Authorize.Net · Decline codes
What does Authorize.Net 2 “This transaction has been declined” mean?
Checked
Authorize.Net response reason code 2, "This transaction has been declined", is the general decline: the card's issuing bank or the processor refused the charge and Authorize.Net did not receive a more specific reason. It is not a problem with your Authorize.Net settings. The shopper should try another card or ask the bank why it said no; the store should offer a different payment method rather than resubmitting the same card again and again.
- Type
- Soft decline (general)
- Who declined
- The shopper's bank or the card processor
- Retry
- Once, later. Visa allows up to 15 reattempts in 30 days for non-category-1 declines; repeated instant retries rarely help.
- Shopper action
- Check the card details, then use another card or call the bank.
- Merchant action
- Ask for another payment method; do not loop retries on the same card.
What PlatformDTC does
PlatformDTC classes Authorize.Net code 2 as a decline another processor may approve. If the store picked PayPal card payments as its backup, checkout immediately offers the shopper PayPal's card fields instead of a dead end. On a subscription renewal it gets one more try 48 to 72 hours later; if that is refused too, the customer is emailed a link to add a new card.
Why it happens
Code 2 is what Authorize.Net returns when the processor passes back a plain refusal. Behind it can be anything the bank keeps to itself: a thin balance, a fraud score, a block on online or foreign purchases, or a card the bank no longer wants used.
Because the reason is hidden, only the cardholder's bank can say exactly why. Authorize.Net's own description for code 2 is just the one sentence: "This transaction has been declined."
What the shopper can do
Confirm the card number, expiry and billing address are typed correctly, then try a different card or a wallet. If the same card keeps failing, the bank's phone number on the back of the card is the fastest route to the real reason.
What the store can do
Show a clear "try another card" option. One later retry can succeed, but several back-to-back attempts on the same card look like card testing to the issuer and can count against you under Visa's reattempt rules.
For developers
transactionResponse.responseCode is "2" (Declined) and transactionResponse.errors[0].errorCode is "2". The processor's raw issuer code is not returned in this field, so treat code 2 as a generic soft decline in retry logic.
Frequently asked questions
- Is Authorize.Net code 2 the shopper's fault or mine?
- Usually neither the store's setup nor a typing mistake: it is the bank's refusal with no reason given. Setup problems come back as their own codes, such as 17 or 13.
- Can I retry an Authorize.Net code 2 decline?
- One retry later can work, for example after payday. Visa caps reattempts on declines outside its "will never approve" category at 15 in 30 days, so avoid rapid loops.
Sources
Related
- 3 — The issuer wants a voice authorization (a phone call) before it will approve this charge.
- 4 — The processor reports the card must be picked up: the issuer wants it out of use.
- 44 — The processor declined because the card's security code (CVV) did not match the bank's records.
- 27 — The billing address entered does not match the address the card's bank has on file.
- 41 — Your own FraudScreen.Net threshold blocked the payment because its fraud score was too high.
- 141 — FraudScreen.Net rejected the payment, but the automatic void of the authorization did not go through.
- 45 — Both the address check and the security code check hit the rejection rules you set.