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Authorize.net

Authorize 3

Referral - Call Issuer

Soft Decline
Temporary failures that may succeed on retry
Retryable
This decline may succeed on retry

Description

The transaction was declined with a referral to a voice authorization center. The issuer wants a phone call to authorize the transaction.

Recommended Action

For card-present transactions, call the voice authorization center. For online recurring payments, ask the customer to contact their bank.

Common Causes

  • Issuer wants verbal verification of the cardholder
  • Transaction flagged for manual review by the issuer
  • Large or unusual transaction amount

Recovery Tips

  • Ask the customer to contact their card issuer to authorize the transaction
  • Retry after the customer confirms with their bank
  • Consider requesting a smaller amount if applicable

Quick Reference

Code
3
Category
Soft Decline
Retryable
Yes
Source
Authorize
Recoverability verdict

This is a soft decline. This revenue is often recoverable.

Payments failing with code 3 are often recoverable with the right retry timing and routing. Slicker recovers up to 70% of soft declines with smart retries.

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