PAYMENT211: Terminal refused the payment
What this means
The card terminal ended this payment without taking it. The usual reasons are a decline from the customer's bank, a cancellation on the reader itself, or the payment expiring before a card was presented.
Nothing was charged and the order still owes its balance, so the sale can simply be taken again by another means. The provider's own reason is recorded on the log row, and is normally shown on the terminal screen at the same time.
Your data
No money moved. The order is unchanged and its balance is still owed.
Troubleshoot
At the till — do this before the customer leaves:
- Read the reason on the terminal screen, or on the log row.
- Ask the customer for another card, or take a different payment method.
- If the customer insists the payment went through, check the order before charging again — a payment that reached the bank shows on the order.
On the store — for the site administrator:
- A run of refusals from every card points at the terminal or the account behind it rather than the customers: check the reader is online and look at your payment provider’s dashboard.
- Individual declines are between the customer and their bank; WCPOS records them but cannot explain them.