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Terminal API refusal reasons

Learn about the refusal reasons for point-of-sale payment requests.

When your payment request is declined, we include an error category in the ErrorCondition field of the payment response, and a further explanation in the refusalReason inside the Response.AdditionalResponse.

The refusal reasons we provide are based on the raw responses we receive from acquirers and issuers.

You can use the ErrorCondition to code your POS app. The refusalReason and Message fields are included for additional insight, and should not be coded against.

Refusal reasons by error condition

The following tables show the most common refusal reasons for point-of-sale payment transactions, grouped by the ErrorCondition in the PaymentResponse.Response:

The tables show the refusalReason and message you receive in the PaymentResponse.Response.AdditionalResponse.

Contact the Adyen Support Team if you need more information about a refusal reason.

ErrorCondition: Aborted

ErrorCondition refusalReason message Description Retry?
Aborted Contactless fallback CONTACTLESS_FALLBACK The shopper abandoned the transaction after they attempted a contactless payment and were prompted to try a different card entry method (PIN or swipe). -white_check_mark-

ErrorCondition: Busy

ErrorCondition serviceId message Description Retry?
Busy 1234567890 Forbidden Request, Service Dialogue PaymentRequest is in Progress Another transaction, with the provided serviceId, is still in progress. Using the serviceId you can make an AbortRequest to cancel the in-progress transaction. -x-
Busy ADMIN_MENU -x-
Busy (all other messages) -x-

ErrorCondition: Cancel

ErrorCondition refusalReason message Description Retry?
Cancel Approved APPROVED Transaction was cancelled after being initially approved by the issuer. -x-
Cancel Cancelled CANCELLED Transaction was cancelled. -white_check_mark-
Cancel card removed CANCELLED Shopper's card was removed from the terminal before the transaction finished. -white_check_mark-
Cancel Card removed during application selection CANCELLED Shopper's card was removed from the terminal before the transaction finished. -white_check_mark-
Cancel Card removed during transaction CANCELLED Shopper's card was removed from the terminal before the transaction finished. -white_check_mark-
Cancel Card removed during transaction (first ac) CANCELLED Shopper's card was removed from the terminal before the transaction finished. -white_check_mark-
Cancel Card removed during transaction (verify cardholder) CANCELLED Shopper's card was removed from the terminal before the transaction finished. -white_check_mark-
Cancel Card removed while processing online CANCELLED Shopper's card was removed from the terminal before the transaction finished. -white_check_mark-
Cancel Card swapped mid-transaction CANCELLED Card removed from the terminal and swapped for another card during the transaction. -white_check_mark-
Cancel chip cancelled tx (2nd ac returned AAC) CANCELLED The Application Authentication Cryptogram (AAC) on the card declined the transaction offline. -white_check_mark-
Cancel Merchant cancelled CANCELLED Merchant cancelled the transaction before the transaction finished. -white_check_mark-
Cancel Merchant cancelled after contactless fallback CONTACTLESS_FALLBACK Merchant cancelled the transaction before the transaction finished. -white_check_mark-
Cancel Merchant cancelled during online authorization CANCELLED Merchant cancelled the transaction before the transaction finished. -white_check_mark-
Cancel Merchant cancelled during validate call CANCELLED Merchant cancelled the transaction before the transaction finished. -white_check_mark-
Cancel Merchant cancelled tx CANCELLED Merchant cancelled the transaction before the transaction finished. -white_check_mark-
Cancel Shopper cancelled CANCELLED Shopper cancelled the transaction before it finished. -white_check_mark-
Cancel Shopper Cancelled SHOPPER_CANCELLED Shopper cancelled the transaction before completing it. -white_check_mark-
Cancel Shopper cancelled after contactless fallback CONTACTLESS_FALLBACK Shopper cancelled the transaction before it finished. -white_check_mark-
Cancel Shopper cancelled during application selection CANCELLED Shopper cancelled the transaction before it finished. -white_check_mark-
Cancel Shopper cancelled during dcc selection CANCELLED Shopper cancelled the transaction before it finished. -white_check_mark-
Cancel Shopper cancelled during online authorization CANCELLED Shopper cancelled the transaction before it finished. -white_check_mark-
Cancel Shopper cancelled during validate call CANCELLED Shopper cancelled the transaction before it finished. -white_check_mark-
Cancel Shopper cancelled Manual Key Entry CANCELLED Shopper cancelled the transaction before it finished. -white_check_mark-
Cancel Shopper cancelled pin entry CANCELLED Shopper cancelled the transaction before it finished. -white_check_mark-
Cancel Shopper cancelled tx CANCELLED Shopper cancelled the transaction before it finished. -white_check_mark-
Cancel Shopper did not present a card CANCELLED Shopper did not present a card, so the transaction was cancelled. -white_check_mark-

ErrorCondition: DeviceOut

ErrorCondition refusalReason message Description Retry?
DeviceOut Crash recovery POI_is_Temporary_Unavailable_Terminal_not_ready Terminal stopped responding for an unknown reason, causing the transaction to fail. -white_check_mark-
DeviceOut Low battery Failed starting transaction: Low Battery Battery charge level dropped below the minimum battery level configured in your Customer Area. Connect the terminal to a power source and retry, or retry using a different terminal. -white_check_mark-

