Your card was declined, but when you tried again a minute later, it worked. Or the checkout page asked you to verify the purchase in your banking app before it would go through. These are typical examples of a soft decline. Unlike a hard decline, which means the payment cannot go through no matter how many times you try, a soft decline is temporary and usually fixable. This guide explains what a soft decline is, why it happens, common decline codes and how to get past it.
Soft decline vs hard decline
When a card payment is refused, the issuing bank sends back a response code. These codes fall into two broad categories:
- A soft decline means the bank or network declined the transaction for a reason that may be temporary or fixable, such as a technical issue, missing authentication or a limit that will reset.
- A hard decline means the bank has refused the transaction for a lasting reason, such as a closed account, a stolen card or an invalid card number. Retrying will not help.
| Soft decline | Hard decline | |
|---|---|---|
| Meaning | Temporary or fixable refusal | Permanent refusal for this card |
| Retry helps? | Often yes | No |
| Common causes | Network issue, authentication needed, limits, fraud check | Closed account, stolen card, invalid number, expired card |
| What to do | Retry, verify, fix details | Use a different card, contact bank |
Common reasons for a soft decline
1. Authentication required
Many online payments, especially in Europe under strong customer authentication rules and increasingly in the US, require you to confirm the payment with your bank through 3-D Secure (such as Visa Secure or Mastercard Identity Check). If the merchant does not trigger that step correctly, the bank may soft decline and ask for authentication.
2. Insufficient available funds
If your available balance is temporarily too low, perhaps because of holds, the decline may be considered soft because it can succeed once funds are available. See why your bank balance differs from your available balance.
3. Daily or transaction limits
Hitting a daily spending limit is a classic soft decline. The payment may work tomorrow or after you ask for a temporary increase.
4. Fraud screening
Your bank may decline a payment that looks unusual until you confirm it was you. A text or app notification asking “Was this you?” is the typical sign.
5. Technical issues
Network outages, terminal problems, timeouts and processing errors can cause temporary declines unrelated to your account.
6. Velocity limits
Too many transactions in a short time, or too many attempts with the same card, can trigger temporary blocks.
7. Do not honor
The generic “do not honor” response, sometimes code 05, can be soft or hard depending on the bank’s reason. It often means the bank wants to speak with you.
Common decline codes
| Code | Typical meaning | Soft or hard? |
|---|---|---|
| 05 | Do not honor | Often soft, call bank |
| 51 | Insufficient funds | Soft |
| 61 | Exceeds withdrawal or spending limit | Soft |
| 65 | Exceeds activity count or authentication required | Soft |
| 91 | Issuer or switch unavailable | Soft, retry later |
| 96 | System malfunction | Soft, retry later |
| 1A | Additional customer authentication required | Soft |
| 04, 07 | Pick up card | Hard |
| 14 | Invalid card number | Hard |
| 41, 43 | Lost or stolen card | Hard |
| 54 | Expired card | Hard |
Codes can vary by processor and network, so treat this as a general guide.
What to do after a soft decline
- Wait briefly and retry once. Many technical soft declines clear within minutes. Avoid repeated attempts, which can trigger fraud blocks.
- Watch for an authentication prompt. Approve the payment in your bank’s app or enter the one-time code.
- Check your banking app for fraud alerts and confirm the transaction.
- Check your available balance and limits.
- Re-enter card details carefully for online purchases, including billing ZIP and security code.
- Call your bank if the decline continues. Ask for the reason and whether they can approve it.
- Use another payment method if you need to complete the purchase immediately.
For a full list of decline causes, read why your card got declined with enough money.
Soft declines with subscriptions and recurring payments
Merchants often retry recurring payments automatically after a soft decline. If your subscription payment fails because of insufficient funds, the merchant may attempt it again over several days. For debit cards this can lead to multiple attempts appearing on your statement. If you want to stop a recurring charge rather than fix it, see how to stop a recurring charge on a debit card.
Does a soft decline cost money?
A soft decline on a card purchase generally does not cost anything and does not affect your credit score. However, failed bill payments through ACH may trigger returned payment or NSF fees. Read what an NSF fee is and how to avoid it.
Can a soft decline mean fraud?
A soft decline can be your bank’s way of stopping a possible fraud attempt. If you did not make the purchase that was declined, someone may be testing your card. Lock your card and contact your bank, following how to find out who charged your card and our unknown charge guides.
Real examples
The online checkout. Ava’s card was declined at an online store. A minute later her bank app asked her to approve the purchase. After she approved it, the payment went through.
The big purchase. Kevin tried to buy a $2,500 TV with his debit card and was declined. His daily limit was $2,000. He called his bank, received a temporary increase and completed the purchase.
The network outage. Lily’s card failed at a coffee shop during a payment network disruption. Ten minutes later the same card worked normally.
Frequently asked questions
What does soft decline mean?
It means the card payment was declined for a temporary or fixable reason, such as authentication, limits or a technical issue.
Should I retry after a soft decline?
Retry once after a short wait. If it fails again, check your bank app or call your bank instead of retrying repeatedly.
Is “do not honor” a soft decline?
It can be. It is a generic code, and the bank may simply need to verify the transaction with you.
Does a soft decline hurt my credit?
No. Card declines are not reported to credit bureaus.
Why do I get soft declines only online?
Online payments involve extra checks such as address verification, security codes and 3-D Secure authentication, which create more opportunities for fixable declines.
Soft declines from the merchant’s point of view
Understanding why merchants care about soft declines explains some of the behavior you see at checkout. For online stores and subscription businesses, soft declines are a major source of lost sales. Industry studies regularly estimate that a meaningful share of declined online card payments are false declines, meaning the customer was legitimate and had the money. Because of this, merchants build systems to recover these payments:
- Smart retries. Subscription services may retry a failed payment at a different time of day or a few days later, when funds or limits have reset.
- Account updater services. Merchants can automatically receive updated card numbers and expiry dates when your bank issues a new card, reducing declines from outdated details.
- Step-up authentication. If a bank soft declines because authentication is required, the merchant can trigger 3-D Secure and try again.
- Payment method fallbacks. Checkout pages may suggest a digital wallet, bank transfer or another card after a decline.
- Dunning emails. Subscription services send “your payment failed” messages asking you to update your card.
That last point is worth a warning. Scammers copy these “payment failed” emails to steal card details. If you receive one, do not click the link. Instead, open the app or type the company’s website address yourself and check your account there.
How to reduce soft declines
- Keep your billing address and phone number up to date with your bank.
- Turn on push notifications in your banking app so authentication requests reach you instantly.
- Know your daily limits and request increases before large purchases.
- Keep a small buffer above your expected spending.
- Use a digital wallet online when available, as tokenized payments often have higher approval rates.
- Avoid repeated rapid retries, which can look like fraud.
Soft declines when traveling abroad
Travel is one of the most common situations for soft declines. When you use your card in a new country, your bank’s fraud systems see a sudden change in location and may pause the payment until you confirm it. Some foreign terminals also process transactions offline or in ways US banks treat cautiously, and some merchants ask for a PIN even on signature cards. To avoid surprises, make sure international use is turned on in your banking app, carry a backup card from a different network, save your bank’s international phone number and keep app notifications enabled so you can approve payments quickly. If you are declined abroad, wait a moment, check your app for an alert and try once more before switching cards.
The bottom line
A soft decline is a temporary card refusal that you can often fix by retrying once, approving an authentication request, confirming a fraud alert or adjusting limits. A hard decline, on the other hand, means you need a different card. When in doubt, check your banking app and call the number on the back of your card.