Why Was My Credit Card Declined During Checkout?

There are several reasons why your credit card payment may not have been processed when checking out on Etsy.

Check each of these issues and how to solve them:

If your card still isn't approved after trying these steps, please contact your bank or credit card provider for further assistance.

I’m trying to pay with PayPal

Credit card payments can also be processed through PayPal. If you're using PayPal, contact PayPal directly for more information, or select a different payment method (if available).

Update the payment information for your order

If you have an Etsy account, you may have saved your information, and it may be out of date. Check:

  • Did your billing address change recently?
  • Did you get a new card with a new expiration date?
  • If you’re using your credit card for the first time, make sure you entered your card information correctly.

You can update your saved payment details:

  1. On Etsy.com, go to Your account
  2. Go to Account settings.
  3. Go to Credit Cards.
  4. Select Edit on the card you want to update.
  5. Select Save.

Authorize the transaction with your bank

Your bank may flag any unexpected activity on your account. This includes first time orders and high-value purchases, regardless of the amount of funds or credit limit available.

Your bank may require your verbal authorization to proceed with a transaction.

Check that you’re within your daily withdrawal or purchase limit

Most banks have limits on how much money can be charged or accessed in a single day. If you reach this limit, your bank may block your account from any further activity regardless of available funds in the account.

Your bank may require you to request a higher purchase limit to complete the transaction.

If you’re purchasing from multiple shops at once, your debit or credit card will process it as one transaction. If your card isn’t approved, the entire transaction will fail. If you've reached your bank's limit, you need to reduce the amount of your transaction. You can do this by moving some items to the saved for later section of your cart.

Register your prepaid credit card

If you're using a prepaid credit card or gift card, register your personal information with the card issuer before checking out.

If you registered the card with the issuing company, you can then enter your card number, expiration date, CCV number, and billing address to complete checkout.

If you’re purchasing an Etsy gift card, you can’t complete the purchase with a prepaid card.

If you're in the EEA: Check your security authentication answer

If you're in the EEA, which comprises the EU, Norway, Iceland, and Liechtenstein, you may be asked to authenticate your payment when you place your order.

To authenticate a payment, you will need to respond to a prompt from your card issuer and provide additional information. Depending on your card issuer, this additional information may include a correct response to a question, a password, or a passcode.

If your answer is incorrect, you’ll either see an error at checkout or receive an email letting you know that your order couldn’t be completed. You can try to complete your order again, or try a different payment method.

Use a different payment method for your order

If you are unable to resolve the payment issue with your bank in a timely manner, we recommend trying a different credit card, or a different payment method.

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