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Mastercard Merchant Advice CodesMastercard 03
Do Not Try Again
Hard Decline
Permanent failures that should not be retried
Do Not Retry
Retry will not succeed
Description
The transaction should not be retried. The account may be closed, suspected of fraud, or the cardholder has cancelled the recurring agreement.
Recommended Action
Do not retry. Cancel the subscription or request an alternative payment method from the customer.
Common Causes
- Account closed by cardholder or issuer
- Suspected fraud on the account
- Recurring payment agreement cancelled by cardholder
Recovery Tips
- Send a dunning email requesting a new payment method
- Cancel or pause the subscription until the customer updates their details
- Do not attempt further charges on this card
Quick Reference
Code
03
Category
Hard Decline
Retryable
No
Source
Mastercard
Recoverability verdict
Retrying 03 will not work
This is a hard decline. Retrying code 03 will not recover the payment. But most merchants seeing this code also have soft declines they are not recovering. Check what your retry strategy is leaving behind.
Related Decline Codes
21Non-Retryable
Payment Cancellation
The cardholder has cancelled this payment. This transaction cannot be reprocessed.
40Non-Retryable
Non-Reloadable Prepaid Card
The issuer has identified this card as a consumer non-reloadable prepaid card. The remaining balance may be insufficient and cannot be replenished.
41Non-Retryable
Single-Use Virtual Card
The issuer has identified this card as a consumer single-use virtual card number that has already been used.
42Non-Retryable
Sanction Score Exceeds Threshold
The Sanctions Scoring Service identified that this payment exceeded the applicable sanction threshold. Do not retry.