Credit/debit card declines are common when accepting online payments. It's annoying when it happens, but it's relatively straightforward to figure out what needs to be fixed or changed/updated in order for your customer's payment to process successfully.
Before You Start
Here are a few things to know before you continue:
- To see if you have access to this feature in ServiceCore, please check out this article on user permission levels.
- In order to process online payments, you'll need to be signed up for ServiceCore Pay and approved for a merchant account through Fiserv, our payments processing partner.
- ServiceCore payments are batched at 9:30pm EST every night, so you’ll have to wait until the next morning to look up the transaction in CardPointe.
Troubleshoot Declined Payments
When a payment is declined, ServiceCore will display a brief message with the reason to the person trying to process the payment (either you/your team or your customer).
Decline Message in Your ServiceCore Account
Decline Message Shown to Customers
If you’re using batch billing with autopay enabled, you’ll receive an email notification within 5 minutes of the batch processing with all the Successful and Failed payments.
Common reasons for declined payments are:
- Incorrect card information.
- Insufficient funds.
- Fraud protection measures.
Most issues are simple to resolve while others may require more detail from CardPointe. If the declined payment message isn't clear or the payment keeps failing, check the transaction in your CardPointe account for more details.
To find declined transactions in your CardPointe account, just follow the instructions below:
- Log into your CardPointe account
- Click on "Reporting" at the top.
- Click into the "Transactions" tab.
- Click on the "Status" filter and check "Declined" from the drop-down menu.
- Click on the "Date" column header to sort your results from newest to oldest.
- Find the transaction and click on its transaction number to open its details page.
TIP: You can also enter the payment's ID number in the Search field to quickly find it. Just copy the Reference Number from the payment record in ServiceCore and search for it in your CardPointe account. - Scroll down to the History Data section to see the reason why the card was declined.
TIP: This information comes directly from the card issuer and may help guide your next steps, like having the customer contact their bank to authorize the charge.
Card Decline Codes and Common Resolutions
Once you’ve identified the reason for the declined payment, you can work with your customer to resolve it. After it's fixed, you or your customer will need to reprocess the payment.
Work with the Customer to Get Correct or Alternative Card Information
These errors are usually caused by incorrect card details. Contact the customer to confirm their card information or request a different card if the error persists.
| Decline Code | Meaning | Next Steps |
|---|---|---|
| Invalid account number (RPCT - 131) | The card number is incorrect or doesn’t exist. Could be a typo or outdated card information. | Confirm the card number with the customer. If incorrect, update the details. |
| New account information (RPCT - 503) | Similar to "Invalid account number"—the card details may be outdated or incorrect. | Ask the customer to verify and update their card details. |
| Bad card check digit (PPS - 13) | The CVV (card security code) is incorrect. | Have the customer provide the correct CVV. |
| CVV2 Declined (RPCT - 517) | The CVV is incorrect. | Ask the customer for the correct CVV or use a different card. |
Work with the Customer to Use a Different Card
These declines occur for various reasons including insufficient funds, transaction limits, or unsupported card types. In most cases, using a different card is the best option.
| Decline Code | Meaning | Next Steps |
|---|---|---|
| Not sufficient funds (RPCT - 116) | The transaction exceeds the available balance on the card. | Request an alternative payment method. |
| Expired card (RPCT - 101) | The card has expired, or a new one has been issued. | Ask the customer to provide a valid, updated card. |
| Invalid issuer (RPCT - 941) | The account is closed, or the issuer has blocked the card. | Request a different card. |
| Retry with 3DS (RPCT - 531) | The card requires 3D Secure authentication, which isn't supported. | Ask for another card. |
| Exceeds withdrawal amount (RPCT - 121) | The transaction exceeds the card’s limit. | Request another card or a different payment method. |
| Service not allowed (RPCT - 512) | The card type (e.g., purchasing card) is not supported by your business. | Ask for another card. |
| Invalid card (PPS - 11) | The card has been closed, deactivated, or has incorrect details. | Confirm details with the customer or request a new card. |
| Invalid token (PPS - 98) | The encrypted card details are incorrect or didn’t save properly. | Try re-entering the card details or use a different card. |
Have the Customer Contact Their Bank
These declines originate from the bank and your customer must contact their bank to resolve the issue.
| Decline Code | Meaning | Next Steps |
|---|---|---|
| Decline (RPCT - 500) | A general decline with no details provided. | Have the customer call their bank. |
| Transaction not permitted to cardholder (RPCT - 119) | The cardholder attempted a transaction their card does not allow. | The customer needs to check with their bank. |
| Restricted card (RPCT - 104) | The bank has temporarily or permanently restricted access to the card. | Ask the customer to contact their bank. |
| Invalid transaction (RPCT - 902) | The bank rejected the transaction, often due to multiple similar charges. | Have the customer check with their bank. |
Do Not Try Again
This error indicates that trying to process the payment method again will not work; your customer will need to contact their bank.
| Decline Code | Meaning | Next Steps |
|---|---|---|
| Do not try again (RPCT - 504) | A generic decline from the bank. | The customer must contact their bank for details. |
Retry the Transaction Later
These errors are usually due to temporary system issues and may be resolved by retrying later.
| Decline Code | Meaning | Next Steps |
|---|---|---|
| Please retry (RPCT - 505) | The transaction timed out. | Try again later. If it fails again, use a different card. |
| Profile not found (PPS - 96) | The issuer is experiencing processing issues. | Retry later or use a different card. |
| Please retry (RPCT - 516) | The issuer timed out. | Wait and try again later. |
Contact ServiceCore Support
If you receive the following error, contact ServiceCore's Payments Team via ServiceCorePay@servicecore.com.
| Decline Code | Meaning | Next Steps |
|---|---|---|
| Invalid merchant (RPCT - 109) | Your merchant account details are incorrect or outdated. Alternatively you are not set up to accept that type of card(such as a fleet card) |
Contact ServiceCore Support for assistance. |
If you have any questions, please reach out to our Payments team through the chat widget on the bottom of this page or by sending an email to ServiceCorePay@servicecore.com!