Failed Sale Transactions and Common Causes
Occasionally, a transaction may decline instead of approving. When this happens, the Easy Pay Direct Gateway will display a failed transaction message along with details returned by the processor to help you understand what occurred.
What Happens When a Sale Fails
After you submit a sale, the Gateway immediately sends the transaction to the card processor. If the transaction is declined:
- The sale will not complete
- No funds will be scheduled to settle
- A processor response message will appear on the screen
Understanding the Processor Response
The processor response is the message returned by the credit card processor, which typically reflects a decision made by the customer’s issuing bank.
- Some responses are generic declines, meaning the bank did not provide a specific reason
- In these cases, the Gateway does not receive additional details beyond the decline message shown
Address and Card ID Results
If you entered address or card security information, the Gateway may also display verification results:
- Address Verification (AVS)
Shows whether the billing address or ZIP code matched what the card issuer has on file - Card ID / CVV Result
Shows whether the card’s security code was entered correctly
Important: These results are not always the reason a transaction was declined. They are provided to give you more context when troubleshooting a failed sale.
Example:
- An address mismatch may appear even if it was not the cause of the decline
- A CVV match may still occur on a declined transaction
What to Do After a Failed Sale
- Review the processor response message
- Confirm the card number, expiration date, and amount
- Verify any billing or CVV information entered
- If declines continue, the customer may need to contact their card issuer
Video Walkthrough:
Watch the video below to see how failed sales appear in the Gateway and how to interpret processor, AVS, and CVV responses.