Authorize.Net · Decline codes
What does Authorize.Net 4 “This transaction has been declined (pick up card)” mean?
Checked
Authorize.Net response reason code 4 means the processor returned a "pick up card" response: the card issuer wants the card taken out of use; Stripe describes the same response as possibly a card reported lost or stolen. The card will not work again. Do not retry it; Visa puts pick-up responses in its "issuer will not approve" category. The shopper needs to pay with a different card.
- Type
- Hard decline
- Who declined
- The shopper's bank
- Retry
- No. Pick-up responses are in Visa's "issuer will not approve" category, where every reattempt can be fined.
- Shopper action
- Use a different card and contact the bank.
- Merchant action
- Do not retry this card; ask for another payment method.
What PlatformDTC does
PlatformDTC classes Authorize.Net code 4 as never-retry: checkout shows Authorize.Net's decline message and deliberately does not move the shopper to a backup processor, because another processor would get the same refusal for the same card. On a subscription renewal the code is not retried: the subscription is held past due and the customer gets an email with a link to add a new card.
Why it happens
Authorize.Net's note for code 4 is that the processor returned a code "indicating that the card used needs to be picked up". Visa lists pick-up responses among the codes where the issuer will never approve the card.
What the shopper can do
This card is finished for online use. Pay with another card and call the bank if you did not expect it.
What the store can do
Never resubmit the same card. If the order looked odd (new account, rushed shipping), treat it with extra care; a pick-up code on a card someone else reported is a classic fraud signal.
For developers
errors[0].errorCode "4". Visa raw responses 04 and 07 (pickup card) are category 1 (do not retry) in Visa's system integrity fee rules.
Frequently asked questions
- Can a pick-up card decline (Authorize.Net 4) succeed later?
- No. The issuer wants the card out of use; only a different card will work.
- Does a code 4 mean the order is fraudulent?
- Not always, but the card was likely reported lost or stolen, so review the order before shipping anything paid another way.
Sources
Related
- 2 — The card issuer, or the processor on its behalf, refused the payment without a specific reason.
- 41 — Your own FraudScreen.Net threshold blocked the payment because its fraud score was too high.
- 8 — The card's expiry date has passed, so it can no longer be charged.
- 141 — FraudScreen.Net rejected the payment, but the automatic void of the authorization did not go through.
- 44 — The processor declined because the card's security code (CVV) did not match the bank's records.
- 45 — Both the address check and the security code check hit the rejection rules you set.
- 145 — Your AVS and card code filters rejected the sale, but the automatic void of the authorization failed.
- 65 — Your card code (CVV) filter rejected the payment based on the security code result.