Declines are common and are almost always resolvable within minutes.
USUAL CAUSES
The card has expired The billing address on file does not match your bank's records International or online transactions are disabled on the card Insufficient funds Your bank's fraud system flagged a new merchant A transaction limit was exceeded Card details were entered incorrectly
WHAT TO DO
- Check the expiry date and re-enter the card details carefully.
- Confirm the billing address matches your bank statement exactly.
- Call your bank and ask whether the transaction was blocked, and ask them to allow it. Banks will often authorise it while you are on the phone.
- If it still fails, use a different method. Paystack supports bank transfer and USSD as well as cards, and either avoids the problem entirely.
DO NOT WAIT
A declined payment triggers the same overdue sequence as no payment at all. If you cannot resolve it before the due date, open a ticket so we know it is being dealt with rather than ignored.
If your card was declined repeatedly, wait a short while before retrying, as repeated attempts can trigger further blocks.
