Recover failed or incomplete payments
When a payment fails or a bank transfer doesn't complete, you can review the transaction in Merchant Hub and take action based on the specific error. This guide covers both card failures and bank transfer (ACH/EFT) issues.
On phones and small tablets, Merchant Hub tables reflow into stacked cards and tab bars scroll horizontally when they overflow. Use the Pages drawer in the bottom footer to reach Merchant Hub.
Find the payment in Merchant Hub
Go to Merchant Hub > Payments and use the status filter to select Failed. You can also filter by payment method: Credit Card or Bank Transfer (ACH).
The status column shows whether the payment completed, is still processing, or failed. For failed payments, the error reason appears in the transaction details.
Card payment failures
Card payments can fail for many reasons—expired cards, insufficient funds, incorrect details, or issuer blocks. Below are the common failure codes and what to do for each.
Quick decision guide
Wrong card details (CVC, expiry, address, card number) → Correct the information and resubmit
Expired, lost, stolen, or blocked card → Use an alternative card or contact the card issuer
Insufficient funds or credit limit → Wait for funds or use a different payment method
Authentication required, merchant setup issue, or risk blocked → Contact [email protected]
Failure codes and actions
The table below matches each error code to the recommended action. If resubmitting doesn't work after one or two attempts, move to the next step or contact support.
Error code | What it means | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| Cardholder must authenticate via 3D Secure | Contact [email protected] |
| The account has been closed | Use a different card or payment method |
| Address verification failed | Verify the billing address matches the card issuer's records exactly, then resubmit |
| Card declined for an unknown reason | Ask the customer to contact their card issuer |
| Payment was canceled | Confirm whether this was intentional before resubmitting |
| Card doesn't support this type of transaction | Use a different card or payment method |
| Card declined for an unknown reason | Ask the customer to contact their card issuer |
| The system blocked a duplicate payment attempt | Check the payment status in Merchant Hub first. If it failed, start a fresh retry. If it completed or is pending, do not resubmit. See Prevent duplicate payment charges. |
| Card has expired | Use a different card with a valid expiration date |
| Payment suspected of fraud | Do not share details. Advise the customer to contact their card issuer |
| Payment declined for an unknown reason | Try resubmitting. If it fails again, ask the customer to contact their card issuer |
| Wrong CVC/CVV number | Enter the correct CVC and resubmit |
| Not enough funds in the account | Wait for funds to be available, or use a different payment method |
| Account is invalid | Get new account information and resubmit |
| Address is incorrect | Correct the address and resubmit |
| Amount is invalid | Update the amount and resubmit |
| Credentials in the request are invalid | Update credentials and resubmit |
| Expiration date is wrong | Enter the correct expiration date and resubmit |
| One or more fields are invalid | Confirm payment details and resubmit. If it fails again, contact [email protected] |
| Merchant account not set up for this payment | Contact [email protected] |
| Card number is incorrect | Enter the correct card number and resubmit |
| Request details are invalid | Verify the request and resubmit |
| Payment token is inactive or invalid | Update payment information and resubmit |
| Transaction not supported or not found | Contact [email protected] |
| ZIP code is wrong | Enter the correct ZIP code and resubmit |
| Card issuer couldn't be reached | Resubmit. If it keeps failing, ask the customer to contact their issuer |
| Balance or credit limit exceeded | Use a different card or payment method |
| Card reported lost | Do not share details. Ask the customer to contact their card issuer |
| Payment not authorized | Ask the customer to contact their card issuer |
| Payment not permitted | Ask the customer to contact their card issuer |
| Card not recognized | Ask the customer to contact their card issuer |
| Card may be lost or stolen | Do not share details. Ask the customer to contact their card issuer |
| Error during processing | Resubmit. If it fails again, contact [email protected] |
| Card restricted (lost/stolen) | Do not share details. Ask the customer to contact their card issuer |
| Payment blocked by risk rules | Contact [email protected] |
| Card declined due to issuer rules | Use a different card or payment method |
| Card reported stolen | Do not share details. Ask the customer to contact their card issuer |
| Issuer asked to retry later | Resubmit. If it keeps failing, ask the customer to contact their issuer |
Bank transfer (ACH/EFT) issues
Incomplete bank transfers happen when an ACH (US) or EFT (Canada) payment fails to initiate. These appear as failed payments in Merchant Hub when you filter by Bank Transfer (ACH).
Common causes and fixes
Incorrect bank account details — Routing number or account number is wrong. Verify the banking details and resubmit with corrected information.
Account unavailable — The bank account may be closed or frozen. Ask the customer to confirm their account is active, or use a different account.
Cross-border transfer attempted — Bank transfers only work for domestic payments. If your client is in a different country (for example, your account is in the US but the client is in Canada or elsewhere), they must pay by card instead. Cross-border ACH/EFT is not supported.
When to switch to card payment
If bank transfer issues persist, offer the customer the option to pay by card instead. You can store a card on file for future payments, which avoids bank transfer issues entirely.
Bank transfers take 2-5 business days to process. If a payment shows ACH Pending status, it's still processing normally—no action is needed. For the full bank transfer workflow and email notifications, see ACH bank transfer payments.
Duplicate payment attempts
Mallow has a built-in safety feature that blocks duplicate payment submissions automatically. If you or your client resubmit the same payment attempt before the first one finishes, the second request is rejected instead of creating a second charge.
How to tell a duplicate from a genuine retry
Duplicate resubmit — the same button is clicked again while the first attempt is still in progress, or the page is refreshed and the same form is resubmitted. The system recognizes this as the same attempt and blocks it with a message such as Payment is already processing for this invoice or Payment already processed.
Genuine retry after failure — the first payment truly failed, and a new attempt is started with fresh details or a different card. Because failed payments are not active, the system allows the new charge.
What to do before retrying
Go to Merchant Hub > Payments and find the invoice.
If the status is Completed or ACH Pending, do not resubmit.
If the status is Failed, you can safely start a new payment attempt. This is a genuine retry, not a duplicate.
When to contact support
Contact [email protected] if:
The failure code is
authentication_required,invalid_merchant_account,invalid_transaction, orrisk_blockedYou've tried resubmitting and correcting details, but the payment keeps failing
You're not sure whether a payment is truly failed or still processing