ErrorCondition: InvalidCard

ErrorCondition refusalReason message Description Retry?
InvalidCard Card data authentication failed DECLINED Failed to obtain the relevant card data. The shopper should use an alternate payment method. -x-
InvalidCard No checking account available on Card NO_CHECKING_ACCOUNT No checking account available on the card. -white_check_mark-
InvalidCard No savings account available on Card NO_SAVINGS_ACCOUNT No savings account available on the card. -white_check_mark-

ErrorCondition: NotAllowed

ErrorCondition refusalReason message Description Retry?
NotAllowed Blocked Card BLOCK_CARD The selected card application is blocked. It can't be used for the transaction. -x-
NotAllowed Invalid Amount INVALID_AMOUNT An amount mismatch occurred during the transaction. -x-
NotAllowed Payment details are not supported ERROR The used payment method is not supported. Contact our Support Team. -x-

ErrorCondition: Refusal

ErrorCondition refusalReason message Description Retry?
Refusal Acquirer Error ERROR The transaction did not go through due to an error that occurred on the acquirer's end. -white_check_mark-
Refusal AID banned ERROR The application is temporarily in our AID penalty box until its payments network can be reached again. -x-
Refusal Always refused DECLINED Gift card refused. -x-
Refusal Amount too low to be accepted by Card Network DECLINED The card network doesn't accept the entered amount because it is too low. -x-
Refusal Card blocked BLOCK_CARD The card has been blocked and cannot be used. The shopper should contact their bank. -x-
Refusal Card requires online pin PIN_REQUIRED Card requires online pin -white_check_mark-
Refusal CVC Declined CVC_DECLINED The specified CVC (card security code) is invalid. -white_check_mark-
Refusal declined DECLINED Transaction has been declined for a unspecified reason. -white_check_mark-
Refusal Declined Non Generic DECLINED This response represents all response codes that cannot be reliably mapped. This makes it easier to differentiate between generic declines (for example, Mastercard "05: Do not honor" response) and more specific ones. -white_check_mark-
Refusal Expired Card CARD_EXPIRED The card has expired. It can't be used for the transaction. -white_check_mark-
Refusal Issuer Suspected Fraud ISSUER_SUSPECTED_FRAUD Issuer reported the transaction as suspected fraud. -x-
Refusal Mobile PIN required MOBILE_PIN_REQUIRED Mostly for NFC wallet transactions when extra authentication is needed on the phone to complete the transaction (like enter PIN, unlock phone, or fingerprint). -white_check_mark-
Refusal Not enough balance NOT_ENOUGH_BALANCE The card does not have enough money to cover the payable amount. -white_check_mark-
Refusal Not Submitted NOT_SUBMITTED The transaction was not submitted correctly for processing. -white_check_mark-
Refusal Not supported NOT_SUPPORTED The shopper's bank doesn't support or doesn't allow this type of transaction. -white_check_mark-
Refusal Pin tries exceeded PIN_TRIES_EXCEEDED The shopper specified an incorrect PIN more that three times in a row. This error also occurs for example with a Bancontact/Mister Cash (BCMC) payment where the shopper exceeded the maximum time between transactions without using a PIN. -white_check_mark-
Refusal Pin validation not possible PIN_VALIDATION_NOT_POSSIBLE It is not possible to validate the specified PIN number. -x-
Refusal Refused DECLINED The transaction was refused. This response is also returned when the transaction is declined based on the fraud rules and checks on the EMV chip. -white_check_mark-
Refusal Restricted Card RESTRICTED_CARD Several 'Decline' codes are mapped to this refusal reason response value. For example:
  • 62: Restricted Card
  • 62: Invalid card in this country
-x-
Refusal Timeout waiting for card after contactless fallback CONTACTLESS_FALLBACK Transaction timed out. Shopper should retry or use an alternate payment method. -white_check_mark-
Refusal Transaction Not Permitted TRANSACTION_NOT_PERMITTED Several 'Decline' codes are mapped to this refusal reason response value. For example:
  • 57: Transaction not permitted to issuer/cardholder
  • 57: Transaction not allowed for this merchant
  • 58: Transaction not permitted to acquirer/terminal
-white_check_mark-
Refusal Withdrawal count exceeded WITHDRAWAL_COUNT_EXCEEDED The number of withdrawals permitted for the shopper's card was exceeded. Also used for contactless transactions (Contactless Withdrawal Count Exceeded). -white_check_mark-
Refusal Withdrawal amount exceeded WITHDRAWAL_AMOUNT_EXCEEDED The withdrawal amount permitted for the shopper's card was exceeded. Also used for contactless transactions (Contactless Withdrawal Amount Exceeded). -white_check_mark-

ErrorCondition: UnreachableHost

ErrorCondition refusalReason message Description Retry?
UnreachableHost failed to go online DECLINED Unable to go online. -white_check_mark-
UnreachableHost Issuer Unavailable ISSUER_UNAVAILABLE It is not possible to contact the shopper's bank to authorize the transaction. -white_check_mark-

ErrorCondition: WrongPIN

ErrorCondition refusalReason message Description Retry?
WrongPIN Invalid Pin INVALID_PIN The specified PIN number is incorrect or invalid. -white_check_mark-

See also