PracticeQ Payments: Decline Codes

When you try to run a payment on a credit/debit card, you may receive a decline from the processor. The chart below explains decline reasons and whether the card should be removed or retried.

Decline Reason	Details	Should I Remove the Card?	Should I Re-Try the Charge?
Account Closed	The credit/debit account is closed.	Yes	No, never.
Activity limit exceeded	Cardholder has reached their daily transaction limit.	No	Yes, but wait until following day
Blocked, first used	The card is new and has most likely not been activated yet.	Ask cardholder for update/validation first	Ask cardholder to act before re-attempting the charge
CID Verification error	CVV mismatch.	Ask cardholder for update/validation first	Not until you speak with the cardholder. If the cardholder advises that the data is correct, they must resolve with the card issuer.
Customer requested stop of all recurring payments	Cardholder placed a stop payment or revocation of authorization at the card issuer level. Further recurring payment attempts are rejected.	Yes	No, never.
CVV must be 3 or 4 digits	CVV mismatch in number of digits.	Ask cardholder for update/validation first	Not until you speak with the cardholder. If the cardholder advises that the data is correct, they must resolve with the card issuer.
CVV REJECTED	CVV or address does not match with card issuer.	Ask cardholder for update/validation first	Not until you speak with the cardholder. If the cardholder advises that the data is correct, they must resolve with the card issuer.
CVV2 mismatch	CVV or address does not match with card issuer.	Ask cardholder for update/validation first	Not until you speak with the cardholder. If the cardholder advises that the data is correct, they must resolve with the card issuer.
Declined - Contact card issuer	Card issuer declined transaction due to restrictions in place. Could be restricted by merchant code (MCC), merchant type, online order (CNP), international.	Ask cardholder for update/validation first	Requires intervention from cardholder before re-attempt.
Do Not Honor	This is a generic failure response from the card issuer. It could be insufficient funds, expired card; no specific failure reason given.	No	Max 3-5 re-attempts.
Duplicate transaction	System restriction to reduce possibility of duplicates.	No	Check your payment dashboard for recent attempts. Do not re-try for at least 5 minutes to allow for any pending transactions to digest.
Exceeds withdrawal limit	The payment amount exceeds either the daily or hard limit for the card.	No	You may need cardholder direction before re-attempting. Attempt smaller payments or re-attempt the next day if the daily limit is the issue. Note: Excessive repeated small amount payments can also be seen as card testing.
Expired card	Card has expired.	Yes	No, never.
File is temporarily unavailable	There is a temporary technical issue.	No	Max 3-5 re-attempts. We recommend reporting to PQ Support following 2 or more declines.
General error	This is a generic failure response from the card issuer. It could be insufficient funds, expired card; no specific failure reason given.	No	Max 3-5 re-attempts
Insufficient funds	The balance on the card is too low for the payment amount.	No	Do not re-try the same day unless instructed by cardholder, as it is unlikely to resolve. Do not exceed 3-5 re-attempts.
Invalid card number	Card number is no longer valid or was not valid at collection.	Yes	No, never.
Invalid Credit Card Number	Card information was entered incorrectly or card no longer valid.	Yes	Obtain new card.
Invalid CVV	CVV or address does not match with card issuer.	Ask cardholder for update/validation first	Not until you speak with the cardholder. If the cardholder advises that the data is correct, they must resolve with the card issuer.
Invalid merchant ID	The payment system cannot locate the merchant ID.	No	Re-attempt once, then escalate to PQ Support if payment does not clear.
Invalid transaction	The card issuer does not accept the transaction. This could be due to data mis-match (CVV, address, expiration), temporary system error, or card restriction.	Ask cardholder for update/validation first	Re-attempt once to check for a possible temporary error; if it declines again, it will require cardholder intervention with the card issuer.
Issuer Declined MCC	The card issuer will not allow the transaction based on your Merchant Category Code (8099).	Yes	No, never.
Issuer or switch is unavailable	The payment processor could not connect to the bank. This could be temporary.	No	We recommend a re-attempt after a short time. If rejection persists, then report to the cardholder, as it will require intervention from the issuer.
Max attempts exceeded. Please contact your payment support team.	This error code generates when your maximum transactions exceed limits due to the number of failures incurred. Note: The PQ Payments Team is seeking a resolution to this issue.	No	Reach out to PQ Support to report the error code. When possible, do not continue re-attempts.
No credit account	A debit card was routed to a credit card network.	No	Max 3 re-attempts, then obtain new method of payment.
No such issuer	The payment processor could not identify the issuing bank.	Ask cardholder for update/validation first	Not until you speak with the cardholder. If the cardholder advises that the data is correct, they must resolve with the card issuer.
Pick up card - F	F = Fraud. If Card Present, do not return the card to the cardholder.	Yes	No, never.
Pick up card - L	L = Lost. If Card Present, do not return the card to the cardholder.	Yes	No, never.
Pick up card - NF	Remove from file.	Yes	No, never.
Pick up card - S	S = Stolen. If Card Present, do not return the card to the cardholder.	Yes	No, never.
Pick up card - SF	SF = Suspected Fraud. If Card Present, do not return the card to the cardholder.	Yes	No, never.
Pin tries exceeded	The card is locked due to too many incorrect pin entries.	Ask cardholder for update/validation first	This requires intervention from the cardholder before re-attempt.
Re-enter transaction	There is a temporary technical issue.	No	Max 3-5 re-attempts. We recommend reporting to PQ Support following 2 or more declines.
Security violation	The card issuer flagged the transaction as possible fraud. This could be due to a data mismatch (CVV, address, expiration), or unusual activity.	Ask cardholder for update/validation first	This requires intervention from the cardholder before re-attempt.
This transaction exceeds the number of times the same payment method can be charged in succession. Please contact support if you would like to increase your limit.	The card has been attempted too many times in a short time period. The maximum is typically 6 attempts per hour.	No	Check your payment dashboard for recent attempts on the same card. Report to PQ Support if attempts do not exceed the maximum.
Transaction not permitted by user	This is a generic failure response from the card issuer. It could be insufficient funds, expired card; no specific failure reason given.	No	Max 3-5 re-attempts.
Unable to communicate with the payment system	There is a temporary connection issue between the seller, processor, or website.	No	Max 3-5 re-attempts.

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