Visa Fines on attempts to complete already declined transactions

Excessive transaction reattempts 

Visa have limitations set up in their rules for how many times they allow a transaction, that has previously been declined, to be reattempted again.  

For Visa, there is a clear requirement saying that it is not allowed to reattempt, a transaction that has previously been declined, 15 or more times in a 30-day period. This means that from reattempt nr. 16 and onwards these reattempts will be charged a fee/fine. 

For e-com transactions, it is highly recommended and required that you have a clear retry/reattempt logic in place to be able to cater for the requirements of Visa.  

For POS transactions, it is recommended you do not reattempt a previously declined transaction. 

It is important to be aware that there are also declined transactions from the issuer where it is completely prohibited to reattempt.   

Declined transactions you should never reattempt (only applicable to e-com transactions): 

For Visa there is the possibility that a card issuer will decline transaction attempts. There can be many different reasons why a card issuer would decline a transaction, e.g., insufficient funds, wrong cardnumber, wrong CVC etc.  

For e-com transactions and only where decline reason codes are provided, some of these declines allow for the transaction to be reattempted (under the limitations mentioned in the section above, and some do not (See examples of decline codes below).If a retry is performed on a transaction where the card issuer has declined with a “never try again” error code a fee/fine will be charged. Below is a list of the error codes where an authorisation is not allowed to be reattempted: 

There are different ways your PSP/Payment gateway can be connected to Nets – below is shown the different possible error codes your Payment gateway will receive, depending on their integration method. Please also note that in some cases decline reason codes are not presented. In these cases, we suggest the transaction is not reattempted to avoid a potential fee/fine from Visa.

PSIP/Merchant-guide:

VISA: 

SDI: 

VISA:

How do I know how to correct what I’m doing wrong? 

If you have an agreement with a PSP/payment service provider, please contact your partner to agree compliant set-up. If you have internal processes to manage transactions on payment cards, please ensure that these follow the procedures mentioned in the email and above.  

How can I identify the decline and/or data quality codes? 

You can find and overview of the decline codes above or contact your PSP. Please note, your PSP could use different codes. 

How do I know if I’m being charged for these fines? 

You will see these charges appear on your settlement report. 

How do I know how many reattempts have been made on a transaction? 

This should be possible to monitor or register internally within your organization or in dialog with your PSP. 

How do I implement data quality controls? 

Please see the instructions in the email and above. Further discussions should be handled internally and/or with your PSP.  

Why are these being implemented?  

Visa is making several changes designed to drive improvements across the payments ecosystem by encouraging good business practices, which will reduce fraud, improve authorization approval rates, reduce operational costs, and enhance satisfaction for issuers, acquirers, and merchants. The changes are intended to encourage positive payment ecosystem participant behaviour through new and modified Visa rules, along with incremental fees, to provide clients with greater flexibility in how they implement changes and manage their business. 

How do I know if I’m affected?  

Anyone who attempts a transaction fulfilling the criteria detailed in the email and above following a declined transaction attempt may be affected.