Card decline code
transaction_not_allowed: Transaction not allowed
The bank does not allow this transaction on the card, for an unspecified reason. The customer should contact their bank or use another card.
What transaction_not_allowed means
transaction_not_allowed means the issuer blocks this kind of payment on the card. Causes include blocks on online, international or recurring payments.
Should you retry the payment?
Retrying will fail the same way until the customer changes their card settings or switches cards.
How to recover a subscription payment declined with transaction_not_allowed
- Email the customer right away: the bank declined the charge and only they can find out why.
- Ask them to call the number on the back of the card and approve future charges from your business, or to switch to another card.
- Retry once or twice after they confirm, spaced at least a day apart. Do not hammer the card.
- If nothing changes, escalate to a WhatsApp message (or a phone call) before the subscription is cancelled.
What to tell the customer
Explain their bank does not allow this payment on the card and offer a link to switch cards.
"Hi Sam, your bank doesn't allow this type of payment on the card on your Acme account. You can update your card here or ask your bank to allow it."
More wording for every situation is in our dunning email templates.
How Revnio handles transaction_not_allowed
Revnio records transaction_not_allowed on the failed payment, follows your retry schedule (by default 1, 3, 5 and 7 days, adjusted for the customer's value and plan, and moved to weekday business hours), and emails the customer a secure link to pay or update their card. WhatsApp (Pro plan) reminders follow if the email is not clicked. The Insights page shows how often each decline code recovers for you. On Paddle, Paddle runs the payment retries itself and Revnio handles the customer outreach.
Decline codes are returned by the card issuer through your payment processor. Code names here follow Stripe's; Chargebee and Paddle surface the same issuer reasons with their own wording. Last reviewed 2026-10-15.
Frequently asked questions
What does decline code transaction_not_allowed mean?
The bank does not allow this transaction on the card, for an unspecified reason. The customer should contact their bank or use another card.
Should I retry a payment declined with transaction_not_allowed?
No. Retrying will fail the same way until the customer changes their card settings or switches cards.
Can Revnio recover payments declined with transaction_not_allowed?
Revnio picks up the failed payment from Stripe, Chargebee or Paddle, adjusts retry timing to the decline code, and reaches the customer by email and WhatsApp (SMS is coming soon) with a secure link to pay or update their card.
Recover failed payments on autopilot
Revnio retries failed payments at the right time and reaches customers by email and WhatsApp until the card is fixed. Works with Stripe, Chargebee and Paddle.
Related
- not_permittedThe payment is not permitted on this card. The customer needs to contact their bank or use a different card.
- card_not_supportedThe card does not support this type of purchase, for example recurring or international payments. The customer needs to enable it with their bank or use another card.
- restricted_cardThe card cannot be used for this payment, often because the issuer has restricted it (it may be lost or stolen). The customer should contact their bank or switch cards.
- All decline codesEvery common card decline code, grouped by what to do next.
- Dunning email templatesCopy-ready emails for each kind of failed payment.