Why Was My Card Declined? Card Decline Codes Explained
A declined card is frustrating on both sides of the checkout. The customer wants to pay, the merchant wants the sale, and the screen just says "declined." Behind that word is a short code from the card's bank that explains what went wrong, and most of the time it can be fixed.
This guide explains the most common card decline codes, the difference between soft and hard declines, and what customers and merchants can do about each one.
Why cards get declined
The decision to approve or decline a card payment is made by the issuer, the bank that gave the customer the card. When a payment comes in, the issuer checks the card details, the balance or credit limit, its own fraud rules and any restrictions on the card. It then sends back a response code. "00" means approved. Most other codes are declines, and the code says why.
The most common reasons are simple: a typo in the card number, an expired card, a wrong security code or not enough funds. The harder ones come from fraud rules. A bank may decline a purchase that looks unusual for the cardholder, such as a new merchant, a large amount, or a payment from another country, even when the customer is who they say they are.
Common card decline codes and what they mean
Codes vary a little between card networks and processors, but these are the ones you will see most often:
| Code | Name | What it means | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| 05 | Do Not Honor | The issuer declined without giving a reason. Often a fraud rule, an unusual purchase or a merchant the bank doesn't trust. | Soft |
| 51 | Insufficient Funds | Not enough money or available credit for this amount. | Soft |
| 54 | Expired Card | The card is past its expiry date, or the date was typed wrong. | Fix details |
| 14 | Invalid Card Number | The number doesn't belong to a real card, usually a typo. | Fix details |
| N7 | CVV Mismatch | The security code on the back of the card doesn't match. | Fix details |
| 41 / 43 | Lost Card / Stolen Card | The card was reported lost or stolen. Never retry it. | Hard |
| 57 | Transaction Not Permitted | The card isn't allowed to make this kind of purchase, for example online or in this merchant category. | Hard |
| 61 / 65 | Exceeds Limit / Too Many Attempts | The card hit a spending limit or a limit on how many payments it can make. | Soft |
| 91 / 96 | Issuer Unavailable / System Error | The bank or the network couldn't answer in time. Nothing is wrong with the card. | Soft |
What does "Do Not Honor" mean?
Do Not Honor, code 05, is the most common decline and the least helpful. It means the issuer said no without saying why. Usually a fraud or risk rule fired: the purchase looked unusual, the merchant category is one the bank is cautious about, or the card has had several attempts in a short time.
For the customer, the fastest fix is to call the number on the back of the card and ask the bank to allow the payment. For the merchant, a Do Not Honor is often a soft decline: the same card may be approved later, or when the payment is sent through a different processor.
Soft declines vs hard declines
Most declines fall into one of three groups, and the group decides what to do next.
- Soft declines are temporary or depend on the route the payment took: a timeout, an issuer that was briefly unavailable, a limit, or a risk rule that didn't like that particular processor. The same payment may be approved later or somewhere else.
- Hard declines are final: the card is closed, lost or stolen, or not allowed to make this purchase. Retrying will not change the answer, and repeated retries can count against the merchant.
- "Fix details" declines come from wrong or out-of-date card details: a mistyped number, an old expiry date or a wrong security code. Sending the same details again will fail, but the payment can go through once the customer corrects them.
Insufficient funds sits in between. It is technically soft, because the customer may add money later, but retrying it again and again a few seconds apart won't help.
If your card was declined: what to do
- Check the card number, expiry date, security code and billing address.
- Make sure the card isn't expired, frozen or blocked for online payments.
- Check your balance or available credit.
- Call the number on the back of your card. The bank can see the exact reason and approve the payment.
- Try another card, a digital wallet or a bank payment.
If you're a merchant: how to recover declined payments
Card declines are one of the biggest causes of lost checkouts. Around 10 percent of abandoned checkouts happen simply because the card was declined. A few habits recover a large share of them:
- Read the code before you retry. Retry soft declines; never retry hard declines.
- Send soft declines through another route. An issuer that declines a payment from one processor may approve it from another. This is called payment waterfalling, or cascading.
- Tell the customer what to fix. "Check your security code" gets a second attempt; "Declined" often doesn't.
- Offer another way to pay. Digital wallets and bank payments give a customer a way to finish when their card won't go through.
- Watch your decline rates. A sudden rise in invalid card numbers or security code mismatches is a sign of card testing, not unlucky customers.
How Soap helps
Soap is a payment orchestration platform with multi-processor routing across 15+ processor relationships, so a business can work with more than one processor through one integration.
Soap also recovers payments that strict checks block by mistake. Our AI name matching recovered over 4.8% of payments blocked for a cardholder name mismatch, and our open-source waterfalling proof of concept shows how browser agents can retry payments even where there is no API.
Frequently asked questions
Why was my card declined when I have money in my account?
Banks decline payments for more reasons than a low balance. A fraud rule may have flagged an unusual purchase, the card may be blocked for online or international payments, a daily limit may have been reached, or a detail such as the expiry date, security code or billing address may not match. Your bank can tell you the exact reason.
What does Do Not Honor mean?
Do Not Honor (code 05) is a generic decline from the card issuer. The bank refused the payment but didn't share why. It is often a fraud or risk rule. The cardholder can call their bank to approve the payment, and a merchant may be able to retry it later or through a different route.
What is the difference between a soft decline and a hard decline?
A soft decline is temporary or depends on how the payment was sent, such as a timeout, a limit or a risk rule, so it may be approved later or through another route. A hard decline is final, such as a closed, lost or stolen card, and retrying it will not work. Declines for wrong details, like an expired date or a mistyped security code, go through once the customer corrects them.
Should a merchant retry a declined payment?
Only soft declines, and only within limits. Retrying a hard decline never succeeds and can count against the merchant. Insufficient funds should not be retried in quick succession either. Good retry logic reads the decline code first.
How can I fix a declined card payment?
Check the card number, expiry date, security code and billing address, then try again. If it still fails, call the number on the back of your card and ask the bank to approve the payment, or use another card or payment method.
Talk to the Soap team
If declines are costing you sales, talk to the Soap team. We'll look at where your declines come from and how many can be recovered.