Manage payments
Payment declines
Learn how payment declines work and how to manage them
Learn what causes payment declines, what Whop does to recover them, and how you or your customers can fix declined payments.
Specific decline reasons and messages
When a payment is declined, you may receive one of these specific decline codes. Here’s what each means and how to resolve them:| Decline Reason | Explanation |
|---|---|
insufficient_funds | Your card has insufficient funds to complete this purchase. Please use a different payment method or ensure your account has sufficient funds. |
lost_card | This payment was declined because the card is reported as lost. Please use a different card to complete your purchase. |
stolen_card | This payment was declined because the card is reported as stolen. Please use a different card to complete your purchase. |
expired_card | Your card has expired. Please check the expiration date and try again, or use a different card. |
suspected_fraud | For security reasons, this payment couldn’t be processed. Please contact your bank for more information or try a different payment method. |
invalid_card_number | The card number is incorrect. Please double-check the 16-digit number on your card and try again. |
invalid_cvc | The security code (CVC) is incorrect. Please check the 3-4 digit code on the back of your card (or front for Amex) and try again. |
invalid_cvc_or_expiration | The security code (CVC) or expiration date is incorrect. Please double-check both the 3-4 digit security code and the MM/YY expiration date. |
incorrect_pin | The PIN entered is incorrect. Please try again with the correct PIN. This decline only applies to payments made with a card reader. |
authentication_required | Additional verification is required for this payment. You may be redirected to your bank’s website or receive a text message to confirm this transaction. Please complete the verification to proceed. |
card_not_supported | This card doesn’t support this type of purchase. Please try a different credit or debit card. |
currency_not_supported | Your card doesn’t support payments in this currency. Please use a different card or contact your bank about international transactions. |
duplicate_transaction | A transaction with the same amount and card was just processed. Please check your email for confirmation. If you didn’t receive it, please wait a few minutes before trying again. |
generic_decline | Your card was declined. Please try: 1) Using a different card, 2) Contacting your bank, or 3) Checking that your billing information is correct. |
invalid_account | This card or the associated account is invalid. Please use a different card or contact your bank for assistance. |
invalid_amount | The payment amount exceeds your card’s limit. Please try a smaller amount or use a different payment method. |
processing_error | We encountered a temporary issue processing your payment. Please wait a moment and try again, or use a different card. |
restricted_card | This card cannot be used for this payment. It may have restrictions or been reported lost/stolen. Please use a different card. |
card_velocity_exceeded | You’ve exceeded your card’s transaction limit or available balance. Please try a smaller amount or use a different card. |
contact_issuer | Please contact your card issuer for more information about this decline. Call the 800 number on the back of your card. |
bank_declined | Your bank has declined this transaction. Please try a different card or contact your bank. |
regulatory_blocked | This transaction cannot be processed due to regulatory restrictions in your region. Please try a different payment method or contact support for alternatives. |
transaction_not_permitted | Your card issuer doesn’t allow this type of transaction. Please use a different card or contact your bank to enable this transaction type. |
card_type_not_supported | This card type is not supported. Please try a different card. |
issuer_not_found | The payment was declined due to incorrect card or billing details. Please verify your card number, expiration date, and billing address, then try again. |
closed_account | This card account has been closed. Please use a different card to complete your purchase. |
issuer_unavailable | We couldn’t reach your card issuer to authorize this payment. This is usually temporary. Please try again in a few minutes or use a different card. |
invalid_zip | The billing postal/ZIP code doesn’t match your card’s records. Please enter the ZIP code associated with your card’s billing address. |
invalid_expiry_month | The expiration month is invalid. Please enter a valid month (01-12) and try again. |
invalid_expiry_year | The expiration year is invalid. Please enter a valid 2 or 4-digit year (e.g., 25 or 2025) and try again. |
invalid_expiry | The expiration date is invalid. Please enter a valid date in MM/YY format and ensure the card hasn’t expired. |
invalid_transaction | The issuing bank has declined this transaction. This may be due to an incorrect card number, expired card, invalid card, wrong expiration date, mismatched billing address or zip code, or multiple rapid transaction attempts. Please verify your card details and try again. |
cannot_authorize | We couldn’t authorize this payment. Please try a different card or contact your bank for more information. |
pin_required | This card requires a PIN for this transaction. Please use a card reader with PIN capability or try a different card. |
pin_try_exceeded | Too many incorrect PIN attempts. For security, this card is temporarily blocked. Please contact your bank or use a different card. |
high_risk | This payment couldn’t be processed due to security concerns. Please try a different card or contact support for assistance. |
test_mode_decline | This appears to be a test card number. Please use a real credit or debit card to complete your purchase. |
merchant_blacklist | This payment was blocked for security reasons. Please try a different card or contact support for assistance. |
reenter_transaction | Your bank couldn’t process this payment. Please try again, use a different card, or contact your bank for more information. |
invalid_pin | The PIN entered is incorrect. Please try again with the correct PIN for this card. |
pin_required_as | This card requires a PIN for this transaction. Please use a card reader with PIN capability or try a different card. |
withdrawal_count_limit_exceeded | You’ve exceeded your card’s daily transaction limit or available balance. Please try again tomorrow or use a different card. |
invalid_country | The billing country doesn’t match your card’s records. Please verify your billing address country and try again. |
issuer_error | Your bank detected an issue but couldn’t specify the problem. Please try again in a few minutes or contact your bank directly for assistance. |
What happens when a payment is declined
When a customer’s payment gets declined or fails, Whop takes several steps to try and recover the payment:- The subscription status changes to Past due: This means the payment needs attention, but doesn’t immediately cancel access
- You can view Past due payments by going to Dashboard > Payments, clicking Status and selecting only Past due
- We email the customer: Your customers receive emails prompting them to update their payment information
- We retry the payment: Whop automatically retries the charge over a 5-day period
- Access may be temporarily paused: Depending on your settings, your customer might lose access to your whop until the payment goes through
- Go to Dashboard > Settings > Checkout and choose whether you want members to have Access while past due or not
- Subscription is canceled: If the payment still fails after 5 days, the subscription is canceled automatically
What you can do to fix a declined payment
When a payment is declined, you can help the customer update their payment method and manually retry the payment from your dashboard. Step 1: Ask the customer to update their payment method- Contact the customer to confirm they have sufficient funds and a working payment method
- To update their payment method, ask them to follow these steps:
- Go to https://whop.com/@me/settings/memberships/inactive
- Click the card button on the affected subscription
- Select Update payment
- Add the new card details and save
- Go to Dashboard > Payments
- Click Status and select only Failed
- Select the failed payment
- Click Retry payment