When a card is declined by the issuing bank or the card network, the gateway returns code 0205 with a specific decline reason in the TEXT field. All issuer declines share this code — inspect TEXT to distinguish between reasons.

This is distinct from gateway-level errors:

0205 — the transaction reached the card network and was declined by the issuer.
0206 / 1003 — the gateway declined the card before sending it to the network (0206 CARD EXPIRED for an expired card, 1003 DECLINED (CV) when the terminal's card velocity limit is reached).
Any other non-0000 code — the gateway rejected or couldn't complete the request. See Hosted Payment Errors or Direct Payment Errors, depending on your integration.

Decline Reasons

Grouped by how you should handle them and what (if anything) to show the customer.

Retryable — Tell the Customer to Try Again

The transaction failed for a reason that might not repeat. Safe to let the customer retry with the same card or try a different one.

`TEXT`	Description
`NOT APPROVED`	Generic decline — the card network returned no specific reason.
`NSF`	Insufficient funds.
`EXCEEDS AMT LIMIT`	The transaction exceeds the card's per-transaction or daily limit.
`REQ EXCEEDS BALANCE`	Request exceeds the card's available balance.
`DECLINE`	Generic decline with no specific reason from the issuer.

Customer-facing message: "Your card was declined. Please check with your bank or try a different card."

Card Can't Be Used — Customer Needs a New Card

The card on file isn't usable. Don't retry — the customer needs different card details.

`TEXT`	Description
`CARD EXPIRED`	The card has expired.
`INVALID CARD`	The card number is invalid.
`CLOSED`	The card account is closed.

Customer-facing message: "This card can't be used. Please update your card details."

Verification Failed — Check CVV

The card was otherwise valid but the CVV or CAM check failed.

`TEXT`	Description
`DECLINE: CVV2`	The CVV didn't match the issuer's records.
`INVALID CAM/CVV`	Card authentication method or CVV validation failed.

Customer-facing message: "The security code on your card doesn't match. Please check the CVV and try again."

Security — Do Not Reveal Details

The issuer has flagged the card for security reasons. Never tell the customer why — direct them to their bank instead.

`TEXT`	Description
`SUSPECTED FRAUD`	The issuer flagged the transaction as potential fraud.
`BLOCKED`	The card has been blocked — often seen on the first use of a newly issued card.
`CALL AUTH CENTER`	The issuer is requiring you to call the number on the back of the card.
`PICK UP CARD`	The issuer has instructed not to accept this card. Do not keep trying.

Customer-facing message: "Your card was declined. Please contact your bank for more information."

Important: Do not display the specific decline reason to the customer for any code in this group. Exposing the reason (especially SUSPECTED FRAUD or PICK UP CARD) can tip off fraudsters.

Merchant Setup — Contact SportsPay

These declines indicate a problem with your merchant account rather than the card. They come back as 0205 because the card network returns them the same way as a card decline, but the fix is on our side.

`TEXT`	Description
`INVALID MERCHANT`	The card network does not recognize the merchant. Contact [email protected].
`INVALID TERM ID`	The card network does not recognize the terminal. Contact [email protected].
`SERV NOT ALLOWED`	The card brand is not supported on this merchant account (e.g., the merchant isn't enabled for Amex).
`TRAN NOT ALLOWED`	This transaction type is restricted for this merchant.

Customer-facing message: None — retrying won't help. Flag to your support team to contact SportsPay.

Retrying a Declined Transaction

Declined transactions aren't recorded for duplicate checking, so a retry is processed as a new attempt even if it reuses the original REF. We still recommend a new REF for each attempt so each one can be traced on its own.

1035 DUPLICATE REF only occurs when an approved transaction with the same REF already exists in the open batch. It's returned as an error; the gateway does not send back the original transaction's result.

Use INV (invoice number) to group related attempts — the original decline and the retry will share the same INV in reporting for reconciliation.

CustomerPay Note

When a CustomerPay transaction declines, the USERFEE is not charged. AMT + USERFEE (plus PLATFEE, if sent) is submitted as a single charge — if the card declines, nothing moves.

Credit Card Declines