What do the various decline messages mean when processing customer transactions and how can they be resolved?
Applies to: Payment Processing
This list includes common transaction errors or decline codes you or your customer might see returned by the processor, an explanation of those errors, and how to remediate them.
Common Transaction Errors and Decline Codes
ACH
Account Frozen: Access to the account is restricted due to legal action or a specific action taken by RDFI.
Solution: Use an alternate payment method
Account Closed: Account that was previously active has been closed by the customer.
Solution: Use an alternate payment method
ACH transactions are not accepted by this Merchant: The account has not been set up for ACH transactions.
An error ocurred during processing. Please try again: Connection was lost during the transaction.
Solution: Try processing the transaction again
Insufficient Funds: The available balance is not enough to cover the value of the debit.
Solution: Use an alternate payment method
Invalid Account Number: The system was not able to locate an account with the information provided.
Solution: Verify the information or use an alternate payment method
Invalid ACH Routing Number: The routing number provided is not valid.
Solution: Verify the information or use an alternate payment method
No Account / Unable to Locate Account: The account information provided has a valid format but the acct number does not match up with the individual/business.
Solution: Verify the information or use an alternate payment method
Unauthorized Debit/ Authorization Revoked/ Payment Stopped: The customer who initially authorized the ACH entry has revoked authorization, or the receiver has not authorized the entry.
Credit Card
An error occurred during processing. Please try again: The platform lost connection to the gateway.
Solution: Try processing the transaction again
Auth Unavail: There is not an authorization available for this transaction.
Solution: Contact Support
AVS Failure: no match: Address verification detected mismatching information. This is a security measure.
Solution: Confirm information with the cardholder and their processing bank.
Card No. Error / Invalid CC Number/ The credit card number is invalid. The number that was entered is not a valid card number.
Solution: Confirm the number with the cardholder.
Card type verification error/ CV: The card reader had a problem verifying the card. This could be an issue with the microchip or the magnet strip.
Solution: Try cleaning, manually enter, or contact the bank.
CVV does not match, Invalid CVV Data, Declined due to CCV2 or Policy Denial - 682: The issuing bank reports that the CVV entered does not match
Solution: Confirm the number with the cardholder.
Daily Transaction Limit Exceeded / Exceeds Approval Amount Limit / Trans Denied 665- Cardholders may be over their daily spending or transaction limit, or this transaction would push them over.
Solution: Cardholder will need to contact their bank.
Decline: Hard Decline from the issuing bank for insufficient funds, meeting daily limits, etc.
Solution: Cardholder will need to contact their bank.
Decline Limit Error: The decline-to-approval ratio for this merchant is to high.
Solution: Contact Support
Do Not Honor /Trans Denied 605 : Hard decline from the issuing bank. For security reasons, the issuing bank has flagged this card, and it cannot be accepted.
Solution: Cardholder will need to contact their bank.
Expiry Date is invalid: The expiration date is invalid.
Solution: Confirm the number with the cardholder.
Gateway Unreachable / Unable to communicate with the payment system / No reply/ Issuer system unavailable: The gateway is experiencing connection issues or there is a temporary communication error between the merchant and the issuing bank.
Solution: Try using another credit card to see if the issue is merchant specific. If the issue persists, call the issuing bank and/ or contact Support.
Hold-Call: Merchant to keep the card. There is a problem with the card.
Solution: Call the number on the back of the card to determine the issue.
Insufficient Funds /Trans Denied 651: The issuing bank reports that the card does not have enough funds to cover the transaction. Unable to process the transaction because the payment method has been redacted.
Solution: Cardholder will need to contact their bank.
Invalid Transaction: The transaction attempted is invalid.
Solution: This could be due to any number of faulty operations, including trying to refund a refund. Before you call the bank, restart the transaction from scratch, and make sure all the information entered is correct.
Lost/Stolen / Pick Up Card / Trans Denied 604 or 607: The card has been reported as lost or stolen or is no longer in circulation.
Solution: Call the number on the back of the card to determine the issue.
Max attempts exceeded / Max attempts exceeded. A previous charge was recently successful. Please review it, and if necessary, you can try again in five minutes: Max attempts exceeded means the merchant received too many attempts or declines within an hour. This can cause a 1-hour freeze or block.
Solution: Space out transactions when possible. If a previous charge was recently successful, please wait, and try again in five minutes. Please wait 5 minutes before processing a transaction on the same card for the same amount.
Max Limit Error: This card has been used too many times within the last 24 hours
Solution: Use an alternate payment method
No Account / The account was closed: our system is getting a response from the issuer that the payment account is closed or currently inactive.
Solution: Confirm the number with the cardholder.
No Such Issuer: The first digit, which identifies the card's issuing bank, was incorrect.
Solution: Confirm the number with the cardholder.
Refer to Issuer: The issuing bank (Mastercard, Visa, Discover, etc.) prevented the transaction without a specific reason.
Solution: Call the number on the back of the card to determine the issue.
Restricted Card / Trans Denied 662: the customer's issuing bank has declined the transaction most typically because the customer is yet to provide a proper means of ID on their account.
Solution: Cardholder will need to contact their bank.
Security violation: The three-digit or the four-digit security code was incorrect or wasn't read properly.
Solution: Confirm the number with the cardholder.
Street address and postal code do not match: The issuing bank reports that the street address and postal code that was entered do not match.
Solution: Cardholder will need to contact their bank.
The credit card has expired: The credit card has expired.
Solution: Use an alternate payment method or update expiration date.
The transaction total exceeds the transaction limit for this account. Please get in touch with us if you would like to increase this: The transaction that is trying to process is over the approved limit for your account.
Solution: Contact Support
Transaction not permitted, Card: This code shows up when you're trying to use a card for a transaction that's specifically not allowed
Solution: Cardholder will need to contact their bank.
Type Not Allowed: This type of transaction is not allowed
Solution: Contact support.
Unable to communicate with the payment system: Temporary communication error with the interface.
Solution: Try the transaction again later. If the issue persists, contact Support.
User authentication failed due to invalid authentication values: The codes for the gateway no longer match the codes in the interface
Solution: Contact Support
User authentication failed. The account or API user is inactive: The codes for the gateway no longer match the codes in the interface
Solution: Contact Support
User Cancelled: The user/customer canceled the transaction on the terminal or the transaction timed out.
Solution: Try processing the transaction again