Error "Your card could not be authorized using the postal code provided" not showing on front-end

Payments + Shipping & Fulfilment
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Topic summary

Main issue: Customers receive a generic checkout error instead of the specific AVS postal code decline message, leading to failed payments and abandoned carts.

Context: The store has “Decline charges that fail AVS postal code verification” enabled in Shopify Payments. AVS (Address Verification System) checks billing address details (like postal code) with the card issuer; mismatches trigger declines.

Impact: The merchant can see the precise error (“Your card could not be authorized using the postal code provided”) in the admin, but customers only see “could not complete transaction,” causing confusion. This has happened at least twice.

Request: A way to surface the specific AVS error to customers at checkout, matching what appears in the dashboard.

Latest update: Merchant is not on Shopify Plus and uses Shopify Payments. They’re considering an app-based solution but cannot find an “Advanced Checkout” app and asked for a direct link.

Status: Unresolved; awaiting guidance on how to display detailed AVS errors and clarification on the referenced app.

Summarized with AI on December 15. AI used: gpt-5.
1

I found an abandoned cart today where I could see that the attempt to pay had the error “Your card could not be authorized using the postal code provided” multiple times.

I understand why this occurred - the “Decline charges that fail AVS postal code verification” setting is turned on and there was a mismatch - but the real issue here is that that error isn’t what was displayed to the customer. When I contacted them, they said they just got a generic “could not complete transaction” message, so they didn’t know that the postal code was the problem. This is actually the second time that this has happened in my store.

Do you know of any way to make sure that information that I can see in my dashboard is displayed to the customer correctly so that they know what the issue is?

2

I’m not on Shopify Plus and am using Shopify Payments as my gateway, so the app route looks like the best option. I don’t see any app named Advanced Checkout, though - do you have a link?