thread Why is payment declining? in Archived Discussions (Read Only)

Why are debit cards being declined???

Outlawbonds — Mon, 07 Nov 2016 15:25:37 GMT

I run debit cards the same as I do a credit card, but they are always declined. Square is supposed to take debit cards so why are my debit card payments from customers declined? In my business the cards are always entered manually and never swiped. I need help with this please if anyone can?

Re: Why are debit cards being declined???

VanKalkerFarms — Mon, 07 Nov 2016 15:52:12 GMT

There is no specfic reason Debit cards would be declined from Squares end they simply pass on the answer they recieve from the bank. It could be the card issuing bank declining the payment due to low funds, the fact that it is a manually entered card payment, it is an out of state charge, the zip code doesn't match etc.

the best way to solve it would be to have your client call their bank to see why they are declining the purchase.

We accept thousands of debit cards so I know they work.

https://squareup.com/help/us/en/article/5082-why-did-my-payment-fail

Re: Why are debit cards being declined???

ttyler — Thu, 05 Jan 2017 16:35:46 GMT

I'm having the same problem. Bank of America debit cards are allways declined. My customer then goes to the bank and withdraws cash. So they have the money in their account, but it is still declined. Any Ideas?

Re: Why are debit cards being declined???

Sean — Thu, 05 Jan 2017 16:55:35 GMT

@ttyler - Please check out the article that is linked above. It covers the decline reasons. I'd suggest that you have your customer flip over their card and chat with their bank. They'll know the exact decline reason. This information is not shared with Square in most circumstances.

Re: Why are debit cards being declined???

Outlawbonds — Thu, 05 Jan 2017 18:26:00 GMT

The only problem is ALL of the debit cards I run, regardless of the bank (which there have been several different banks) are all declined. I just can't have everyone to call their bank.

Re: Why are debit cards being declined???

Sean — Thu, 05 Jan 2017 18:48:21 GMT

@Outlawbonds - It wouldn't be a result of your Square account. Everything looks good on my end. Please have your customers contact their bank. They will be able to tell you exactly what is going on - no need to guess.

Re: Why are debit cards being declined???

Gdk9 — Sat, 12 Oct 2019 03:36:38 GMT

Anytime my customers try to pay for their orders through my online store powered by webbly, their payment keep declining. All my customers has been complaining, how can you help me fix this.

Re: Why are debit cards being declined???

isabelle — Sun, 13 Oct 2019 21:49:56 GMT

Hi @Gdk9!

Sorry to hear about this.

Are all payments declining through your website? Or just some?

We will likely need to review the specific transactions to determine what might be happening. Because this is account specific information, I would suggest contacting us.

Our number is (855) 700-6000 - but you'll also need your customer code. The steps to look up your code are here. We will be open tomorrow at 6am Pacific Time to take calls. Thank you!

I get Declined with some business credit cards- the cards run ok with my other business

Midcot14 — Mon, 02 Mar 2020 23:32:20 GMT

Why do some credit cards decline but work well with my other square account.

i have a lodging and bnb

Re: I get Declined with some business credit cards- the cards run ok with my other business

ashc — Wed, 04 Mar 2020 14:56:17 GMT

Hey @Midcot14,

I moved your post to a relevant thread where another seller asked about declining cards.

@VanKalkerFarms shared some more information on his reply on why cards can decline and what next steps to take when it happens.

Why is payment declining?

SKonkle — Sat, 22 Aug 2020 22:36:36 GMT

The title of this thread has been edited from the original: Declined Payment From Wayfair

Went to process a payment from Wayfair (pretty big account) first payment no problem. Second payment "declined", I reached out to Wayfair and they responded that there is "no way" their card should be declined. Then come the fun of trying to find the unfindable phone number to contact square support.

So far using square has really been a clunky and horrible experience

Re: Declined Payment From Wayfair

JustinC — Sat, 22 Aug 2020 22:32:37 GMT

Yikes, seems like a headache. Sorry about your frustrating experience using Square. That's not the kind of first impression we aim for.

We aren't able to see the exact reason for a decline. Even if the card has sufficient funds and the card info entered matches the banks records, sometimes the card will still decline due to various security measures/fraud blocks.

we recommend your client reach out to their bank to learn more or use a different payment method.

@SKonkle

Re: Why are debit cards being declined???

AMA68 — Sun, 25 Jul 2021 15:24:26 GMT

I have used my own card to check and the funds are available in my account, but still being declined. I have several customers that have been affected and now I’m considering using another service provider. Very disappointed!

Re: Why are debit cards being declined???

Arie — Mon, 26 Jul 2021 00:39:05 GMT

Hi @AMA68,

I'm sorry to hear you're having trouble accepting payments!

While we can't see the reason why a card declines, your bank would be able to tell you more about the exact reason.

If you're seeing a lot of declines, we'd recommend reaching out to our support team so they can take a look. As we can't look into account specific information via this public forum, reach out to CS here.