V
Visa Network Response CodesVisa Q1
Card Authentication Failed
Fraud/Security
Suspected fraudulent activity or security blocks
Do Not Retry
Retry will not succeed
Description
The card authentication (chip, contactless, or online authentication) failed. The transaction could not be verified.
Recommended Action
Do not retry. Investigate the authentication failure. The card may be counterfeit.
Common Causes
- Chip card authentication failure
- Offline PIN authentication interrupted
- Card authentication cryptogram invalid
Recovery Tips
- Do not reattempt with the same authentication data
- Request an alternative payment method
- Flag the transaction for fraud review
Quick Reference
Code
Q1
Category
Fraud/Security
Retryable
No
Source
Visa
Recoverability verdict
Retrying Q1 will not work
This is a hard decline. Retrying code Q1 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
04Non-Retryable
Pick Up Card
The issuing bank requests that the card be captured. The card is not necessarily fraudulent but the issuer does not want it used. No reattempts are permitted.
07Non-Retryable
Pick Up Card (Fraud)
The issuing bank requests that the card be captured due to suspected fraud on the account. No reattempts are permitted.
12Non-Retryable
Invalid Transaction
The transaction type is not valid or not supported for this card. The issuer will never approve this specific transaction. No reattempts are permitted.
14Non-Retryable
Invalid Account Number
The card number does not correspond to any existing account. The card may have been mistyped, or the account may no longer exist. Visa categories this as both 1 (never approve) and 3 (revalidate data).