When a guest attempts to make a payment and the payment fails, there is always a reason for the failure. If Lodgify Payments is shown as activated on your account, this means guests can make payments and there is no issue on our side.
You can view the reason for a failed payment in your Lodgify Payments section under Payments. You can also view this directly on the reservation by selecting the relevant payment.
When you select the payment, you can view more details about why the transaction failed by scrolling down to the Timeline section. The additional information there explains what you can advise the guest so they can take the necessary steps to resolve the issue.
Failed Payments FAQ
Why is the guest’s payment being declined on multiple attempts?
If the bank declines the guest’s payment, it may be because the amount exceeds the allowed limit. You can try splitting the payment into smaller amounts by creating separate payment requests.
To split the payment into smaller amounts:
- Select the relevant reservation.
- Mark all pending payments as Paid clicking Mark as paid.
- Mark all pending payments as Refunded clicking Mark as refunded.
- You can now request a payment for any amount.
What steps should I advise my guest to take based on the payment declined information?
| Payment Decline Reason | Reason in detail | How to resolve |
| Authentication required | The transaction requires authentication, such as 3D Secure (an additional layer of security for online credit and debit card transactions). | The guest should authenticate their card. If they’re unable to do so, they should contact their card issuer (bank) to resolve the issue, use another card, or try paying with Apple Pay or Google Pay. |
| Card not supported | The card used does not support this purchase. | The guest should contact their card issuer to ensure the card can be used for this purchase, use another card, or try paying with Apple Pay or Google Pay. |
| Currency not supported | The card does not support the selected currency. | The guest should check with their card issuer to confirm that the card can be used for the intended currency, use another card, or try paying with Apple Pay or Google Pay. |
| Expired card | The card has expired. | The guest should check the card’s expiry date, use another card, or try paying with Apple Pay or Google Pay. |
| Incorrect cvc | The CVC (the last 3 digits on the back of the card) entered is incorrect. | The guest should check the CVC number entered and try again, use another card, or try paying with Apple Pay or Google Pay. |
| Insufficient funds | The card does not have enough funds to cover the purchase. | The guest should ensure there are sufficient funds available, use another card, or try paying with Apple Pay or Google Pay. |
| Invalid amount | The amount is invalid or exceeds the limit allowed on the card. | If the amount is correct, the guest should contact their card issuer for further information, use another card, or try paying with Apple Pay or Google Pay. |
| Restricted card | The card cannot be used to make this payment. | The guest should contact their card issuer for more information, use another card, or try paying with Apple Pay or Google Pay. |
| Withdrawal count limit exceeded | The guest has exceeded the balance or credit limit on their card. | The guest should contact their card issuer for more information, use another card, or try paying with Apple Pay or Google Pay. |
| Fraudulent | The transaction was declined due to suspected fraud. | The guest should contact their card issuer for more information, use another card, or try paying with Apple Pay or Google Pay. |
| Incorrect number | The card number entered is incorrect. | The guest should try again using the correct card number, use another card, or try paying with Apple Pay or Google Pay. |
| Incorrect zip | The ZIP code entered is incorrect. | The guest should try again using the correct ZIP code. |
| Processing error | An error occurred while processing the payment. | The guest should try again later. If the issue persists, please contact us so we can investigate further, or use another card. |
| Call issuer | The card was declined for an unknown reason. | The guest should contact their card issuer for more information, use another card, or try paying with Apple Pay or Google Pay. |
| Lost card | The transaction was declined because the card was reported as lost. | The guest should contact their card issuer for more information, use another card, or try paying with Apple Pay or Google Pay. |
| Try again later | The card was declined for an unknown reason. | The guest should try again later. If the issue persists, they should contact their card issuer or use another card. |
| Duplicate transaction | A transaction with the same amount and card information has already been processed. | Please contact us so we can investigate further, or the guest can use another card. |
Why has the guest’s card issuer advised that the failed payment is an issue on the Lodgify Payments side?
Banks sometimes return decline codes that don’t fully reflect the true reason a payment was declined. Stripe does not have visibility into how a bank evaluates a charge, as only the bank or card issuer can see the exact reason for the decline.
For this reason, the best option is to advise the guest to contact their bank or card issuer directly so they can investigate why the payment is being declined.
Does Lodgify Payments support Apple Pay and Google Pay, and can I suggest that guests use these methods if they’re having trouble paying with their card?
Yes. Apple Pay and Google Pay are supported by Lodgify Payments, and asking guests to use these methods can sometimes help if a card payment is declined. Guests can add the card they want to use to their digital wallet if it isn’t already linked.
This is because these digital wallets process payments differently: they use a secure tokenization system and connect directly with the guest’s bank or card provider. In some cases, this can bypass issues that caused the original card payment to fail, such as incorrect card details, bank restrictions, or temporary declines.
Using Apple Pay or Google Pay doesn’t guarantee that the payment will always go through, but it often provides a smoother and more reliable payment experience for guests whose card is linked to their digital wallet.
Lodgify Payments shows as activated — is everything set up correctly for guest payments and bookings?
If Lodgify Payments is shown as activated and there are no banner messages displayed in your account, then you can accept payments from guests and receive payouts as normal.
You can also check the status of Lodgify Payments directly in your Lodgify account settings.
A payment was declined, but Lodgify Payments shows as activated — is there an issue with Lodgify or Lodgify Payments?
If Lodgify Payments is shown as activated, the payment decline is not caused by an issue with Lodgify or Lodgify Payments. Payment declines usually come from the bank or card issuer, so the guest should contact their bank or card issuer to investigate the issue.