generated: '2026-08-29' method: searched source: https://docs.staxpayments.com/docs/payment-decline-codes note: Stax publishes decline and processing error MESSAGES rather than numeric decline codes for card transactions; the strings below are what appears in the Stax Pay platform and in Transaction.message. In a SANDBOX account a failure test card always returns the generic 'Unable to process the purchase transaction' and never the real reason — the specific message only appears on a live gateway (docs/test-card-payment-methods). envelope_field: Transaction.message masked_to_buyers: The sandbox masks every failure reason behind one generic string; on live accounts the issuer reason is passed through to the merchant. Stax does not document a separate buyer-facing masking policy. decline_code_count: 26 decline_codes: - code: ' -----------------------------------------------------------------' meaning: '---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------' action: '------------------------------------------------------------------------------------' - code: ACH transactions are not accepted meaning: The account has not been set up for ACH transactions. action: Please reach out to to have ACH added to your account. - code: An error occurred during processing. meaning: The platform lost connection to the gateway. action: Try processing the transaction again. - code: AUTH UNAVAIL meaning: No authorization is available for this transaction. action: Please reach out to - code: CVV does not match. meaning: The issuing bank reports that the CVV entered does not match. action: Verify the CVV with the customer's card. - code: DAILY TRANSACTION LIMIT EXCEEDED meaning: The daily ACH transaction limit has been met for the account. action: Wait for another day to process more transactions. - code: DECLINE meaning: Hard decline from the issuing bank. Insufficient funds or daily limits met. action: Please have your customer contact their bank and ask for a different payment method. - code: Decline Limit Error meaning: Decline-to-approval ratio is too high. action: Please contact - code: Do Not Honor meaning: Hard decline from the issuing bank. Insufficient funds or daily limits met. action: Please have your customer contact their bank and ask for a different payment method. - code: Expiry Date is invalid meaning: The expiration date is invalid. action: Confirm the card's expiration date or with your customer. - code: Gateway Unreachable meaning: The payment gateway is currently unavailable. action: Please try again later. - code: HOLD-CALL meaning: Merchant to keep the card. There is a problem with the card. action: Call the number on the back of the card to determine the issue. - code: Insufficient Funds meaning: The issuing bank reports that the card does not have enough funds to cover the transaction. action: Enter a new payment method. - code: Invalid Account error meaning: Bank account information is invalid. action: Reach out to your customer for a new payment method. - code: Invalid Merchant ID meaning: Merchant ID is incorrect or inactive. action: Please contact - code: Lost/Stolen meaning: The card has been reported as lost or stolen. action: Don't accept any form of payment from this customer. - code: Max attempts exceeded meaning: The previous charge was recently successful. Please review and try again later. action: Wait 5 minutes and try again. - code: NO ACCOUNT meaning: The account number is invalid. action: Please reach out to - code: TERM ID ERROR meaning: TSYS/Vital configuration is incorrect or no longer valid. action: Please reach out to - code: The credit card has expired. meaning: The card is expired. action: Please enter a new payment method. - code: Invalid CC Number meaning: The credit card number entered is not valid. action: Confirm the number with the cardholder. - code: CARD NO. ERROR meaning: The issuing bank reports that the address does not match. action: Verify that the customer's address matches the issuing bank for the credit card. - code: TYPE NOT ALLOWED meaning: The transaction type is not allowed. action: Please reach out to - code: User authentication failed meaning: The gateway codes no longer match those in the interface. action: Please reach out to - code: Using a live Authorize.net account in Test Mode is not permitted. meaning: The gateway is in test mode. The account needs to be in live mode to process a transaction. action: Please reach out to - code: This payment could not be processed. meaning: This payment could not be processed. Please try a different payment method or contact the merchant. action: Try a different payment method or contact the merchant.