payment method cannot be used again for some time | Ask the customer to use a different payment method, preferably one that is issued by another bank. |
| N7 | Decline For CVV2 Failure | The transaction was blocked because card verification values (CVV2) were entered incorrectly | Prompt the customer to enter the correct CVV2 details |
| N8 | Transaction Amount Exceeds Preauthorized Approval Amount | The transaction was blocked because the amount is greater than the value of the authorization hold | Perform an authorization reversal, then try again. This time, make sure the transaction is equivalent to the amount of the authorization hold |
| R0 | Recurring charge stopped at customer request | The cardholder requested their bank to decline the recurring payment you are trying to process | Cancel future scheduled transactions to prevent chargebacks and contact your customer to resolve the issue |
| R1 | Recurring charge stopped at customer request | The cardholder requested their bank to decline the recurring payment you are trying to process | Cancel future scheduled transactions to prevent chargebacks and contact your customer to resolve the issue |
| Z1 | Sender Cardholder Verification Failed | The sender's cardholder verification was unsuccessful (e.g., failed 3D Secure, authentication challenge, or risk check) | Inform the customer that authentication failed and ask them to retry with correct data or contact their card issuer |
| XX | Unknown | Unknown | Unknown |
Updated 25 days ago