The Merchant
Subscriptions & Billing 19 articles in this folder
Subscriptions & Billing 19 articles in this folder
My payment was declined
Declines nearly always come from your bank or card issuer rather than from us. Our checkout only passes on what the bank tells it.
Some banks may decline PixelChat transactions based on the merchant category or their own card restrictions. If your bank is blocking the transaction for this reason, contacting your bank is the best first step, as they may be able to authorize the payment.
What the error messages mean
| Message | What it means | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| Do Not Honor | A generic refusal from your bank. Doesn't mean anything is wrong with your account. | Ask your bank to authorise it, or use another card |
| Issuer Declined MCC | Your bank blocks our merchant category outright | Your bank likely can't lift this. Use a different card or method |
| Pick up card | Your bank's fraud system has flagged or frozen the card | Call your bank — the number is on the back of the card |
| Invalid transaction | The processor couldn't complete it | Check your details, wait, and retry. Try another card |
| Declined by user, no reason given | The processor gives us no detail | Check the card allows online and international payments; contact your bank |
| Activity count limit exceeded | Too many attempts in a short window | Wait a while before retrying, or use another method |
| Suspicion of fraud | Fraud prevention has been triggered | Turn off any VPN and try again |
| Declined by payment gateway | Blocked before reaching your bank | See the general steps below |
| Merchant ID not found | The payment system is trying to process a transaction but cannot locate or recognise the merchant | Try another card, browser or device. Contact your bank only if you get a decline or error |
General troubleshooting
- Check the card number, expiry and CVV
- Check the billing address matches your card statement
- Make sure the card allows online and international transactions
- Turn off your VPN
- Clear cache and cookies, and check autofill isn't silently re-entering an old card
- Try a different browser, device or network
- Wait before retrying. Repeated rapid attempts trigger temporary fraud blocks on both our processor's side and your bank's — this makes things worse, not better
- Try cancelling the existing subscription and repurchasing the plan
- Make sure the card has sufficient available funds/credit and hasn't reached its daily or online transaction limit.
- If using a virtual or prepaid card, try a regular physical debit/credit card instead.
- Check whether your bank requires 3D Secure / OTP verification and make sure the verification step is completed.
- Make sure the card is not expired, locked, or temporarily frozen in your banking app.
- If the payment page has been open for a while, refresh the page and start a new checkout session.
- If you have a saved card, remove it and enter the card details manually again.
- If the bank app shows a pending or failed authorization, wait for it to clear before trying again.
If it still won't go through
Open the checkout page and see what other methods are available in your region (article 2.2), or subscribe through Google Play (article 2.17).
Please never send us your full card number. We don't need it. If we need to trace a payment, only the first 6 and last 4 digits are enough.
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