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Customer Question - Credit cards being declined across all Shopify websites

JamesinVan
Tourist
4 0 2

For some reason, Shopify declines all my credit cards. I have attempted 3 different cards on 3 different shopify sites and all cards are declined. All cards are in good standing, plenty of credit available and used on a daily basis both online and irl. I have contacted the card issuers and there are no payment requests being made. In other words, the payments are not being declined by the credit card issuers. 

Can anyone help me with this?  I'm guessing I'm being caught up in some over zealous fraud prevention system. It's super frustrating!

Thanks in advance.

Accepted Solution (1)

Trevor
Community Moderator
3391 459 977

This is an accepted solution.

@JamesinVan 

Very strange that your credit cards would be declining across a number of Shopify stores. Here are a few things to consider: 

  • Are you using a VPN? If yes, that could be flagging your order and declining it automatically 
  • Is the postal code/zip on your credit card the same as the one you're inputting at checkout? If they don't align, the transaction can get declined 
  • Are these full credit cards or debit cards with credit card capabilities? The former is a more supported method

I would recommend reaching out to the store(s) you tried to purchase from. They may have an abandoned cart order in their admin that may provide the details on why the card was declined. You can then take that to the card issuer to troubleshoot further. 

Trevor | Community Moderator @ Shopify
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 - Was your question answered? Mark it as an Accepted Solution
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View solution in original post

Replies 10 (10)

Trevor
Community Moderator
3391 459 977

This is an accepted solution.

@JamesinVan 

Very strange that your credit cards would be declining across a number of Shopify stores. Here are a few things to consider: 

  • Are you using a VPN? If yes, that could be flagging your order and declining it automatically 
  • Is the postal code/zip on your credit card the same as the one you're inputting at checkout? If they don't align, the transaction can get declined 
  • Are these full credit cards or debit cards with credit card capabilities? The former is a more supported method

I would recommend reaching out to the store(s) you tried to purchase from. They may have an abandoned cart order in their admin that may provide the details on why the card was declined. You can then take that to the card issuer to troubleshoot further. 

Trevor | Community Moderator @ Shopify
 - Was my reply helpful? Click Like to let me know! 
 - Was your question answered? Mark it as an Accepted Solution
 - To learn more visit the Shopify Help Center or the Shopify Blog

JamesinVan
Tourist
4 0 2

@Trevor 

Thanks for your reply.

I am not using a VPN, Postal Codes match (I have tried multiple permutations and also ensured the address is an exact match with the Credit Card statement), and I am using full credit cards which I have no problem using anywhere else except through Shopify.

I have spoken previously with Customer Service relating to the issue, and they refer me to the credit card companies saying that the payment has been declined and there must be an issue with my card. When I check in with the credit card companies, they say the card is in good standing with no holds and that they have never received a request for payment from the company I am attempting to purchase from. I go back to Customer Service and get stuck in a permanent loop of "it must be the other guy".

However, it seems to me that I am being flagged and declined before the payment is even requested from the credit card company. I don't have enough knowledge about how 3rd party payment processors work to say what is happening, but the CSR can't see anything except the decline and the credit card company never receives the request, so it makes sense (to me at least) that the issue is the middle man, which in this case is Shopify. 

I'm then caught between a rock and a hard place because I don't have a Shopify account, which is how I've ended up posting here.

 

 

Trevor
Community Moderator
3391 459 977

@JamesinVan 

I understand; however, I'm afraid we can not provide support on this as we can't confirm whether the store you're trying to purchase from is using Shopify. Speaking with the business you are trying to purchase from would be the best step you can take to find a solution. 

Without the permission of the business, we can not look into their store data to determine why a customer's card would be declined. Due to this, I can't speculate on why the card was declined outside of the points I've made above. If your card is being flagged and the business is using Shopify Payments, then that might be something we can review further should the business reach out to us directly. 

Without the assistance of the business, our support would be limited to directing you to speak with your card issuer. 

Trevor | Community Moderator @ Shopify
 - Was my reply helpful? Click Like to let me know! 
 - Was your question answered? Mark it as an Accepted Solution
 - To learn more visit the Shopify Help Center or the Shopify Blog

JamesinVan
Tourist
4 0 2

@Trevor 

 

Thank you for the reply.

The store is totemhousedesign.com

I contacted totemhousedesign and they said they would contact Shopify directly so I guess now it's just wait and see what happens. They never received any of the orders I've attempted and have no information at their end whatsoever, no records of declined transactions, nothing showing up with my name on it.

I previously had this issue with halfmoon.ca and just abandoned it at that time but as it keeps on happening I'd really like to be able to resolve whatever the issue is once and for all.

Anyway Totem House said they'd call in to Shopify so fingers crossed something can be resolved, thanks for your help and I'll keep you updated.

Trevor
Community Moderator
3391 459 977

@JamesinVan 

Thank you for the context. Hopefully, they will be able to work with our Support teams to determine the cause of the issue. 

Trevor | Community Moderator @ Shopify
 - Was my reply helpful? Click Like to let me know! 
 - Was your question answered? Mark it as an Accepted Solution
 - To learn more visit the Shopify Help Center or the Shopify Blog

dialup90s
Visitor
1 0 1

OK! I was having this same problem with multiple customers across multiple cards. I tried to order something from my own store and it was declined as well. I contacted American Express to try to get some insight. They told me it was declined BECAUSE THE MERCHANT NUMBER ASSOCIATED WITH THAT STORE IS ONE USED FOR ONLINE GAMBLING ESTABLISHMENTS. Hence the reason basically all cards are being declined.  HUGE ERROR BY SHOPIFY. Please resolve ASAP!

Tim00
Visitor
1 0 0

I'm having a similar issue but, what is happening is that the store is getting deactivated immediately so, I cannot make any changes or corrections to billing info. Can you reopen this case and re-visit this issue based on what I'm experiencing?

tunninja
Visitor
2 0 0

Same Issue. I've continued to have this issue with Shopify no matter how I try to process my credit card it will not go through. (venmo, paypal, hard entered, shoppay all tried)

JamesinVan
Tourist
4 0 2
Hey, I fixed the issue and can now order normally with Shopify. I don't
know what the deal was but it took finding a very patient vendor who was
willing to walk through whatever the issue was with Shopify at their end.
Once I was able to make that payment everything worked fine. I don't know
what the issue was and I wasn't able to resolve it directly with Shopify
myself, I had to go through a vendor. I hope this helps you figure it out,
there is hope!
Gab16
Visitor
2 0 0

Did you find a solution??