How can I find the reason for this decline?

[JackBurton]

We have integrated SquareUp with IntakeQ. We received our first card on file decline. I was told by IntakeQ support that the error is being generated by Square.

When I login to my Square Dashboard>Reports>Transaction status> I see the declined transaction with the following details:

Transaction	Status	Source	Total
08/21/2020, 9:24 amVisa ending in XXXX	Declined	eCommerce	$170.98

In the online help file "Why did my payment fail" https://squareup.com/help/us/en/article/5082-why-did-my-payment-fail#declined-card

it states that there should be a error message:

Declined Cards

Identify Error Messages

If a card is declined in the Square app, you’ll see one of the following errors:

• “Declined. Card has expired. Please use a different card.”
• “Declined. Please use a different card.”
• “Declined. Please have cardholder call issuer before retrying transaction.”
• “Declined. Please verify the card number, expiration date, CVV and ZIP code.”

How can I find the reason for this decline?

Note: I have successfully charged this particular card multiple times in the past via the same process (Square - IntakeQ integration). The card on file has a valid expiration date (05/21).

Thanks in advance for any help on this issue.

[#2]

Hey @JackBurton!

If it just says Declined eCommerce, that means that it was likely an AVS decline, which is the most generic reason code a bank can provide us. They do not have the obligation to tell us exactly why the card was declined, just that it was declined. If the reason for decline has something to do with the billing address or information being entered, they'll usually let us know, so in your case, it doesn't appear that it is.

I wish I could provide more information, but unfortunately we only have the information that the bank is willing to provide. Let me know if you have any questions about this. 

[isabelle · Accepted solution]

Hey @JackBurton!

If it just says Declined eCommerce, that means that it was likely an AVS decline, which is the most generic reason code a bank can provide us. They do not have the obligation to tell us exactly why the card was declined, just that it was declined. If the reason for decline has something to do with the billing address or information being entered, they'll usually let us know, so in your case, it doesn't appear that it is.

I wish I could provide more information, but unfortunately we only have the information that the bank is willing to provide. Let me know if you have any questions about this.