Decline Reasons Codes
A comprehensive list of decline codes, their meanings, and recommended actions to resolve payment issues.
| Decline Code | Name | Description | Recommended Action |
|---|---|---|---|
| 01 | Refer to Issuer | The issuing bank requires the cardholder to contact them for further verification. | Ask the cardholder to call their bank. |
| 02 | Refer to card issuer's special conditions | Similar to Code 01, but may involve specific conditions like suspected fraud. | Ask the cardholder to contact their bank. |
| 03 | Invalid Merchant | The merchant’s account is not properly set up with the payment processor. | Contact your payment processor to verify account status. |
| 04 | Pick Up | The card has been flagged for potential fraud or other issues; the issuer wants it confiscated. | Do not attempt the transaction; request another payment method. |
| 05 | Do Not Honor | The issuing bank has blocked the transaction, often due to suspected fraud or account issues. | Ask the cardholder to contact their bank to resolve the issue. |
| 06 | Error | A general error occurred during processing, often due to technical issues. | Re-enter the transaction or contact the payment processor. |
| 07 | Pick Up Card, Special Condition | Similar to Code 04, but with specific fraud-related conditions. | Do not attempt the transaction; request another payment method. |
| 12 | Invalid Transaction | The transaction type is not supported by the card or processor. | Verify transaction details or request another payment method. |
| 13 | Invalid Amount | The transaction amount is incorrect or exceeds allowable limits. | Check the amount and retry or request another payment method. |
| 14 | Invalid Card Number (no such number) | The card number provided is incorrect or not recognized by the issuing bank. | Verify the card number with the cardholder and re-enter. |
| 15 | No Such Issuer | The card’s issuing bank cannot be identified based on the card number. | Confirm card details or request a different payment method. |
| 19 | Re-enter Transaction | A processing error requires the transaction to be resubmitted. | Re-enter the transaction or contact the payment processor. |
| 20 | Invalid Response | The payment processor received an invalid or unreadable response from the issuer (bank). | Retry the transaction; check data formatting. |
| 21 | No action taken | The transaction was not processed, possibly due to an error or timeout. | Retry with stable connectivity or use another method if needed. |
| 22 | Suspected Malfunction | The issuer suspects a technical issue (e.g., system error, communication failure). | Retry later or contact their bank to confirm whether there are any holds or restrictions on the card. |
| 23 | Unacceptable transaction fee | The transaction fee is too high or not accepted by the issuer. | Use a different card or adjust payment amount. |
| 24 | File update not supported by receiver | The merchant or processor does not support the requested file update (e.g., card details update). | Manually update details or request a new payment method. |
| 25 | Unable to Locate Record on file | The issuer cannot find the account associated with the card. | Ask the cardholder to verify card details or use another payment method. |
| 27 | File update field edit error | An error occurred while trying to update customer payment information due to invalid or malformed data in one or more fields. | Verify that all the data is valid. |
| 28 | File update file locked out | The issuer’s system is temporarily down or unavailable. | Wait and retry the transaction later. |
| 29 | File update not successful, contact acquirer | The merchant's system failed to update payment details (e.g., card expiration date, billing info) due to a technical issue with the processor. | Contact your payment provider (acquirer) to resolve the file update error. |
| 30 | Format Error | The transaction data was formatted incorrectly by the merchant’s system. | Check transaction data and retry or contact the processor. |
| 31 | Bank not supported by switch | The card issuer (bank) is not recognized or supported by the payment network being used for processing. | Check transaction data and retry or contact the processor. |
| 33 | Expired Card | The card used for the transaction has passed its expiration date and is no longer valid for payments. | Update payment method. |
| 34 | Suspected Fraud | The card issuer has flagged the transaction as potentially fraudulent. | Do not retry the transaction, and contact the bank to confirm your identity and approve the transaction. |
