Declined Transactions
Card payments can be declined for multiple reasons. Understanding why helps you resolve the issue.
Insufficient funds:
Check your Atlas app to see if you have enough balance for the transaction
Solution: ask your administrator when funds will be added
Limits exceeded:
You've exceeded the per-transaction, daily, weekly, or monthly limit
Solution: wait for the period to reset or request a limit increase
Inactive card:
The card hasn't been activated
The card is frozen
The card has been canceled
Solution: check the card status in the Atlas app
Incorrect details:
Wrong card number
Incorrect CVV
Wrong expiration date
Solution: verify the details and enter them correctly
Configured restrictions:
The card has restrictions by merchant category
International payments blocked
Outside the allowed date range
Solution: review restrictions with your administrator
Merchant issues:
The merchant doesn't accept your card type
Issuing country restrictions (United States)
Temporary technical issues
Merchant technical problems
Solution: try another payment method or contact the merchant
Suspected fraud:
The system flagged the transaction as suspicious
Unusual purchase pattern
Solution: contact support of the merchant to verify your identity
How to identify the cause:
Check the decline notification in the app
Review transaction history for details
Contact support if the reason isn't clear
Pending Transactions
Pending transactions are authorizations that haven't been completed yet.
What does pending mean?
The merchant requested authorization
The amount has been reserved in your account
But the charge hasn't been finalized yet
How long do they remain pending:
Typically 1-3 days for most merchants
Up to 7 days for hotels and car rentals
Up to 30 days in exceptional cases
Common cases:
Gas stations (authorize more than you spend)
Hotels (hold security deposit)
Car rentals (hold for potential charges)
What to do:
Usually you don't need to do anything, it will resolve automatically
The merchant will finalize or cancel the authorization
If more than 7 days pass, contact the merchant first, then support
Reversed Transactions
A reversal occurs when a transaction is canceled after being processed.
Causes of reversals:
The merchant canceled the transaction
Refund processed
Processing error
Fraud detected
How it appears in your account:
The original transaction shows as completed
A new line shows the reversal
The balance is returned to your account
Processing time:
Immediate reversals: 1-2 business days
Refunds: 5-10 business days
May vary depending on the merchant and bank
Common Error Codes
Error codes help you understand why a transaction failed.
Most common codes:
51 - Insufficient funds
54 - Expired card
61 - Limit exceeded
62 - Restricted card
63 - Security violation
65 - Frequency limit exceeded