> ## Documentation Index > Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.whop.com/llms.txt > Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further. # Card declines & risk rules > Why Whop Card transactions get declined and the risk rules applied during authorization Whop Cards apply a set of system rules, card limits, and real-time risk checks to every authorization. This page explains the most common reasons a card transaction is declined, the authorization codes you may encounter, and the automatic risk rules enforced during authorization. ## Common transaction decline reasons Declines can occur for several reasons, including system rules, card limits, and real-time risk checks. When a transaction is declined, a reason describing the cause is recorded with the transaction. This list is not exhaustive. Some declines originate at the card network or processor rather than from a Whop rule, and these take precedence. In those cases the reason may be a generic description such as `restricted card`, or may not be available at all. ## What you can do about a decline Many declines are expected outcomes you can act on. The table below maps common reasons to their cause and your next step: | Decline reason | What it means | What you can do | | ------------------------------------------------------ | --------------------------------------------------------------------- | ----------------------------------------------------------------------- | | `card spending limit exceeded` | The card's configured spending limit was reached | Review or adjust the card's spending controls | | `account credit limit exceeded` | Insufficient available balance for the transaction | Add funds to your balance before retrying | | `card locked` / `card canceled` / `card not activated` | The card is not in an active state | Manage the card's status (activate or unlock as appropriate) | | `invalid pin attempt limit exceeded` | Too many incorrect PIN attempts; the card is automatically locked | Unlock the card to restore access, or contact Whop support | | `transaction declined by risk rules` | The authorization was declined by the fraud risk scoring engine | Contact Whop support if you believe a transaction was declined in error | | `restricted country` | The transaction originated in a restricted or sanctioned jurisdiction | These declines follow compliance policy and cannot be overridden | A few additional defaults worth noting: * ATM withdrawals are disabled by default. * Quasi-cash and certain money-transfer categories are restricted by default. * 3D Secure (3DS): a failed 3DS verification can result in a decline. * Address Verification (AVS): AVS is supported and configurable per card; mismatches can contribute to a decline. ## Authorization codes and their meanings Whop Cards use specific authorization codes to classify the context and status of each transaction. Here are some commonly encountered codes: | Code | Meaning | | ---- | ---------------------------------------------------- | | 00 | Normal presentment | | 01 | Customer not present | | 02 | Unattended terminal - card can be retained | | 03 | Merchant suspicious | | 05 | Customer present, card not present | | 06 | Pre-authorized request | | 07 | Telephone device required | | 08 | Mail/telephone order | | 09 | POS security alert | | 10 | Customer identity verified | | 11 | Suspicious Activity | | 12 | Security reasons | | 13 | Representation of item | | 14 | Public utility terminal | | 15 | Customer's terminal | | 16 | Administrative terminal | | 17 | Returned item | | 18 | No check in envelope - return | | 19 | Deposit out of balance - return | | 20 | Payment out of balance - return | | 21 | Manual reversal | | 22 | Terminal error - counted | | 23 | Terminal error - not counted | | 24 | Deposit out of balance - apply | | 25 | Payment out of balance - apply | | 26 | Withdrawal error - reversed | | 27 | Unattended terminal - card cannot be retained | | 51 | Request for account number verification | | 59 | E-commerce request through public network | | 71 | Card present, magnetic stripe unreadable (U.S. only) | ## Risk rules enforced during authorization Whop Cards enforce automatic risk detection rules to prevent high-risk or suspicious transactions. Each rule includes a time window and trigger threshold: | Rule name | Description | Time window | Trigger threshold | | ------------------------------------------------- | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | ----------- | ----------------- | | Blocked Country | Decline all transactions at blocked countries | Immediate | N/A | | High Risk MCC | Decline transactions with high-risk MCCs | Immediate | N/A | | High Risk E-commerce | Decline transactions with flagged online merchants | Immediate | N/A | | E-commerce Rapid Transaction | E-commerce transaction burst prevented, more than 2 transactions were attempted within a 5-minute period | 5 Minutes | 2 Transactions | | Card-present Rapid Transaction | Card-present transaction burst prevented, more than 2 transactions were attempted within a 5-minute period | 5 Minutes | 2 Transactions | | Card-not-present Daily Velocity | Card-not-present transaction daily limit reached, more than 11 card-not-present transactions attempted within a 24-hour period | 24 Hours | 11 Transactions | | Card-Merchant Daily Velocity | Decline transactions between the same card and merchant when more than 200 transactions occur within a 24-hour period. Surfaces as `transaction declined by risk rules` | 24 Hours | 200 Transactions | | Card-Merchant Authentication 15min Burst Velocity | Decline Google temporary-hold (authentication) charges when the same card and merchant exceed 20 transactions within a 14-minute window | 14 Minutes | 20 Transactions | | AFD Auth Hold | Fuel (MCC 5542) authorizations below \$175 are placed on an over-authorization hold rather than declined | Immediate | \$175 USD | | Gaming Limit | Decline single video game/digital goods (MCC 5816/7994) transaction above \$2,000 | Immediate | \$2,000 USD | | Gaming Velocity | Decline if more than 25 gaming transactions within a 2-day period | 2 Days | 25 Transactions | | Ad Services Limit | Decline single advertising services (MCC 7311) transaction above \$10k | Immediate | \$10,000 USD | | Ad Services Velocity | Decline if more than 40 advertising services (MCC 7311) transactions within a 24-hour period | 24 Hours | 40 Transactions | | Adult Content Limit | Decline single adult content (MCC 5967) transaction above \$200 | Immediate | \$200 USD | | Adult Content Velocity | Decline if more than 10 adult content (MCC 5967) transactions within a 24-hour period | 24 Hours | 10 Transactions | | CVV Security | Block transaction after 4 incorrect CVV attempts within a 24-hour period | 24 Hours | 4 Transactions | | ATM Withdrawal Limit | Block ATM Withdrawal (MCC 6011) transaction exceeding \$250 | Immediate | \$250 USD | | ATM Withdrawal Velocity | Block ATM Withdrawal (MCC 6011) transaction velocity limit reached, more than 3 transactions were attempted within a 24-hour period | 24 Hours | 3 Transactions | | High Velocity – EA Sports FC | Decline when more than 5 transactions with the same card at Google EA Sports FC occur within a 24-hour period | 24 Hours | 5 Transactions | | High Velocity – Discord | Decline when more than 10 transactions with the same card at Discord merchants occur within a 7-day period | 7 Days | 10 Transactions | | High Velocity – Free Fire MAX | Decline when more than 10 transactions with the same card at Google Free Fire MAX occur within a 24-hour period | 24 Hours | 10 Transactions | Default thresholds are shown above and may change over time as risk rules are updated. Alongside these rules, transactions are also scored by a fraud risk engine; high-risk authorizations are declined with `transaction_declined_by_risk_rules`. ## Blocked categories and merchants Whop Cards block certain merchant category codes (MCCs) and specific merchants by default. See [Blocked categories & merchants](/whop-finance/blocked-categories-and-merchants) for the full lists. ## Next steps See the merchant categories and merchants that Whop Cards block by default Spend your balance instantly and earn cashback on select merchants