| 35 | Card acceptor contact acquirer | The merchant (card acceptor) must contact their payment processor (acquirer) for further instructions. | Retry the transaction, and if it persists, contact your payment processor for resolution. |
| 36 | Restricted Card | The card is restricted (possibly expired, blocked, or limited to specific transactions). | Verify if the card is expired or reported lost/stolen, or use a different card, or contact the bank. |
| 37 | Card Acceptor Call Acquirer Security | Potential fraud suspected—merchant must call their processor’s security team. | Do not retry the transaction, and contact your payment processor’s fraud department immediately. |
| 38 | Allowable PIN Tries Exceeded | Too many incorrect PIN attempts (common in debit/ATM transactions). | Ask the customer to use another payment method (or correct PIN if possible). |
| 39 | No Credit Account | The card is not linked to a valid credit account. | Request another payment method. |
| 41 | Lost Card | The card has been reported lost, and the issuer has blocked the transaction. | Do not attempt the transaction; request another payment method. |
| 42 | No universal account | The card issuer (bank) does not recognize the account type being used for this transaction. | Verify the card details or use a different card. If it persists, contact the card issuer bank. |
| 43 | Stolen Card, Pick Up | The card has been reported stolen, and the issuer has blocked the transaction. | Do not attempt the transaction; request another payment method. |
| 44 | No Investment Account | The card is linked to an investment account, not a standard credit account. | Request another payment method. |
| 46 | Closed Account | The cardholder’s account has been closed. | Request another payment method. |
| 51 | Not sufficient funds | The cardholder’s account lacks sufficient funds or credit for the transaction. | Request an alternative payment method or lower amount. |
| 52 | No Checking Account | The card is not linked to a valid checking account (for debit transactions). | Request another payment method. |
| 53 | No Savings Account | The card is not linked to a valid savings account (for debit transactions). | Request another payment method. |
| 54 | Expired Card | The card has passed its expiration date. | Ask for a valid card or updated card information. |
| 55 | Incorrect personal identification number | The PIN entered for the transaction is incorrect. | Ask the cardholder to re-enter the PIN or use another method. |
| 56 | No card record | The card number is invalid, closed, or does not exist in the issuer's system. | Verify the card details or use a different card. If it persists, contact the card issuer bank. |
| 57 | Transaction not permitted to cardholder | The transaction type is not allowed for this card (e.g., restricted card type). | Ask the cardholder to use a different card or payment method. |
| 58 | Transaction Not Permitted To Terminal | The merchant’s terminal is not authorized for this transaction type. | Contact the payment processor to verify terminal settings. |
| 59 | Suspected Fraud | The issuer has flagged the transaction as potentially fraudulent. | Ask the cardholder to contact their bank or use another method. |
| 60 | Card acceptor contact acquirer | The transaction was flagged for manual review by the payment processor or issuer. | Do not retry the transaction, and contact your payment processor’s fraud department immediately. |
| 61 | Exceeds Withdrawal Limit | The transaction exceeds the card’s withdrawal limit. | Suggest a lower amount or request another payment method. |
| 62 | Restricted Card | The card is restricted due to specific limitations set by the issuer. | Request an alternative payment method. |
| 63 | Security Violation | The transaction violates security protocols (e.g., incorrect CVV). | Verify security details (e.g., CVV) or request another method. |
| 64 | Original amount incorrect | The transaction references a previous authorization, but the amount doesn't match the original authorized sum. | Verify the transaction amount matches any previous authorizations exactly, and check your authorization records if this is a follow-up transaction. For refunds, ensure you're not exceeding the original transaction amount. Process as a new transaction if you can't resolve the amount discrepancy. |
| 65 | Exceeds withdrawal frequency limit | The transaction exceeds the card’s allowable limit for a single purchase. | Suggest a lower amount or request another payment method. |
| 66 | Card acceptor call acquirer's security department | High-risk transaction flagged for potential fraud. | Do not retry the transaction, and contact your payment processor’s fraud department immediately. |
