Checkout.com · Decline codes
What does Checkout.com 20002 “Refer to card issuer - Special conditions” mean?
Checked
Checkout.com 20002 "Refer to card issuer - Special conditions" means the shopper's bank declined the payment under a condition it set on the account and wants the cardholder to get in touch. Checkout.com tells the shopper to try a different card or contact the bank. It is a soft decline, so a later attempt can succeed.
- Type
- Soft decline (20xxx)
- Who declined
- The shopper's card issuer
- Retry
- Possibly. Visa category 4 (generic): at most 15 retries in 30 days
- Shopper action
- Contact the bank, or use another card
- Merchant action
- Offer another payment method and let the shopper sort it out with the bank
What PlatformDTC does
On PlatformDTC, a Checkout.com decline with 20002 is on the reroute list. When the store has PayPal card payments switched on as its backup, checkout immediately offers the shopper that second route instead of a dead end, and PayPal card orders still pass the store's fraud rules. A subscription renewal declined with 20002 gets one more try 48 to 72 hours later with Smart retry on; if the bank refuses again, the customer is emailed a link to add a new card.
Why it happens
The special condition is the bank's own rule on that card or account, such as a hold or a review. Checkout.com and the store are not told which one.
What the shopper can do
Ask the bank what condition is blocking online payments and have it lifted, or check out with a different card or PayPal.
What the store can do
Keep the cart and offer alternatives. Retrying the same card before the shopper has called the bank mostly adds another refusal.
For developers
The payment comes back with status Declined, response_code 20002 and a response_summary such as "Refer to card issuer - Special conditions" (Checkout.com notes the text can vary by endpoint). Checkout.com's Visa table puts this code in category 4, which it pairs with recommendation code 02 (try again later); read processing.recommendation_code on the response.
Frequently asked questions
- What are the special conditions in Checkout.com 20002?
- Only the issuing bank knows. Checkout.com's page lists the code as a referral with special conditions and does not pass on the bank's reason.
- Is 20002 the shopper's fault?
- Not necessarily. It is a bank decision on the account; the shopper resolves it by contacting the bank.
Sources
- API response codes — Checkout.com
- Visa response codes — Checkout.com
- Mapping to Visa system integrity fee categories — Adyen
Related
- 20001 — The bank declined and wants the shopper to contact it before it will approve.
- 20003 — The payment failed for a technical reason on the merchant or acquirer side, not because of the card.
- 20005 — The bank declined without giving a reason. The most common generic refusal.
- 20012 — The bank says this transaction type is not allowed for the card. Visa says never retry it.
- 20013 — The amount sent with the payment was invalid for the bank or the network.
- 20014 — The card number does not exist at the bank. Usually a typo. Visa says never retry it.
- 20019 — The bank could not process it this time and asks for the payment to be sent again.