Payments can decline for several reasons. This page provides information and what to do next.
Reasons a payment might decline
Here are some common reasons a payment could decline:
Fraud and security:
- Fraud prevention. To keep you safe, we might decline a payment if we spot suspicious activity. Learn more below.
- Repeat contactless payments. From time to time, you’ll need to use chip and PIN to confirm the card is in your possession.
Account balance and limits:
- There’s not enough money in the account. You can check your balance in the Mobile Banking app or Online Banking. Learn what to do if finances are a struggle.
- Payment limit reached. You can manage payment limits in the Mobile Banking app.
Incorrect details
- PIN entered incorrectly. You can check your PIN in the Mobile Banking app.
- Card details entered incorrectly. Check your card number, expiry date and CVV code on the card.
Card settings and controls
- You’re using an inactive credit card. If it’s a new credit card, check it has been activated. If it’s an older card, check the expiry date to see if it has expired.
- The card is frozen. You can check this in our Mobile Banking app or Online Banking. If it is, you can unfreeze it.
- Card controls are turned on. You can manage card controls for contactless, international payments, online transactions and gambling transactions using the Mobile Banking app or Online Banking.
If it’s you making the payment, you can confirm this with us. Then you’ll likely need to make the payment again. You should first check that the company you’re paying hasn’t already taken the payment again.
How will we get in touch if we decline a payment for fraud prevention?
Mobile Banking app
- If you’ve got the Mobile Banking app, there’s some payments we’ll check this way.
- You’ll get a push notification if you have this turned on. You can tap the notification to go to the right place in the app. You’ll then be able to choose any transactions you don’t recognise.
- If you don’t have push notifications turned on, we’ll send you an SMS with instructions on how to check this in the app.
Interactive text message
- You’ll get 2 messages. The first one lets you know we need to confirm some transactions with you.
- The second message will give details of the transactions. You'll be asked to reply with ‘Y’ if they're genuine. Or you can reply ‘N’ to confirm you don’t recognise any of them.
- If you reply ‘Y’, you can continue banking as normal.
- If you reply ‘N’, we’ll call you as soon as possible between 8am-10pm. Or we’ll send you a number you can call us on.
Phone call
- You'll be asked for some security details, so we know it’s you.
- We'll then read out the transactions we want you to confirm.
- If you recognise the transactions, you can continue banking as normal.
- If you don't recognise any of the transactions, our team will help you further.
- Remember, we'll never ask for details such as your PIN, Online Banking passwords and One Time Passcodes (OTP).
If we can’t reach you
We’ll usually leave a message asking you to contact us. Your payments could be declined, and your account put on hold until we can speak to you.
Check your details
if the phone number we have for you isn’t up to date, we won’t be able to contact you about fraud and scams. You can check and change your details using the Mobile Banking app, Online Banking, by calling us or by visiting a branch.
When should I make the payment again?
You’ll likely need to make the payment again after you’ve confirmed it was genuinely you making it.
Before making the payment again you should check with the company you’re paying to ensure they haven’t already taken the payment again. You can also check for email confirmation from the company.
We understand this can be frustrating, but this helps us keep your money safe.
What if I’m not sure what the payment is for?
If you don’t recognise the merchant's name, looking this up in a search engine like Google can help. This can help you work out who the company is.
You can also check out our unrecognised transactions page for more help on how to check the payment.
Check if it’s a subscription or future dated card payment. Some services use a subscription plan. This means they may bill you after an initial free or discounted period ends. Or on a regular basis such as monthly or annually. Check any services where you’ve subscribed but not cancelled.
If you need still need help, you can contact us.