Declined Payments
When a card payment is declined, the customer's bank refused the charge. No money moves, and the invoice stays open. Sync Pay shows a refusal code on the payment so you know why.
There are two kinds of declines, and the difference decides what you should do:
- Terminal declines will never go through. Ask the customer for a different payment method.
- Soft declines can succeed if the customer fixes the underlying problem and tries again.
A decline is the bank's decision, not ours. Sync Pay passes the bank's response straight through. We cannot override a decline or force a charge.
Terminal declines: ask for a new payment method
These codes mean the card cannot be used. Do not keep retrying the same card. Ask the customer for a different card or another way to pay.
| Code | What it means |
|---|---|
DO_NOT_HONOR | The bank declined without a specific reason. |
EXPIRED_CARD | The card has expired. |
FRAUDULENT_CARD | The bank flagged the card as fraudulent. |
INCORRECT_PAYMENT_INFORMATION | The card details entered do not match. |
INVALID_CARD_SECURITY_CODE | The CVC / security code is wrong. |
INVALID_EXPIRATION_DATE | The expiration date is wrong. |
INVALID_PIN | The PIN entered is incorrect. |
LOST_CARD | The card was reported lost. |
NO_CARD_NUMBER_ON_FILE_WITH_ISSUER | The bank has no record of this card number. |
NO_SUCH_CARD_ISSUER | The card number does not map to a real issuing bank. |
STOLEN_CARD | The card was reported stolen. |
UNSUPPORTED_CARD_TYPE | This card type is not accepted. |
For lost, stolen, or fraudulent results, do not ask the customer to "try again." Request a completely different card and, if anything feels off, hold the service until payment clears.
Soft declines: the customer can retry
These codes can succeed on a second attempt once the cause is resolved. It is fine to ask the customer to try again after they have addressed the issue (for example, moving money into the account or contacting their bank).
| Code | What it means |
|---|---|
INSUFFICIENT_FUNDS | Not enough money in the account. |
OVER_LIMIT | The charge would exceed the card's limit. |
PROCESSING_ERROR | A temporary processing problem. |
RETRY | The bank asked us to try the charge again. |
RETRY_WITH_THREEDS | The bank wants the customer to verify with their bank (3-D Secure) first. |
How to retry a payment
For a soft decline, you do not need to do anything special. Send the customer the invoice's Pay now link again, or re-run a saved card from the invoice once they have fixed the problem. Each attempt creates its own payment record, so you can always see the history of what was tried.
For a terminal decline, generate a fresh payment from the invoice using a different card.