API ReferenceDecline Codes
Decline Codes
When a card payment is refused, the cardholder's bank returns a short code saying why. Look it up below to see what it means and what to do next.
Where to find it. On a failed payment, error_details.issuer_details.code holds the
bank's code. See Errors for the standardised codes we return alongside it.
05 "Do not honour" is not a diagnosis. It is by far the most common decline, and the
bank gives no reason for it. It does not mean the card is bad -- if a customer insists
their card works elsewhere, they are probably right, and only their bank can lift it.
Bank decline codes
| Code | What it means | We return | What to do |
|---|---|---|---|
01 | The bank wants to speak to the cardholder before approving. | UE_1013 | The customer must contact their bank before this can succeed. |
04 | The bank has asked for the card to be retained. It does not say why. | UE_1012 | Do not retry. The customer should contact their bank. |
05 | The bank refused without giving a reason. The most common decline, and it does not mean the card is bad. | UE_1007 | Ask the customer to contact their bank, or try a different card. |
12 | The bank will not accept this type of transaction. | UE_4004 | Do not retry unchanged. Contact us if it persists. |
13 | The amount is not valid for this card or transaction. | UE_4001 | Check the request and try again. |
14 | The card number does not exist. | UE_1003 | Ask the customer to re-enter the card number. |
15 | The card number matches no known bank, usually a typo. | UE_1003 | Ask the customer to re-enter the card number. |
19 | The bank asked for the transaction to be sent again. | UE_3002 | Try again in a few minutes. |
1A | The bank requires strong customer authentication under PSD2. | UE_2002 | Retry the payment with 3-D Secure. |
30 | The payment request could not be read. | UE_4001 | Check the request and try again. |
39 | The card has no credit account behind it. | UE_1016 | Ask the customer for a different card. |
41 | The card has been reported lost. | UE_1006 | Do not retry. Ask the customer for a different card. |
42 | The requested account does not exist behind this card. | UE_1016 | Ask the customer for a different card. |
43 | The card has been reported stolen. | UE_1006 | Do not retry. Ask the customer for a different card. |
46 | The account has been closed. | UE_1015 | Ask the customer to activate the card with their bank, or use another. |
51 | There is not enough money in the account. | UE_1001 | Ask the customer to use a different card, or add funds. |
52 | The card has no checking account behind it. | UE_1016 | Ask the customer for a different card. |
53 | The card has no savings account behind it. | UE_1016 | Ask the customer for a different card. |
54 | The expiry date has passed. | UE_1002 | Ask the customer to check the expiry date, or use another card. |
55 | The PIN entered was wrong. | UE_1005 | Ask the customer to retry with the correct PIN. |
56 | The bank has no record of this card. | UE_1014 | Ask the customer to re-check the number, or use a different card. |
57 | This card is not allowed to make this kind of payment. | UE_1010 | Ask the customer for a different card. If it recurs across many cards, contact us. |
58 | This transaction type is not permitted for this card. | UE_1010 | Ask the customer for a different card. If it recurs across many cards, contact us. |
59 | The bank's fraud system blocked the payment. | UE_1012 | Do not retry. The customer should contact their bank. |
5C | The card is not on file with the bank. | UE_1014 | Ask the customer to re-check the number, or use a different card. |
61 | The payment is larger than the limit on the card. | UE_1011 | Ask the customer to try a smaller amount, or a different card. |
62 | The card is restricted, often by country, currency or merchant type. | UE_1009 | Ask the customer for a different card. |
63 | The bank blocked the payment on security grounds. | UE_1012 | Do not retry. The customer should contact their bank. |
64 | The amount does not match the original transaction. | UE_4001 | Check the request and try again. |
65 | The card has been used too many times recently. | UE_1011 / UE_2002 | Ask the customer to try a smaller amount, or a different card. |
70 | The bank requires a PIN, which cannot be supplied online. | UE_1010 | Ask the customer for a different card. If it recurs across many cards, contact us. |
