Occasionally a client may report that their card works for other purchases but continues to be declined when attempting to pay an invoice. This situation can be confusing, but it is typically caused by the card issuer or bank declining the transaction for security or authorization reasons.
Payment approvals are ultimately determined by the client’s bank, not the invoice or the Releventful system.
Below are several common reasons a card may be declined even if it works elsewhere.
Bank Fraud Protection
Banks often apply additional security checks to online transactions, especially when:
• the payment amount is larger than typical purchases
• the client does not frequently make online payments
• the transaction is flagged as unusual activity
If the bank suspects potential fraud, it may decline the transaction until the cardholder confirms the payment.
In most cases, the client simply needs to contact their bank and authorize the transaction.
Large Transaction Amounts
Event payments are often significantly larger than everyday purchases. Some banks automatically decline large payments as a precaution.
The client may need to contact their bank to approve the transaction or temporarily increase their transaction limit.
Card Authorization Restrictions
Some cards are restricted for certain types of transactions, including:
• online payments
• "card-not-present" transactions
• large single payments
If this restriction exists, the bank may decline the payment even though the card works for in-person purchases.
Billing Address Verification
Some banks require the billing ZIP code entered during payment to match the address on file for the card. If the ZIP code does not match exactly, the payment may be declined.
Clients should verify that the billing ZIP code entered during payment matches their bank records.
Temporary Bank Blocks
Banks may temporarily block transactions if multiple attempts are made in a short period of time.
If this occurs, waiting a short period before retrying the payment or contacting the bank can usually resolve the issue.
Suggested Steps for Clients
If a client receives a decline message but believes their card should work, they can usually resolve the issue by following these steps:
Confirm that the card number, expiration date, CVV code, and billing ZIP code were entered correctly.
Try the payment again.
Contact their bank or card provider to authorize the transaction.
If available, try an alternate payment method such as another card or ACH bank transfer.
Viewing Payment Decline Details
If you need to review the specific decline reason returned by the bank, you can view the transaction details in your Releventful Pay Dashboard.
Access to this dashboard is provided when you initially sign up for Releventful Payments.
Within the dashboard, you can review transaction activity and see the decline messages returned by the payment processor.
Questions About a Declined Transaction
If you believe a payment should not have been declined, you can contact the payment processor directly for further review.
Please send inquiries regarding specific declined transactions to:
When contacting Payabli, include:
• the transaction date
• the payment amount
• the name of your business
Questions About Payment Setup in Releventful
If you have questions about payment setup, payment schedules, invoices, or payment workflows within Releventful, our support team is happy to assist.
Use the Help icon in the bottom-right corner of the platform to contact Releventful Support.