If you’ve ever received the alert “This card can’t be used for this transaction” you might be wondering what to do next.
Well, as a prospective customer, your options may be limited. That’s because the payment processing being used by the business is blocking your card.
If that’s the case, you may want to look at ways to obtain different cards that have a higher likelihood of being accepted, like American Express for non-US residents.
Or, you could look to get direct assistance from the business in order to try and process the transaction.
In this article, we’ll help you navigate all of the available options in order to successfully complete your transaction.
Feel free to use the table of contents to jump ahead to the sections most relevant to you.
Table of Contents
- My Transaction Is Declined… What to Do Next?
- Credit Card Limitations on Transactions
- Frequently Asked Questions
- Ready to Open Accounts With Banks in the USA?
My Transaction Is Declined… What to Do Next?
If your transaction has been declined, you have a few immediate options to try and complete the transaction, including contacting the company you’re transacting with, using a different credit card, or getting a new credit card.
We dive into these three options in more detail below.
Contacting the Company You’re Transacting With
In most cases, a representative of the company will be able to check why the transaction has been blocked. For example, their payment processor may have blocked your card for fraud prevention, due to the location of the IP address, or several other factors. With this information, you may be able to adjust your approach and complete the transaction successfully.
Some cardholders will be charged a $0 assessment fee, also known as a Visa provisioning charge when a credit card company needs to confirm the information of the credit card holder. This is done to protect the cardholder from their card being used fraudulently.
Use a Different Credit Card for the Transaction
Not surprisingly, if this card can’t be used for this transaction, you may want to consider using a different card. While this may sound obvious, many prospective customers think if one of their cards has been denied, all of their cards will be denied. But, this is not usually the case.
Get a New Credit Card
If your transaction continues to be denied, it may be time to start thinking about a new credit card altogether. In fact, foreign non-residents from around the world can obtain some of the best US credit cards, with low fees, high rewards, and much more. We outline the entire process to find and apply for US credit cards in our dedicated US credit card report, which you can access immediately when you join GlobalBanks USA.
Alternatively, if you’re looking to acquire a company credit card or a virtual credit for employees, you can get started now by accessing our free guide linked here for more information.
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Credit Card Limitations on Transactions
One of the main reasons that you might see “this card can’t be used for this transaction” is that the credit card you are trying to use has limitations. That said, different types of limitations can apply, including transaction value, purchase location, and more. We’ll take a look at these and other credit card limitations below.
Reasons Why My Card Can’t Be Used for a Transaction:
- Purchase price is above the credit card limit
- New physical location where the purchase is being made
- New IP address is being used to make an online purchase
- The merchant is deemed high-risk by the credit card provider
- The information used during checkout does not match the card
Frequently Asked Questions
Below are three of the most common questions that we receive from people that have been denied their transaction because of the card they used. If you have further questions you would like answered, don’t hesitate to get in touch with us directly.
Why Can’t My Card Be Used for Specific Transactions?
Certain credit card providers may block specific transactions based on a number of different factors, this can include the total value of the transaction being too high, the location of the purchase (physically or online), the party that the transaction is being completed with (high risk), and other factors.
Why Is My Card Being Declined Even Though I Have Money in It?
If your card is being declined even though you have money in the account, it could be because the credit card provider believes that the transaction is fraudulent. This could happen if you are trying to make a purchase through an online retailer for the first time. Alternatively, it could be caused based on the internet protocol (IP) address being used during the checkout process.
Will My Money Go Back Into My Bank Account if My Credit Card Was Denied?
If your credit card was denied during the checkout process, the money will not be charged to your card. Therefore, the money will not need to go back into your bank account since it never left in the first place.
Ready to Open Accounts With Banks in the USA?
If so, you can get access to GlobalBanks USA (our dedicated US banking service) in just a few clicks.
GlobalBanks USA is a 100% personal account opening solution. It provides direct access to our team of US banking experts.
When you join, you receive…
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And “yes!” GlobalBanks USA helps foreigners and non-resident individuals open bank accounts.
In fact, GlobalBanks USA even helps non-resident US LLCs and foreign & offshore entities.
To learn more about GlobalBanks USA, visit the product page to see how our team can help you successfully open US bank accounts!
