For: Anyone managing Autocharge plans in Prommt.
Before you start
This article covers failures that happen after a card has been captured — meaning the customer completed the initial activation request (Standard Autocharge) or the zero-value card capture (Zero Value Autocharge), the plan shows as Active, but a subsequent charge attempt has failed.
If the plan is not showing as Active after the customer completed checkout, see How to create a Standard Autocharge plan or How to create a Zero Value Autocharge plan — the card may not have been captured successfully.
Step 1 — Check the Payment Gateway Response
Go to Autocharge Plans in your dashboard, find the relevant plan, and open it. Locate the failed charge attempt and check the Payment Gateway Response field.
This is the failure reason reported by your payment gateway and is the fastest way to diagnose what went wrong. The sections below cover the most common responses.
Common failure reasons
Card expired
What it means: The stored card has passed its expiry date and can no longer be charged.
What to do:
The customer needs to provide updated card details.
Send a new Autocharge activation request to the customer — either a Standard Autocharge request for an amount due, or a Zero Value Autocharge request if you just need to capture the new card without charging immediately.
Once the customer completes the new activation, their updated card is stored against the new plan. Cancel the original plan if it is no longer needed.
Insufficient funds
What it means: The card doesn't have enough available balance or credit to cover the charge amount at the time of the attempt.
What to do:
If your account has Retries configured under Settings → Autocharge Plans, a retry will be attempted automatically at the interval you've set — giving the customer time to resolve the funds issue before the next attempt.
Notify the customer that the payment failed so they can ensure funds are available. The Failed Payment notification in your Autocharge settings handles this automatically if enabled.
If retries are exhausted and the payment still hasn't gone through, contact the customer directly to arrange an alternative payment method or resend a standard payment request.
Do Not Honor / Declined
What it means: The customer's bank has blocked the charge. This is the most generic decline code — the issuer is refusing the transaction without giving a specific reason. Common causes include the bank flagging an unusual charge pattern, a card being frozen, or a new security restriction applied by the issuer.
What to do:
Notify the customer and ask them to contact their bank to understand why the charge was blocked and whether it can be released.
If the bank confirms the card can't be used for this type of transaction, send a new Autocharge activation request for the customer to provide a different card.
Card reported lost or stolen
What it means: The card on file has been reported lost or stolen and the issuer has blocked all further charges.
What to do:
Contact the customer — they will need to provide a replacement card.
Send a new Zero Value Autocharge request to capture the new card details, then cancel the original plan once the new one is active.
Authentication required / SCA required
What it means: The customer's bank is requiring additional authentication before the charge can proceed. This can happen on merchant-initiated transactions in some circumstances, particularly if the card issuer has updated its rules since the card was first captured.
What to do:
Contact Prommt Support via the chat button in your dashboard. This type of failure on an Autocharge payment may indicate a configuration issue that needs to be reviewed at the gateway level — it is not something that can be resolved by resending the request.
Include the plan reference and the exact Payment Gateway Response text when contacting support.
Transaction not permitted / Card not enabled
What it means: The stored card has restrictions that prevent it from being used for this type of charge. This can happen with certain corporate cards, prepaid cards, or cards with online transaction limits.
What to do:
Ask the customer to provide an alternative card that supports recurring merchant-initiated transactions.
Send a new Zero Value Autocharge request to capture the replacement card.
Gateway error / No response
What it means: The charge failed before reaching — or getting a response from — the payment gateway. This is not a card-level decline; it points to a connectivity or configuration issue.
What to do:
Check Settings → Card Gateway to confirm your account is in Live Mode and your gateway is showing as connected.
If the gateway looks connected and Live Mode is on, contact Prommt Support with the plan reference and the date and time of the failed attempt.
See [Troubleshooting: all payments failing on your account] if multiple payment types are failing simultaneously.
If the customer's card details have changed
Stored card details cannot be updated on an existing Autocharge plan — a new card capture is always required. The process is:
Send the customer a Zero Value Autocharge request to capture their new card
Once the customer completes the capture and the new plan shows as Active, cancel the original plan
Use the new plan for all future charges
If the plan shows Active but no charge option is available
Confirm the plan status is Active — not Pending, Cancelled, or Expired. A plan in any status other than Active cannot be charged.
If the plan is Active but the Create Autocharge Payment option is greyed out or missing, contact Prommt Support with the plan reference.
Checking your notification and retry settings
Two settings in Settings → Autocharge Plans are particularly important for handling failed charges gracefully:
Failed Payment notifications — ensures the customer is alerted when a charge fails so they can take action. Keep this enabled.
Retries — not available on all accounts. If your account supports retries, configure the number of attempts and interval under your Autocharge settings to give the customer the best chance of resolving the issue before the plan lapses.
If you're unsure whether retries are available on your account, contact your Prommt Account Manager.