72 | The bank declined without a more specific reason. | UE_1007 / UE_1015 | Ask the customer to contact their bank, or try a different card. |
74 | The PIN was wrong. | UE_1005 | Ask the customer to retry with the correct PIN. |
75 | Too many PIN attempts; the card is now locked. | UE_1013 | The customer must contact their bank before this can succeed. |
76 | The account is not valid. | UE_1014 | Ask the customer to re-check the number, or use a different card. |
77 | The account is not valid. | UE_1014 | Ask the customer to re-check the number, or use a different card. |
78 | The card has never been activated. | UE_1015 | Ask the customer to activate the card with their bank, or use another. |
79 | The bank declined for an account lifecycle reason. | UE_1007 | Ask the customer to contact their bank, or try a different card. |
81 | A cryptographic error occurred during processing. | UE_3002 | Try again in a few minutes. |
82 | The security code on the back of the card was wrong. | UE_1004 | Ask the customer to re-enter the security code. |
83 | The bank declined on fraud or security grounds. | UE_1012 | Do not retry. The customer should contact their bank. |
86 | The bank could not verify the PIN. | UE_1010 | Ask the customer for a different card. If it recurs across many cards, contact us. |
88 | The bank declined without a stated reason. | UE_1007 | Ask the customer to contact their bank, or try a different card. |
91 | The bank's systems were unreachable. Nothing is wrong with the card. | UE_3001 | Try again in a few minutes. |
92 | The payment could not be routed to the bank. | UE_3001 | Try again in a few minutes. |
93 | The bank cannot legally complete this payment. | UE_1012 | Do not retry. The customer should contact their bank. |
94 | The same transaction was sent twice. | UE_1018 | Check whether the original attempt succeeded before retrying. |
96 | A temporary fault at the bank or network. | UE_3002 | Try again in a few minutes. |
9G | The bank wants the cardholder to call them before approving. | UE_1013 | The customer must contact their bank before this can succeed. |
N7 | The security code was wrong. Some banks use this instead of 82. | UE_1004 | Ask the customer to re-enter the security code. |
R0 | The cardholder told their bank to stop paying you, usually a cancelled subscription. | UE_1017 | Do not retry. The cardholder has withdrawn consent -- contact them directly. |
R1 | The cardholder revoked authorisation for this payment. | UE_1017 | Do not retry. The cardholder has withdrawn consent -- contact them directly. |
R3 | The cardholder revoked all authorisations for you. | UE_1017 | Do not retry. The cardholder has withdrawn consent -- contact them directly. |
Never retry 04, 41, 43, 59, 63, 83, 93, R0, R1 or R3.
These are deliberate blocks -- for R0, R1 and R3 the cardholder has told their bank
to stop paying you. Repeated attempts can escalate the block.
Other codes you may see
Some payments carry a second, broader code alongside the bank's. It says less than the
bank's code does, so prefer issuer_details.code whenever it is present.
| Code | We return | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
500 | UE_3002 | The payment could not be processed, please try again |
503 | UE_3001 | The payment service is temporarily unavailable, please try again later |
BLOCKED | UE_2003 | The payment was blocked |
DECLINED | UE_1007 | The card was declined by the issuer |
DECLINED_INVALID_PIN | UE_1005 | The PIN is incorrect |
DoNotProceed | UE_5002 | Authentication was declined by the issuer |
EXPIRED_CARD | UE_1002 | The card has expired |
INSUFFICIENT_FUNDS | UE_1001 | Insufficient funds |
INVALID_REQUEST | UE_2001 | This payment method is currently unavailable |
INVALID_REQUEST | UE_4001 | Required payment information is missing or invalid |
REFERRED | UE_1013 | Declined, please contact your card issuer |
SERVER_FAILED | UE_3001 | The payment service is temporarily unavailable, please try again later |
TIMED_OUT | UE_3003 | The payment timed out, please try again |
TIMEOUT | UE_3000 | The payment timed out |
UNSPECIFIED_FAILURE | UE_1099 | The payment was declined |
DECLINED carries no reason of its own. The same code appears for insufficient funds,
an expired card and a fraud block -- the bank's code is what separates them.