Understanding declined payments
This page explains why payments might be declined, how to get more information about declines, and strategies to reduce payment declines.
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Understanding declined payments
There are several possible reasons why a customer's payment might be declined. When we submit a charge to your customer's bank, they have automated systems that determine whether or not to accept the charge. These systems take various signals into account, such as your customer's spending habits, account balance, and card information like the expiration date and CVV.
These signals are constantly changing, so a previously successful card might be declined in the future. Even if all of the card information is correct, and your customer previously had a successful payment, a new charge can still be declined by a bank's fraud systems.
Getting more information about declines
We display as much information as we receive from your customer's bank about a decline in the order history. Most declines are generic, so we don't have much information as to why a charge was declined.
If the card information seems correct, then it's best to have your customer contact their bank, ask for more information, and ask for future charges to be accepted.
Reducing payment declines
The correctness of the card number, expiration date, and the CVV are the primary factors used by the customer's bank when deciding whether or not to accept a transaction. The influence of other data that you collect, such as the address or name, varies by card brand. For example, only American Express considers the customer's name.