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Mastercard Merchant Advice CodesMastercard 42
Sanction Score Exceeds Threshold
Fraud/Security
Suspected fraudulent activity or security blocks
Do Not Retry
Retry will not succeed
Description
The Sanctions Scoring Service identified that this payment exceeded the applicable sanction threshold. Do not retry.
Recommended Action
Do not retry. Review the transaction for compliance with applicable sanctions regulations.
Common Causes
- Transaction flagged by Mastercard Sanctions Scoring Service
- Cardholder or merchant location triggers sanctions screening
Recovery Tips
- Review your compliance obligations before taking further action
- Consult with your legal or compliance team
- Do not attempt to circumvent sanctions screening
Quick Reference
Code
42
Category
Fraud/Security
Retryable
No
Source
Mastercard
Recoverability verdict
Retrying 42 will not work
This is a hard decline. Retrying code 42 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
03Non-Retryable
Do Not Try Again
The transaction should not be retried. The account may be closed, suspected of fraud, or the cardholder has cancelled the recurring agreement.
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.