A
Authorize.netAuthorize 2
Declined
Soft Decline
Temporary failures that may succeed on retry
Retryable
This decline may succeed on retry
Description
The transaction has been declined by the issuer. This is the most common generic decline code and does not provide a specific reason.
Recommended Action
Retry with exponential backoff. If repeated failures occur, ask the customer to contact their bank or use a different card.
Common Causes
- Generic issuer decline without specific reason
- Bank-side fraud prevention or risk rules
- Temporary hold on the card
- Spending patterns flagged by the issuer
Recovery Tips
- Retry after a few hours — the issue may be temporary
- Send a dunning email asking the customer to contact their bank
- Suggest the customer try a different payment method
Quick Reference
Code
2
Category
Soft Decline
Retryable
Yes
Source
Authorize
Recoverability verdict
This is a soft decline. This revenue is often recoverable.
Payments failing with code 2 are often recoverable with the right retry timing and routing. Slicker recovers up to 70% of soft declines with smart retries.
Related Decline Codes
3Retryable
Referral - Call Issuer
The transaction was declined with a referral to a voice authorization center. The issuer wants a phone call to authorize the transaction.
191Retryable
Declined
The transaction has been declined by the issuer without a specific reason code.
193Non-Retryable
Transaction Under Review
The transaction is currently under review by the fraud detection system. It has not been approved or declined yet.
295Retryable
Partial Approval
The requested amount was only partially approved on the given prepaid card. An additional payment is required to fulfill the balance of this transaction.