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When you accept cards as a method of payment, you may come across decline code 54. Not only does accepting credit and debit cards increase your sales, but customers tend to spend more when using credit cards over other payment methods. However, sometimes a credit card transaction can’t go through. When this happens, the terminal gives you a decline code. Understanding credit card declined code 54 and the reasons behind other credit card decline codes can often lead to a fixable solution.
Possible Reasons You’re Receiving Decline Code 54
As expressed above, there are many reasons a credit card is showing a decline code. Credit card declined code 54 is one of the decline codes that indicates the customer’s card-issuing bank is not allowing the transaction to go through. The reason that you’ve received the declined 54 response is that the customer’s credit card expiration date has passed.
What is a Decline Code?
When you run a credit or debit card and receive a decline code as a response, this is a signal that the transaction has failed to go through. Transactions can be declined for many reasons. The decline code will provide you with further details on why the transaction could not go through at that time. In most cases, the decline code has something to do with the customer’s card-issuing bank. Decline codes can indicate that the credit card is:
- Expired or canceled
- Suspected of fraudulent activity
- Over its spending limit
- Not activated
- Behind on payments
In other circumstances, the reason for the decline is not because of a problem with the customer’s issuing bank. For example, a damaged reader or an incorrect credit card number entry. Decline code 54 means “Card Expired”. This means the credit card being processed is expired and no longer valid to use.
How to Resolve Your Credit Card Decline Code 54
If you receive the credit card decline code 54, double-check the expiration date to confirm that you have entered it correctly. The expiration date is on the front or back of the credit card. If the expiration date was entered incorrectly, you can attempt to process the transaction again.
Otherwise, if the expiration date is correct then the credit card is no longer valid for issuing payments. In these cases, you’ll have to explain the situation to the customer and ask that they contact their card-issuing bank for a new credit card. Then to complete the current transaction, you can ask the customer for another form of payment.
