There are a number of reasons why your card might be declined. Firstly, check the following:
- In the app, have you switched on the type of place you can spend at? i.e. Cashpoint, highstreet, online/phone, contactless.
- Did you activate your card when you received it?
- Do you have enough money loaded onto your card to make the purchase?
- Are you trying to spend more than your daily or monthly spending limit (as set in the app)?
- Are you exceeding the cashpoint withdrawal limit you have set?
- Are you exceeding the daily / one-off cashpoint withdrawal limit which is set at £250?
- Are you trying to withdraw less than £5 from a cashpoint? It is not possible to withdraw less than £5 from a cashpoint.
- Are you exceeding the number of cashpoint withdrawals in one day? There is a maximum of 3 cashpoint withdrawals per day for security reasons.
- Have you exceeded the number of PIN tries allowed for a single transaction? Payment machines will only allow 3 PIN entry attempts before a card is automatically frozen. To unlock a locked card, you will need to visit a cashpoint.
- Have you made more than 5 contactless transactions? Like all bank cards, it is a requirement for every 6th payment to be made by inserting the card and entering its PIN. The transaction will then complete, and contactless payments will be enabled for use for the next 5 transactions.
If your card is blocked at a cashpoint, see how to unblock it here: What do I do if my card has been blocked because of too many incorrect PIN tries at an ATM?
If your card is blocked in a shop, see how to unblock it here: What do I do if my card has been blocked because of too many incorrect PIN tries at a shop?