Checkout.com · Decline codes
What does Checkout.com 20030 “Format error” mean?
Checked
Checkout.com 20030 "Format error" means the payment failed because of a technical issue in how the request was formatted. Checkout.com suggests trying again with the same card or a different one, and notes MADA transactions can raise it in specific circumstances. It is not the shopper's card being refused.
- Type
- Soft decline (20xxx), technical
- Who declined
- The network or issuer, rejecting the message format
- Retry
- Possibly. Visa category 4 (generic): at most 15 retries in 30 days
- Shopper action
- Try again with the same card, or use another card
- Merchant action
- Contact Checkout.com support if many payments show it
What PlatformDTC does
For Checkout.com 20030, PlatformDTC's checkout does not offer PayPal card fields or any backup processor. Unlisted codes never reroute, because guessing wrong costs more than the one recovery it might win. Checkout.com 20030 is not yet in PlatformDTC's renewal table, so a renewal declined with it follows the store's normal retry schedule and is logged so it can be classified.
Why it happens
A field in the authorization did not match the network's format rules. Checkout.com documents a MADA-specific case for this code.
What the shopper can do
Try once more. If it repeats, a different card usually works.
What the store can do
If the error clusters on one card type or region, collect payment references and raise it with Checkout.com support.
For developers
The payment comes back with status Declined, response_code 20030 and a response_summary such as "Format error" (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
- Is Checkout.com 20030 the shopper's fault?
- No. It is a message-format problem between systems.
- What is the MADA case?
- Checkout.com notes MADA transactions may raise 20030 under specific circumstances and links its own guidance on format errors in MADA transactions.
Sources
- API response codes — Checkout.com
- Visa response codes — Checkout.com
- Mapping to Visa system integrity fee categories — Adyen
Related
- 20064 — The amount did not match what the bank expected for the original transaction.
- 20075 — The card is locked after too many wrong PIN attempts.
- 20078 — A new or replacement card has not been activated yet.
- 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.
- 20054 — The card's expiry date has passed. Only a new card or updated date can work.
- 20057 — The card is not allowed to make this kind of payment. Visa says never retry it.
- 20059 — The bank suspects the payment is fraudulent and refused it.