What to check if a card payment fails

When you pay by card from our client area, the gateway may show messages such as «payment error» or «contact your merchant». Before trying again, check with your bank that the first attempt has not created a charge or a pending authorisation.

The issuing bank decides whether to authorise the transaction and does not always tell Hostsuar the exact reason for a decline. The most useful checks are:

• Make sure the card details are correct and that it has not expired.
• Check the balance, the spending limit and that online purchases are allowed.
• Complete the authentication your bank asks for in its app, by SMS or another method. Closing that screen or letting it time out stops the payment from finishing.
• If the bank declines the transaction, give it the date, amount and merchant so it can find it and authorise a new attempt.

Temporary error

An interruption between the gateway and the bank can stop the payment from completing. If there is no charge or pending authorisation, wait a few minutes and try again just once.

Use another method

Open the proforma invoice again in Billing > Pending payments and check the available payment methods. PayPal only appears when the proforma invoice and the account meet its conditions; do not assume it is available, or usable without an account, in every case.

Useful details for reviewing the attempt

If the bank shows a charge or an authorisation but the proforma invoice is still pending, tell us its number, the approximate date and time, the amount and the gateway's message. A pending authorisation does not prove the payment has gone through; avoid another attempt until it is cleared up.

If you attach a screenshot, hide the full card number, the security code and any authentication codes. We do not need that data to find the proforma invoice.