Checkout.com · Decline codes
What does Checkout.com 20012 “Invalid transaction” mean?
Checked
Checkout.com 20012 "Invalid transaction" means the issuer will not accept this kind of transaction on the card. Although it sits in Checkout.com's 20xxx soft range, Visa puts it in category 1, issuer will never approve, so it must not be retried. The shopper should pay with another card or contact the bank.
- Type
- Soft decline (20xxx)
- Who declined
- The shopper's card issuer
- Retry
- No. Visa category 1: the issuer will never approve this card
- Shopper action
- Use a different card
- Merchant action
- Do not retry this card; ask for another payment method
What PlatformDTC does
In PlatformDTC's routing table Checkout.com 20012 is a never-retry decline: no automatic second attempt and no reroute to PayPal card fields, since retrying the same card only adds refusals to the store's record. A subscription renewal declined with 20012 is never retried: the subscription is held past due and the customer is emailed a link to add a new card.
Why it happens
Some cards are blocked for certain transaction types, such as online, recurring or international payments, and the bank answers with invalid transaction.
What the shopper can do
Pay with a different card or PayPal. The bank can explain whether online payments can be enabled on this card.
What the store can do
Treat it as final for this card. Retrying a Visa category 1 decline can bring excessive retry fees from Visa.
For developers
The payment comes back with status Declined, response_code 20012 and a response_summary such as "Invalid transaction" (Checkout.com notes the text can vary by endpoint). Checkout.com's Visa table puts this code in category 1, which it pairs with recommendation code 03 (do not try again); read processing.recommendation_code on the response.
Frequently asked questions
- Why is 20012 a soft decline if it should never be retried?
- Checkout.com groups codes by range; Visa's own categories decide retries, and Visa lists 20012 in category 1, never retry.
- Can a customer fix 20012?
- Only by using another card, or by asking the bank to allow this transaction type on the card.
Sources
- API response codes — Checkout.com
- Visa response codes — Checkout.com
- Mapping to Visa system integrity fee categories — Adyen
Related
- 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.
- 20054 — The card's expiry date has passed. Only a new card or updated date can work.
- 20019 — The bank could not process it this time and asks for the payment to be sent again.
- 20030 — The payment message had a format the network or bank could not read.
- 20046 — The bank declined the payment. Like do not honour, no reason is given.
- 20051 — The card does not have enough available balance or credit for this amount.