Cases where authorization approval is not obtained have always been a question mark for cardholders. Whenever the response code requires the cardholder to contact the card-issuing bank (usually transactions that do not result in approval), the date of the failed transaction, the transaction amount, and the response code given by the bank for that transaction become very important.
If you experience a problem with your card during the approval stage that cannot be resolved, it would be helpful to request a new card from your bank.
| Response code | Description |
|---|---|
| 00 | Approved |
| 01 | Refer to issuer |
| 03 | Invalid merchant |
| 04 | Capture the card |
| 05 | Transaction not approved. (This is one of the most commonly used error codes by banks for declined transactions.) |
| 08 | Honour with ID |
| 12 | Invalid transaction |
| 17 | Customer cancellation (void) |
| 14 | Invalid card number (no such number exists) |
| 22 | Suspected malfunction |
| 34 | Suspected fraud |
| 39 | No credit account |
| 40 | Requested function not supported |
| 41 | Lost card |
| 42 | No universal account |
| 43 | Stolen card |
| 51 | Insufficient funds |
| 54 | Expired card |
| 68 | Response received too late |
| 61 | Withdrawal limit exceeded |
| 91 | Issuer not available |
| 92 | Destination not found for routing |
| QA | Invalid parameters |
| QI | Transaction not completed |
| Invalid card | |
| QY | Card type not accepted |
Reading the codes correctly
An error code does not always mean the problem lies with the cardholder; it can sometimes stem from the merchant or terminal configuration. For example, an invalid merchant code relates to the merchant’s card acceptance authorization.
For the cardholder, what needs to be done is to report the error code and transaction date to the bank. For the merchant, instead of repeatedly retrying the same transaction, the code should be analyzed.
This is why it is important for the error message on customer screens to be understandable.