FAQs

The best advice is to “just try again later”. Charge cards can be declined for a number of reasons and unfortunately the cause can be difficult to determine. You may have mistyped the credit card number, expiration date, or cvv code. We often find that customers who just try charging their cards again after a few hours or the next day will have immediate success. If your shipping country is on our list of FRAUD RISK COUNTRIES then your card will automatically be declined since we only accept MONEY ORDER payments for orders going to those countries.

Please check this list of reasons your card may have been declined and how to resolve the problem. Only your credit card issuer or financial institution can confirm the specific reason for a declined credit card.

Possible reasons include:

1. You've exceeded your credit or spending limit. Your card will be declined if you try to continue to make charges once you've hit the maximum amount your credit card company will allow you to borrow. Some cards also have a daily spending limit.

2. Your account is delinquent. If you are behind on your payments, your card issuer will eventually stop accepting new purchases.

3. Suspicious activity has “frozen” your card. Card companies use software that will automatically disable your account if a suspicious pattern of charges occur. Suspicious activity includes unusually large purchases, a large number of charges over a short time, charges in different cities on the same day, and payments to foreign companies. An auditor from your card company will usually call you when this occurs. To re-enable your account you must call your credit card company and verify the suspicious charges.

4. There's a authorization hold on your account. If you book a hotel room or rent a car using your credit card, your card company might place a hold on the amount you charged -- even if you haven't completed your stay or turned in the rental car. The hold ensures that the company gets the money it needs from your use of its services and prevents you from spending beyond your credit limit. This hold can take several days to be lifted. In the mean time you will not have access to that part of your credit limit.

5. You are trying to make an international purchase or an online purchase from a foreign company. This could create an alert and possibly freeze your card. To avoid this, call your card company before you travel overseas or make an international purchase so it won't suspect suspicious activity.

6. You entered your card information incorrectly. This is an easy mistake to make when shopping online. Double check the card number, expiration date, billing address and security code you typed before hitting "enter" to avoid having your card declined for simple human error. It’s easy to accidentally enter your old zip code or address after moving or you may have forgotten to update your credit card billing address. Watch for outdated information.

7. You have had a change in your credit score. Credit card companies analyze your credit worthiness on an on going basis, not just when you first apply. If you are delinquent on another credit card or your credit report has new blemishes you may have trouble making a large purchase with your card.

8. You attempted to use a VISA, MasterCard, or American Express branded gift card. Gift cards are not the same as credit card may be terms and conditions specific to the card that prevented the transaction from completing. The Terms and Conditions vary between cards – i.e. some allow online purchases, while others do not. Some gift cards have other restrictions. There may be other terms specific to your card that might prevent the transaction from completing successfully. If you cannot find the required information, call the customer service number located on the card for assistance.

Please note, should a refund be necessary, the credit must be posted to the gift card originally used to pay for the purchase. If you placed your order using a VISA, MasterCard, or American Express branded gift card, please be sure to retain possession of the card until after you′ve received your order and you′re certain a return/refund won′t be necessary.

9. Another user deactivated your card. If you are an authorized user on another person's account then you may not know that the account has been closed or your spending privileges suspended.

10. Your credit or gift card is not yet activated. Most credit and gift cards require activation before being used. Please call the number or the card to verify the card is activated.