Common card errors

What are the errors associated with cards?

Declined transactions

Transactions that are declined by your customer's issuing bank

Sub code	Reason	Next action
generic_decline	The card has been declined for an unknown reason.	Contact issuer or request a different card or other form of payment.
do_not_honor	The card has been declined for an unknown reason.	Contact issuer or request a different card or other form of payment.
payment_refused	The card has been declined for an unknown reason.	Request a different card or other form of payment.
insufficient_funds	The card has insufficient funds to complete the purchase.	Request a different card or other form of payment.
debit_card_usage_limit_exceeded	The debit card's use frequency or maximum amount per use has been exceeded.	Request a different card or other form of payment.
issuer_declined	The card has been declined by the issuer for an unknown reason.	The card has been declined by the issuing bank. Please contact them for more information.
issuer_not_available	The card issuer could not be reached, so the payment could not be authorized.	Wait a few minutes and resend the request.
amount_allowed_exceeded	The payment amount is invalid, or exceeds the amount that is allowed.	If the amount appears to be correct, the customer needs to check with their card issuer that they can make purchases of that amount.
call_card_issuer	Unable to process payment. Please contact your card issuer for more details.	The card has been declined by the issuing bank. Please contact them for more information.
card_not_supported	The card does not support this type of purchase.	The customer needs to contact their card issuer to make sure their card can be used to make this type of purchase.
card_type_mismatch	The card type is invalid or does not correlate with the credit card number.	Confirm that the card type correlates with the credit card number specified in the request, then resend the request.
card_unauthorized	The card is inactive or not authorized for card-not-present transactions.	The customer needs to contact their card issuer for more information or Request a different card or other form of payment.
credit_limit_exceeded	The card has reached the credit limit.	Request a different card or other form of payment.
currency_not_supported_by_card_issuer	The card does not support the specified currency.	The customer needs to check with the issuer whether the card can be used for the type of currency specified.

Blocked transactions

Transactions blocked by our Fraud and Risk Engine, the payment processor or your customer's issuing bank

Sub code	Reason	Next action
fraudulent	The payment has been declined as it is suspected to be fraudulent.	We highly recommend to NOT expose the code and detail of this sub code to your customers. Instead, inform them as you would with a generic decline error.
highest_risk_level	The payment has been declined as it is suspected to be high risk of being fraudulent.	We highly recommend to NOT expose the code and detail of this sub code to your customers. Instead, inform them as you would with a generic decline error.
lost_card	The payment has been declined because the card is reported lost.	We highly recommend to NOT expose the code and detail of this sub code to your customers. Instead, inform them as you would with a generic decline error.
pickup_card	The payment has been declined because the card is reported lost or stolen.	We highly recommend to NOT expose the code and detail of this sub code to your customers. Instead, inform them as you would with a generic decline error.
processor_blocked	The payment has been blocked as it is suspected to be fraudulent.	We highly recommend to NOT expose the code and detail of this sub code to your customers. Instead, inform them as you would with a generic decline error.
restricted_card	The payment has been declined because the card is reported lost or stolen.	We highly recommend to NOT expose the code and detail of this sub code to your customers. Instead, inform them as you would with a generic decline error.
stolen_card	The payment has been declined because the card is reported stolen.	We highly recommend to NOT expose the code and detail of this sub code to your customers. Instead, inform them as you would with a generic decline error.
blocked	The payment has been blocked by our Fraud and Risk Engine	We highly recommend to NOT expose the code and detail of this sub code to your customers. Instead, inform them as you would with a generic decline error.

Processor issued errors

Error sub code	Reason	Next action
avs_failed	The processor declined the payment because it did not pass the Address Verification Service (AVS) check.	You can capture the authorization, but consider reviewing the order for the possibility of fraud.
card_not_accepted	The card type is not accepted by the payment processor.	Contact your merchant bank to confirm that your account is set up to receive the card in question.
config_invalid_or_missing	Invalid or missing merchant configuration.	The transaction failed due to unknown reason. Kindly email us at [email protected].
customer_blacklisted	The eCheck payment has been declined since the account matched an entry on the processor’s negative file.	Review the order and contact the payment processor.
merchant_configuration_invalid	There is a problem with your CyberSource merchant configuration.	Do not resend the request. Contact Customer Support to correct the configuration problem.
processing_error	The processing of the card failed due to unknown reason.	Wait a few minutes and resend the request.
processor_declined	The payment processor declined the transaction for an unknown reason.	Request a different card or other form of payment.
processor_timeout	The request was received, but there was a timeout at the payment processor.	The transaction failed due to unknown reason. Kindly email us at [email protected].
system_error	There’s a problem with the payment processor’s system. Please try again later.	The transaction failed due to unknown reason. Kindly email us at [email protected].

Unknown errors

Error sub code	Reason	Next action
server_timeout	The request was received but there was a server timeout.	The transaction failed due to an unknown reason. Kindly email us at [email protected].
service_timeout	The request was received, but a service did not finish running in time.	The transaction failed due to an unknown reason. Kindly email us at [email protected].
unknown_error	The transaction failed due to an unknown reason.	The transaction failed due to an unknown reason. Kindly email us at [email protected].

Invalid card details

Error sub code	Reason	Next action
card_number_invalid	The card number entered is invalid	The card transaction failed due to incorrect details. Please verify your information and try again.
card_type_mismatch	The card type is invalid or does not correlate with the credit card number.	Confirm that the card type correlates with the credit card number specified in the request, then resend the request.
cvc_invalid	The card verification code (CVC) is invalid.	Try again using the correct CVC or Request a different card or other form of payment.
cvc_incorrect	The card verification number (CVN) did not match.The authorization request was approved by the card issuer but declined by CyberSource because it did not pass the card verification number (CVN) check.	You can capture the authorization, but consider reviewing the order for the possibility of fraud.

Updated over 1 year ago