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Original poster

Increase in cards being declined - anyone else noticed this?

77 replies

tulips27 · 06/10/2022 08:49

I was in the queue for the checkout in M&S yesterday and someone's card was declined in front of me and I suddenly realised I've been seeing it more and more often recently. One notable example was in Morrison's where the self checkout loudly announced "sorry, your card has been declined" which I thought was a bit embarrassing for the guy in question. I mean, surely it could be a lower volume or something? I'm going to mute the self-checkout every time I use it now.

Anyone else noticed this?

OP posts:
MacaroniBaloney · 06/10/2022 08:58

Nope.

MeowMeowPowerRangers · 06/10/2022 08:59

Yes. My card was declined a few weeks back, had more than enough money on.
Just wouldn't accept my card to let me put my pin in. ConfusedBlush
The following week I used it and it worked fine!

ChilliBandit · 06/10/2022 09:00

No, but I have noticed an increase in people talking about prices at the supermarket and people going to pick something up, looking in horror at the price and deciding not to pick it up.

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WowIlikereallyhateyou · 06/10/2022 09:01

Nope. The card may have been a new card requiring a pin check in? Plenty of money in my account,but it is sometimes declined and i have to put my pin number into the machine for a random check occasionally.

dementedpixie · 06/10/2022 09:01

If using it contactless then after a certain number of transactions (10 maybe?) It will decline the contactless payment and require you to use your PIN.

love4189 · 06/10/2022 09:02

mine allows me
to use contactless about 10
times and then needs me to put my pin in. So the tenth transaction will be declined.
Which is always embarrassing despite me knowing there's money in the account!
It's a security thing.

Sillystripytail · 06/10/2022 09:02

The two cards I use regularly have been declined for contactless reasons recently. I know it does it every so many transactions and asks for the pin but it's been every other transaction for the last couple of weeks.

BodenCardiganNot · 06/10/2022 09:02

I use my Apple Watch all the time. No pin required no matter what the amount is!

BenchOfCompany · 06/10/2022 09:03

Mine does it every so many times I use it because it wants my pin to check it is me. I tap it, it declines, then I use the same card and have to insert it and put my pin in. It does piss me off as I can never tell when it is going to happen. There doesn't seem to be any consistency to it. Staff have confirmed they have seen an increase in this.

Nidan2Sandan · 06/10/2022 09:03

My card declined on contactless, but worked fine on chip and pin.

bloodywhitecat · 06/10/2022 09:04

They are not always refused due to insufficient funds, mine is declined on about every 10th use as it wants me to chip and pin the purchase.

LizTrussIsACylon · 06/10/2022 09:05

They increased the number of checks for contactless when they increased the contactless amount to £100. The idea is to stop someone stealing a card and spending £100s in short space of time.

user26189065 · 06/10/2022 09:05

I think it is the actual cards rather than lack of money in accounts, I always have another couple of cards for this reason

TheYearOfSmallThings · 06/10/2022 09:05

I haven't noticed other people but I am finding in Sainsbury's (several locations) the chip and pin machine is rejecting my card a few times before it accepts payment. The other day I was on autopilot and nearly left without noticing I hadn't completed payment.

dementedpixie · 06/10/2022 09:05

Found this on a news article from March 2022:

However, those planning on using contactless five times in a row will be see their fifth transaction bounce automatically - instead, seeing them forced to insert their card in the reader and manually enter their personal PIN number to verify their identity.

As well as this, if a card is noticed to be used in an unusual location - for example a distance from the owner's registered address, the cardholder may in turn also see their contactless blocked until they accordingly verify the PIN code.

Alliolly · 06/10/2022 09:06

Nope, haven't noticed it. But more often than not it's a security measure from the bank and asks you to put your card and PIN instead of using contactless.
I don't see anything embarrassing about that

TheVanguardSix · 06/10/2022 09:07

I had this happen last week. It was embarrassing. I had plenty in the bank, no big transactions pending, hadn't spent a daily limit of any sort (if that's a thing- I don't really think I ever spend a daily limit). It was 8:45am and I went to pay for two coffees and my card was declined, contactless and pin.
Went to Boots after. Same thing.
I was able to draw cash from an ATM, however. No problem there. Did that twice.
Tried using my debit card at another shop. Contactless and pin didn't work. Cash from ATM? Fine!
Checked online with the bank. Card wasn't blocked (I didn't think it was because I got the cash from the ATM).
Next day, my card was fine and has been ever since. Weird.

slo · 06/10/2022 09:07

Yes, but it keeps happening to me and my account is fine. I think it's those small white contactless scanners that fail most often.

enjoyingscience · 06/10/2022 09:07

It happens to me quite often - something to do with my Apple Pay. There’s always enough money, but it just randomly declines every now and then. Works again the next day.

it’s a pain because I can’t trust it as my only payment method now, which kind of makes it redundant.

TheYearOfSmallThings · 06/10/2022 09:09

I think it's those small white contactless scanners that fail most often.

I start scrabbling in my bag for cash when I see one of those!

HelloIamhere999 · 06/10/2022 09:09

My monzo often declines me because I have used the contactless too many times and it wants me to put my pin in.

ronswansonstache · 06/10/2022 09:09

Yes, happens often for me. Recently I had two debit cards and two credit cards declined while trying to order an Uber! I thought I was stranded until the bank rung me about suspicious transactions and then they unblocked them.

I've also had trouble with a number of transactions online especially if the sum is over £100. I think the rules might have changed to prefer 2 stage verification for a lot of transactions but not all online stores have this set up yet. It's really annoying.

SatinHeart · 06/10/2022 09:09

dementedpixie · 06/10/2022 09:05

Found this on a news article from March 2022:

However, those planning on using contactless five times in a row will be see their fifth transaction bounce automatically - instead, seeing them forced to insert their card in the reader and manually enter their personal PIN number to verify their identity.

As well as this, if a card is noticed to be used in an unusual location - for example a distance from the owner's registered address, the cardholder may in turn also see their contactless blocked until they accordingly verify the PIN code.

I'm definitely noticing more pin checks when trying to use contactless. And since they raised the contactless transaction limit I guess people are doing more contactless payments.

user26189065 · 06/10/2022 09:10

Or they may have been a numpty like me who was trying to use a non contactless Nationwide card because it looked similar to my usual Halifax card, I also put in the pin for the wrong card when the contactless didn't work, I realised in the end, but anyone behind may have thought it had been declined.