V
Visa Network Response CodesVisa 28
File Temporarily Unavailable
Soft Decline
Temporary failures that may succeed on retry
Retryable
This decline may succeed on retry
Description
The issuer's system files are temporarily unavailable for processing. This is a transient error.
Recommended Action
Retry the transaction after a delay. This is a temporary issuer-side issue.
Common Causes
- Issuer system maintenance
- Temporary database or file system outage
- Network congestion at the issuer
Recovery Tips
- Retry after a few minutes
- If persistent during a window, check for known issuer outages
- Contact your payment processor if the issue persists
Quick Reference
Code
28
Category
Soft Decline
Retryable
Yes
Source
Visa
Recoverability verdict
This is a soft decline. This revenue is often recoverable.
Payments failing with code 28 are often recoverable with the right retry timing and routing. Slicker recovers up to 70% of soft declines with smart retries.
Related Decline Codes
01Retryable
Refer to Card Issuer
The issuing bank is requesting the merchant to contact them before proceeding. This is a generic referral code indicating the issuer wants more information or verification.
02Retryable
Refer to Card Issuer (Special Condition)
Similar to code 01 but indicates a special condition. The issuing bank wants the merchant to contact them for a specific reason related to the account.
03Retryable
Invalid Merchant
The merchant ID or terminal configuration is not recognized or not valid for this transaction type. This typically indicates a setup issue rather than a cardholder problem.
05Retryable
Do Not Honor
The issuing bank has declined the transaction without providing a specific reason. This is one of the most common decline codes and can be temporary or permanent depending on the issuer's internal risk assessment.