Visa & Mastercard Purchase Declines
Here are the most common reasons for a Visa or Mastercard purchase decline.
The transaction amount is greater than the available card balance. If the purchase value is greater than the available funds on the card, the retailer may decline the transaction.
To make a purchase larger than the available balance of the card, make the purchase in two transactions. Advise the cashier in advance the exact amount to deduct from the card. Then pay the balance of the purchase with a second form of payment.
Not all retailers are able to process sales in two transactions. For Debit transactions you may use your Reward card for Debit transactions using your Personal Identification Number (PIN) at the point of sale. To set or change a PIN, visit the check balance page, enter in the card details, and add a PIN.Gratuity or Incidental Authorizations. Service businesses such as restaurants, hair salons & hotels may attempt to authorize the card for the check amount plus 15-20% for gratuity or incidentals (for hotels).
To avoid a potential decline, it is recommended to ask the server or attendant to split the bill with one of the transactions being at least 20% lower than the card balance.Gas station declines. Most people pay for fuel at the pump but since the gas station doesn't know how much gas you will pump, their credit card machines will generally run an authorization check on the card for $100 - $200 (depending on the price of gas and the retailer).
If the card does not have a balance of $200+, it's best to pay inside and instruct the cashier exactly how much they want to purchase, provided it does not exceed the card balance.
Retail Gift Card Transaction Declines
PerfectGift is a reseller for most national retail gift card brands. Unlike with Visa, Mastercard, and our PerfectGift+ product, we do not have visibility or control into the purchase attempts or transaction details for those retail gift cards.
If a retail gift card is not working, typically its due to one of two things.
The retailers systems are having problems and gift card purchases may be temporarily unavailable. In this case, we recommend retrying the purchase at a later time.
Most large retailers use complex fraud monitoring systems. Occasionally their system may detect abnormal behavior and temporarily suspend cards from purchasing. In this instance, the retailer may require the cardholder to contact them to have their card re-activated.