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Why was my payment declined?

Payments can fail for a variety of reasons. A declined payment does not necessarily mean there is a problem with Fygaro or with the customer's card.
A transaction may be declined by the card issuer, the acquiring bank or payment processor, or by security and fraud-prevention controls.
There are three main reasons why a payment might fail:

Issuer decline
Acquirer or processor decline
Payment blocked by security controls

Issuer declines

When a customer's card issuer receives an authorization request, its systems determine whether the transaction should be approved.
An issuer may decline a transaction for several reasons, including:

Insufficient funds or available credit.
An expired or inactive card.
Incorrect card information.
Transaction or spending limits.
Restrictions on online or international transactions.
Suspected fraud or unusual activity.
Restrictions placed on the card or account.

When the issuer provides additional information about the decline, Fygaro displays the information received under the corresponding Payment and payment attempt.

Fygaro can only display the decline information provided by the issuer or processing network. In some cases, the issuer simply returns a generic decline without providing a specific explanation.

Depending on the decline reason, the customer may be able to correct the information and try again, contact their issuer, or use another payment method.

Acquirer or processor declines

The acquiring bank and payment processor may also reject a transaction before or while the authorization is being processed.
This can happen because of:

Transaction restrictions.
Merchant or terminal configuration.
Unsupported transaction types.
Validation requirements.
Processing or routing rules.
Security controls.
Temporary processing issues.

When available, Fygaro displays the decline information received from the acquiring bank or processor under the corresponding payment attempt.

Payments blocked by security controls

Fygaro and its banking and processing partners use security and fraud-prevention controls designed to identify potentially suspicious transactions.
If a transaction triggers one of these controls, the payment may be blocked even if the card itself is otherwise valid.
Depending on the reason, the customer may be able to:

Verify the card and transaction information and try again.
Try again later.
Contact their card issuer.
Use another card or payment method.

For security reasons, Fygaro may not always be able to disclose the specific rule, fraud signal, or security control that caused a transaction to be blocked.

Common decline messages and what to do

Message	What it means	Recommended action
Do Not Honor	The issuing bank declined the transaction without providing a more specific reason.	The customer should contact the issuer using the number on the back of the card or use another payment method.
Invalid Transaction	The issuer or processor does not accept the transaction as submitted.	The customer should contact their card issuer for additional information or use another payment method.
Consumer Authentication Failed	The cardholder authentication process, such as 3D Secure, could not be completed successfully.	The customer can verify the information entered and try again. If the issue continues, contact the card issuer or use another payment method.
Incorrect CVC / CVN	The security code entered does not match the information expected for the card.	Verify the 3 or 4 digit security code and try again.
CV Failed	The authorization may have been approved by the issuer, but the transaction did not pass the Card Verification Number check required for the payment.	Verify the card security code. If the information is correct and the payment continues to fail, use another payment method or contact the issuer.
Insufficient Funds	The card does not have sufficient available funds or credit for the transaction.	The customer should use another payment method or contact their issuer.
Expired Card	The card has expired or the expiration date entered does not match the issuer's records.	Verify the expiration date or use another card.
Inactive Card	The card has not been activated or is not currently available for transactions.	The customer should contact their card issuer or use another payment method.
Transaction Not Permitted	The card or account is not authorized for this type of transaction. This can include restrictions on online, international, or card-not-present payments.	The customer should contact their card issuer or use another payment method.
Card Limit Exceeded	The transaction exceeds a spending, credit, daily, or transaction limit established by the issuer.	The customer should contact the issuer or use another payment method.
Issuer Unavailable	The issuing bank was temporarily unavailable to process the authorization.	The customer may try again later.
Suspected Fraud / Security Restriction	The issuer or processor declined the transaction because it triggered a fraud or security restriction.	The customer should contact their issuer or use another payment method.
Lost or Stolen Card	The issuer has identified the card as lost or stolen.	Do not continue retrying the same card. The customer should contact their issuer and use another payment method.
Account Restricted or Frozen	The issuer has placed a restriction on the card or account.	The customer should contact the card issuer or use another payment method.

Should the customer try the payment again?

Not every declined transaction should be immediately retried.

Incorrect information

If the decline indicates incorrect information, such as:

Incorrect CVC / CVN.
Incorrect expiration date.
Incorrect card information.

The customer should correct the information before trying again.

Temporary declines

For temporary conditions, such as:

Issuer temporarily unavailable.
Temporary processing issue.

The customer may wait and try again later.

Issuer or security restrictions

For declines involving:

Suspected fraud.
Lost or stolen cards.
Restricted or frozen accounts.
Transaction not permitted.
Repeated issuer declines.

The customer should contact their card issuer or use another payment method instead of repeatedly submitting the same transaction.

Repeatedly retrying a declined transaction does not necessarily increase the likelihood of approval and may trigger additional issuer or fraud-prevention controls.

Who should the customer contact?

In most issuer-related declines, only the card issuer can explain why the transaction was declined or remove restrictions from the card.
The customer should contact the issuer using the telephone number printed on the back of their card.
Fygaro can help confirm the decline response received for a transaction, but cannot override a decline issued by the customer's bank.

Where can I see the decline reason?

You can review the information received for a declined transaction directly from your Fygaro account:

Open the corresponding Payment.
Locate the failed payment attempt.
Review the decline message and additional information displayed for the transaction.

The amount of information available depends on the response provided by the card issuer, acquiring bank, or payment processor. Some banks provide detailed decline reasons, while others only return a generic decline message.

Updated on: 09/14/2026

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