Monthly Billing Table of Common Decline Codes
Overview
If the issue of not being able to collect from the card continues, we need to educate and empower the customer. The customer has a couple choices:
- Contact their bank to ensure the card is activated and no security settings are in place to prevent Card Saved on File. (The parent needs to call the 800 number on the back of their card and inform their institution that they have a repeat charge from us and ask their institution to approve automated future charges from us.)
- The customer can change cards on file. By choosing to leave the same card on file they are creating this frustration for themselves each month.
Suggested Message
I'm so sorry your card is rejecting in the Direct Debit, I suggest contacting your bank or credit card distributor to determine if the card you wish to use can be used for this purpose. Also, perhaps you'd prefer to put a different card or method of payment on file to avoid any future rejections.
Transactions & Translations
Hard Declines
Cards with hard declines are removed from file for the customers convenience.
A hard decline is when the issuing bank does not approve the payment and are permanent authorization failures that should not be retried. These failures may be caused by:
- Stolen Card
- Invalid Card
- Closed Account
When a hard decline occurs, the problem originates with the issuing bank or the processor.
The problem with hard declines is that retrying the card number doesn’t work, even if the decline happens on a renewal. With hard declines, the only guaranteed way to prevent losing the payment is to have the customer fix the problem. Which most likely means they’ll have to give you a new credit card.
Soft Declines
A soft decline occurs when the issuing bank approves the payment, but the transaction fails at some other point in the process. Some typical reasons for a soft decline are:
- Insufficient Funds
- Processor Declined
- Card Activity Limit Exceeded
- Expired Card
- The Purchase is Unusual
- The Billing Address and the IP Address Do Not Match
- The Card is Being Used Abroad
The good news about soft declines is that the transaction failure is temporary. So, you can retry the card in one or two days after the decline occurs and hope for valid authorization.
The More You Know
Direct Debt Reasons can be found under the Audit Log from your Profile.
Search my the primary guardians name.
