# A payment failed or was declined

> What a customer sees when a card payment fails, what Declined, Failed and Not confirmed mean on your side, and what to do for each.

Source: https://support.billingmart.com/troubleshooting/payment-declined
Updated: 2026-10-17 · Applies to: Web · Section: Troubleshooting

When a card is declined, the customer sees "The card was declined" with a short reason, and "Nothing was charged." The reason comes from the card processor, not from BillingMart. On your side, the payment appears in **Payments** with the status **Declined**, and the invoice stays open. Most of the time the customer needs to try another card or call their bank.

## What the customer sees

| On the pay page | What it means | What the customer does |
| --- | --- | --- |
| The card was declined, with a reason. Nothing was charged. | The processor said no. | Check the details, try another card, or ask their bank. |
| That card number is not valid, or that expiry date has passed. | The page caught a typing mistake before any charge. | Correct it. |
| Too many attempts. Nothing was charged. Try again in a while. | A rate limit stopped the attempt before it reached the processor. | Wait for the time shown. |
| Payments on this link are paused. | See "A link that pauses itself", below. | Contact you. |
| The processor did not confirm this payment. | We do not know yet whether it went through. | Do not pay again. |
| A payment for this invoice is already being processed. | Another attempt is running. | Wait a minute, then refresh. |
| TEST MODE, or card payment is not set up yet. | Your merchant account is not approved for live payments. | Pay another way, or contact you. |

## On your side: three states that look alike

Open **Payments**, then the payment. The **Reason** line shows the processor's own words.

- **Declined.** The processor refused the card. No money moved. Nothing to fix on your side. The customer tries again from the same link.
- **Failed.** Something stopped the attempt before the processor answered, for example the merchant account is not set up. No money moved. If the reason says the gateway is not configured, see [Your merchant account](https://support.billingmart.com/payments/merchant-account.md).
- **Not confirmed.** The payment shows as **Processing**, with **Not confirmed** under it. The processor did not answer, so nobody knows if the money was taken. The payment and the invoice stay held until an owner or admin resolves the payment. Nothing clears it automatically. Do not take the payment again another way. An owner or admin selects **Resolve** on the payment, checks the processor's own portal, and records what it shows. It asks for a recent sign-in and your second step. See [Refunds and voids](https://support.billingmart.com/payments/refunds-and-voids.md).

A saved-card charge that is declined is recorded the same way. If the message says the saved method needs updating, ask the customer to pay from the pay link or update the card.

## A link that pauses itself

Five declines on one invoice link within a day pause that link for a day. This stops someone testing stolen cards. The customer sees that payments are paused and nothing more. We email the workspace owner when it happens.

To end the pause, open the invoice and select **Make a new link** on the **Pay link** card. The old link stops working at once, so send the new one. A payment link's pause also ends when you disable the link and then choose **Reactivate**, or when you open **Share** on its row and choose **New link**.

If many cards fail across your links in one hour, the owner gets a second email about it.

## What to check

1. The status on the payment. Declined, Failed and Not confirmed (shown under Processing) need different things, as above.
2. Whether a test-mode banner is showing. Until your merchant account is approved for live payments, no real card works. See [How your customers pay](https://support.billingmart.com/payments/how-customers-pay.md).
3. Whether the pause is the cause. If the customer sees "paused", make a new link.
4. Whether the invoice is already paid. If it is, no payment is taken and the page shows it as paid in full, with no card form.

## When to write to support

Write to support@billingmart.com if a payment has stayed **Not confirmed** and you cannot tell from the processor's portal whether the money was taken, if a customer says they were charged but the invoice is still open, or if good cards decline over and over. Include the invoice number, the payment's reference and the time. Never send a full card number.