There are several causes that can lead to the rejection of a transaction at the Point-of-Sale Terminal (or POS) and they are not always related to the lack of funds in the account, although it is probably the first cause that comes to mind. Therefore, the first thing to do is to remain calm, not to be startled and ask the merchant to share with us the ticket or receipt issued by the POS, since it will indicate the reason for the rejection of the transaction.

The main reasons for rejection are as follows:

COMMUNICATION ERROR

This rejection is associated with errors that may occur in the purchase authorization process. In general, the process starts when the card is inserted or brought near (wireless cards) at the POS.

At that moment, the authorization of the purchase is requested to the card issuing bank. However, the communication is not direct since the request is first made to the processor or 'switch' with which the POS works and then to the issuing bank. The receipt provided by the merchant may indicate that there is a connection or communication problem in some part of the process.

INSUFFICIENT FUNDS

The resources in the account are not sufficient to cover the amount of the purchase. In this case, it is recommended to review the account movements to validate that a direct debit charge has not been made that was not remembered, a minor purchase that was forgotten, or the lack of a deposit that was thought to have been made.

EXPIRED CARD

All credit or debit cards have an expiration date and, although the bank notifies you in advance of their expiration, it may happen that you do not remember this notification. There are other rejection messages related to the status of the card, such as: cancelled card, lost card or stolen card.

Translated by: A.M