A card payment can fail even when the card is valid and has enough money. The most common reasons are a mistyped card number, expiration date, or CVV, or a billing address that doesn't match the one the card company has on file.
When a member has trouble paying, you can see why in your ECRYPT dashboard.
Find a Declined Transaction
Log in to your ECRYPT dashboard.
Click Credit Cards.
Set the date range.
Choose Status from the dropdown, then Declined.
In this example, the member tried to pay three times and each attempt was declined.
See Why It Was Declined
Click the Transaction ID to see the full details, including the decline reason.
Decline reason | What to tell the member |
Invalid card number, expiration date, or CVV | Re-enter the card details carefully. |
Address doesn't match | Enter the billing address exactly as the card company has it, including the ZIP code. |
Declined by the card issuer, with no other detail | The bank stopped it, often for low funds or a security check. Call the number on the back of the card, or try a different card. |
Charges vs. Authorizations
Each time a member tries to pay, their bank runs an authorization to check that the card is valid and has enough money. If the payment is declined, the authorization may still appear on the member's account, so it can look like they were charged several times.
Let members know these are authorizations, not charges. No money was taken, and they drop off on their own, usually within 24 hours or 1–7 business days, depending on the member's bank.