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Fix Credit and Debit Card Not Working for Online Purchases

Your credit card or debit card can fail while making payments due to several reasons- may be the online transactions aren’t turned on, international usage is disabled, or maybe you’ve crossed your daily limits. Whatever be the case, below is how you can solve credit card and debit card transaction failure issues.

1. Enable Online Transactions (Domestic/ International)

Following the recent RBI guidelines, debit and credit cards issued by banks, by default, are enabled only for domestic transactions at ATMs and POS terminals. Online transactions are disabled unless you manually turn them on, be it domestic or international. So, if you have got a new card or haven’t done an online transaction with your card yet, it’s likely that it has been disabled for online use. This is done to safeguard people from unauthorized online transactions. You can manually enable online transactions via SMS or customer care, or from your bank’s mobile app and net banking. The process to enable or disable online transactions depends on your bank. However, below is a basic go-through guide you can follow on your end.

If you’re paying with your card on subscription-based services that follow recurring or automatic payments like Netflix, Spotify, or Prime Video, you’ll have to enable international transactions on your card. Else, the transaction won’t go through. This facility is usually not available on RuPay cards; try using VISA or MasterCard instead.

2. Have you Reached Your Transaction Limits?

All credit cards and debit cards have certain limits on the maximum amount and daily transactions. If you try doing transactions of amounts over these limits, your card will automatically be declined, and the payment will fail. So, check your card’s available daily limit and the maximum amount limit in your bank’s net banking or mobile app.

3. Check Granular Card Controls

Most banks offer granular card controls, allowing you to turn them on or off for a particular transaction type. For instance, ICICI Bank lets you control transactions individually for Merchant outlets, ATM withdrawal, Online payments, Tap and Pay, and International usage. Your card could be enabled for international use but not for online payments or merchants. This could cause transaction failure while making these types of payments. So, head to your mobile app or net banking, go to the Manage Card section, and check per transaction status and also the limit.

4. Your Bank Could Be Suspicious of the Transaction

As a safety measure, banks usually decline any transaction that seems suspicious or out of character with your normal spending or withdrawal habits. This may happen if you try doing a large transaction after a very long time or for the first time on your debit card. Bank will generally call you for the transaction confirmation, asking whether it was really you who made the payment or transaction. You can also call the bank beforehand to make sure that they don’t block or decline the payment.

5. Extra Tips to Fix Credit/ Debit Card Online Transaction Failures

Check the entered card information- the number, expiry date, and CVV should be correct.Make sure you’re using the right card type- using a debit card on a credit card terminal or a domestic Rupay card for international payment won’t work.Check if your bank’s servers are facing issues or are under maintenance.Did you block your card? Check if it’s blocked or deactivated.All cards come with an expiry date, after which the card issuer usually sends you a replacement card with a new expiry date. Check if your card is expired.If you don’t have enough funds in your account (for debit cards) or a credit limit on your credit card, banks will decline the transaction. They may also charge you a fee in this case.

Wrapping Up- (Solved) Credit/ Debit Card Not Working for Online Purchases

These were some quick ways to fix debit card and credit card transactions not working online problem. I hope you can now figure out and fix the problem causing the transactions to fail on your card. Always be careful and follow the necessary steps to protect your card from unauthorized use online. Stay tuned for more such articles.