| 67 | Hard capture (requires that card be picked up at ATM) | Issuer has blocked the card permanently due to: Reported lost/stolen, Suspected compromise, Fraudulent activity. | Decline the transaction – No retry possible, and notify customer discreetly to contact their bank. |
| 68 | Response Received Too Late | The issuer’s response to the transaction request was delayed. | Retry the transaction or contact the payment processor. |
| 70 | Contact Card Issuer | Applies for Mastercard. The issuer requires direct contact from the cardholder for verification. | Please check the specific provider decline codes. |
| 70 | PIN Not Supplied | Applies for Visa. The transaction requires a PIN, but none was provided. | Please check the specific provider decline codes. |
| 75 | Allowable number of PIN tries exceeded | The cardholder has exceeded the number of PIN attempts allowed. | Ask the cardholder to contact their bank or use another method. |
| 78 | Card Not Activated | The payment card (typically a new or replacement card) has not been activated by the cardholder before use. | Activate the card or use an alternative payment method. |
| 79 | Life Cycle | Applies for Mastercard. The transaction is refused due to invalid card data. | Please check the specific provider decline codes. |
| 80 | Visa transactions: credit issuer unavailable | The issuing bank cannot be reached. | Try again or use another payment method. |
| 82 | CVN Mismatch: Negative CAM, dCVV, iCVV, or CVV results | The CVN code provided is incorrect. | Ask the cardholder to re-enter the CVN or use another method. |
| 82 | Invalid card expiration date | The expiration date is incorrect. | Input the correct card expiration date. |
| 83 | Fraud Card / Security | Applies for Mastercard. The card is flagged for fraud with no legitimate cardholder. | Please check the specific provider decline codes. |
| 86 | Cannot Verify PIN | Applies for VISA. The PIN could not be verified by the issuer. | Please check the specific provider decline codes. |
| 91 | Issuer or switch is inoperative | The issuing bank’s system is down or unreachable. | Wait and retry the transaction later. |
| 92 | Financial institution or intermediate network facility cannot be found for routing | The transaction cannot be routed to the correct issuer. | Contact the payment processor to resolve routing issues. |
| 93 | Transaction cannot be completed. Violation of law | The transaction is illegal or violates regulatory requirements. | Do not attempt the transaction; contact the processor. |
| 94 | Duplicate Transmission | The transaction appears to be a duplicate of a previous one. | Confirm with the cardholder and avoid reattempting. |
| 95 | Reconcile error | The transaction data contains errors (e.g., incorrect fields). | Verify all data and retry or contact the processor. |
| 96 | System Malfunction | A technical issue with the issuer or processor caused the decline. | Wait and retry the transaction or contact the processor. |
| 1A | Authentication Required | Visa requires authentication. | Retry with 3D Secure for PSD2 transactions (soft decline). |
| 5C | Transaction not supported/blocked by issuer | Visa issuer refused transaction. | Contact the bank or use another method. |
| 9G | Blocked by cardholder/contact cardholder | Cardholder blocked card. | Use another payment method. |
| R0 | Stop payment order | Visa cardholder stopped a specific recurring payment. | Contact shopper about cancellation. |
| R1 | Revocation of authorization order | Visa cardholder stopped all recurring payments. | Contact shopper about cancellation. |
| R3 | Revocation of all authorization | Visa cardholder canceled all recurring payments. | Contact shopper about cancellation. |
| Z1 | Offline-declined | Visa non-cardholder request (e.g., advice) declined offline. | Please check the specific provider decline codes. |
| Z3 | Unable to go online; offline-declined | Visa non-cardholder request (e.g., advice) declined offline. | Please check the specific provider decline codes. |
| N3 | Cash service not available | Private use or maximum online refund limit reached. | Contact bank to check restrictions; use another payment method or non-refunded transaction. |
| N4 | Cash request exceeds issuer limit | Private use or maximum offline refund limit reached. | Verify limits with bank; try smaller amount or different payment method. |
| N7 | Decline for CVV2 failure | Private use or declined due to customer-selected negative file reason. | Re-enter CVV2; contact bank if flagged; use another payment method. |
Track Your Payment Declines Automatically
Let Congrify's platform monitor your payment declines instantly, with AI-powered alerts and recommendations to improve success rates.
See Congrify in Action